North Dakota potato shipments could be off 22.6 percent this season, according to the North American Potato Market News. If this holds 5.7 million less hundredweight than in 2012 will be loaded. Blame is being placed on a cold, wet spring. Hardest hit are red potatoes for the fresh market and chip crops, with the processing potatoes closer to normal. Total US potato loads also will be off from last season.
The Red River Valley potatoes from North Dakota and Minnesota is the fourth largest spud shipping region in the country.
If predictions hold, North Dakota harvest acres could be down nearly 11 percent from last year with the average yield dropping from 300 bags per acre in 2012 down to 260 this year.
In neighboring Minnesota, it is predicted there will be a 2.7 percent increase in potato shipments, sighting close to ideal weather conditions which should push the average yield up from 400 to 410 hundredweight per acre in the state.
Additonally the Market News sees a 5.4 percent drop in shipments of fall potatoes across the U.S. North