Idaho potato acreage is down 10 percent as growers see better prices on early harvest
Idaho potato acreage is down 10 percent as growers see better prices on early harvest
There were just too many potatoes on the market.
That is the conclusion Idaho potato growers came to after several years of devastatingly low market prices. So growers took the matter into their own hands. Forming a voluntary cooperative called United Fresh Potato Growers of Idaho, they reduced planted potato acreage in Idaho for the 2005 fall harvest by 36,400 acres, or about 10 percent of the state's 2004 acreage. Other potato-growing states across the country followed suit with their own state cooperatives, and a national organization was formed as well. Through a united effort, potato plantings for the 2005 fall harvest are down an estimated 7 percent nationwide from last year and down 12 percent from two years ago.
About 95 percent of Idahos potato crop consists of russet varieties predominantly Burbank at roughly 70 percent of the total, with the Norkotah variety, representing about 10 percent of the crop, being the second most important fresh-market variety. Other varieties such as reds, whites, yellows and fingerlings represent a small percentage of the total but are increasing as Idaho potato growers seek to diversify their offerings and become a one-stop shop for potato buyers.
Although a majority of potatoes produced in Idaho is used for processed potato products, about 40 percent of the total crop typically goes into the fresh market. Factors other than acreage will have an impact on this years potato harvest. Persistent rainfall at planting time disrupted the planting schedule, so a portion of the crop went in the ground weeks later than planned. The early Norkotah crop, which began to be harvested in August, was showing about average yields and close to average sizing, perhaps a little on the small size, growers say. The fresh-market Burbank harvest was expected to begin in late September, with many growers holding off awhile, hoping to get the potatoes to "bulk up" a little.
At the same time, potato demand seems to be stronger this year, as the low-carb fad diets have fallen out of favor, according to the Idaho Potato Commission. Shippers say prices for the early potatoes are much stronger than in recent years. As of Sept. 23, 50-pound cartons of 40- through 70-count spuds were selling at mostly $10, according to the USDAs National Potato & Onion Report. Even so, with the lighter crop, growers are not rushing to market with their potatoes but are going heavily into storage in order to manage the flow of product into the marketplace throughout the shipping season.
It is a marketable crop, said Kevin Searle at GPOD of Idaho in Shelley, ID. I think we are going to have the full range of sizes that we can offer to the consumer. ... And we are very optimistic about what we have as far as quality goes.
He was also very optimistic about the possibilities for grower returns and the [packing]shed being able to stay healthy as well, he said. But two major factors would be important in making that happen, he continued. The first one is responsible marketing by sales personnel; the second one would be the regulation of movement of the Idaho potato crop.
What [growers] are saying is, weve got a little bit smaller sizing in the crop as well as much reduced acreage, said Kent Romrell of Potandon Produce LLC in Idaho Falls, ID. Prices are much better than they were the same time a year ago. But we will know for sure what we are dealing with once we get these potatoes out of the ground, he said.
We are a little behind on the harvest, Mr. Romrell continued. But that did not concern him much. Nowadays, it is easier to catch up because we have much greater harvesting capacities than we had in the past. A delayed harvest was a lot riskier historically than it is today, he said. Modern harvesting equipment allows growers to harvest 12 rows at a time, and the machinery picks the potatoes up faster and more gently than in the past.
So far, the new crop looks very nice, said Kevin Stanger of Wada Farms Potatoes in Idaho Falls. Overall, size is good. Not too large, not too small. The crop yields are maybe average, but the overall quality for Idaho this year looks good.
From all appearances, the current crop in Idaho is a very short crop, said Terry Wright of Wilcox Marketing Group in Rexburg, ID. Acreage is down very sharply from the previous year. [But] until really the first week of November, when everything has been harvested and put into storage, it is impossible to say what the actual yields have been.
Ordinarily, at this time [mid-September], the open market would be flooded as growers tried to turn potatoes from their early harvest into cash, Mr. Wright said. But this year ... people are bullish about their potatoes and are putting more of them into storage anticipating even better prices to come.
The early diggings are showing good quality, but in some areas we are finding that the large sizes could be down a bit compared to a year ago, said John Stanger of ProFresh LLC in Idaho Falls. But he does not expect to be way down on count sizes. We may be down slightly, he said.
(A full report on Idaho potatoes appears in the Oct. 3 issue of The Produce News.)
That is the conclusion Idaho potato growers came to after several years of devastatingly low market prices. So growers took the matter into their own hands. Forming a voluntary cooperative called United Fresh Potato Growers of Idaho, they reduced planted potato acreage in Idaho for the 2005 fall harvest by 36,400 acres, or about 10 percent of the state's 2004 acreage. Other potato-growing states across the country followed suit with their own state cooperatives, and a national organization was formed as well. Through a united effort, potato plantings for the 2005 fall harvest are down an estimated 7 percent nationwide from last year and down 12 percent from two years ago.
About 95 percent of Idahos potato crop consists of russet varieties predominantly Burbank at roughly 70 percent of the total, with the Norkotah variety, representing about 10 percent of the crop, being the second most important fresh-market variety. Other varieties such as reds, whites, yellows and fingerlings represent a small percentage of the total but are increasing as Idaho potato growers seek to diversify their offerings and become a one-stop shop for potato buyers.
Although a majority of potatoes produced in Idaho is used for processed potato products, about 40 percent of the total crop typically goes into the fresh market. Factors other than acreage will have an impact on this years potato harvest. Persistent rainfall at planting time disrupted the planting schedule, so a portion of the crop went in the ground weeks later than planned. The early Norkotah crop, which began to be harvested in August, was showing about average yields and close to average sizing, perhaps a little on the small size, growers say. The fresh-market Burbank harvest was expected to begin in late September, with many growers holding off awhile, hoping to get the potatoes to "bulk up" a little.
At the same time, potato demand seems to be stronger this year, as the low-carb fad diets have fallen out of favor, according to the Idaho Potato Commission. Shippers say prices for the early potatoes are much stronger than in recent years. As of Sept. 23, 50-pound cartons of 40- through 70-count spuds were selling at mostly $10, according to the USDAs National Potato & Onion Report. Even so, with the lighter crop, growers are not rushing to market with their potatoes but are going heavily into storage in order to manage the flow of product into the marketplace throughout the shipping season.
It is a marketable crop, said Kevin Searle at GPOD of Idaho in Shelley, ID. I think we are going to have the full range of sizes that we can offer to the consumer. ... And we are very optimistic about what we have as far as quality goes.
He was also very optimistic about the possibilities for grower returns and the [packing]shed being able to stay healthy as well, he said. But two major factors would be important in making that happen, he continued. The first one is responsible marketing by sales personnel; the second one would be the regulation of movement of the Idaho potato crop.
What [growers] are saying is, weve got a little bit smaller sizing in the crop as well as much reduced acreage, said Kent Romrell of Potandon Produce LLC in Idaho Falls, ID. Prices are much better than they were the same time a year ago. But we will know for sure what we are dealing with once we get these potatoes out of the ground, he said.
We are a little behind on the harvest, Mr. Romrell continued. But that did not concern him much. Nowadays, it is easier to catch up because we have much greater harvesting capacities than we had in the past. A delayed harvest was a lot riskier historically than it is today, he said. Modern harvesting equipment allows growers to harvest 12 rows at a time, and the machinery picks the potatoes up faster and more gently than in the past.
So far, the new crop looks very nice, said Kevin Stanger of Wada Farms Potatoes in Idaho Falls. Overall, size is good. Not too large, not too small. The crop yields are maybe average, but the overall quality for Idaho this year looks good.
From all appearances, the current crop in Idaho is a very short crop, said Terry Wright of Wilcox Marketing Group in Rexburg, ID. Acreage is down very sharply from the previous year. [But] until really the first week of November, when everything has been harvested and put into storage, it is impossible to say what the actual yields have been.
Ordinarily, at this time [mid-September], the open market would be flooded as growers tried to turn potatoes from their early harvest into cash, Mr. Wright said. But this year ... people are bullish about their potatoes and are putting more of them into storage anticipating even better prices to come.
The early diggings are showing good quality, but in some areas we are finding that the large sizes could be down a bit compared to a year ago, said John Stanger of ProFresh LLC in Idaho Falls. But he does not expect to be way down on count sizes. We may be down slightly, he said.
(A full report on Idaho potatoes appears in the Oct. 3 issue of The Produce News.)
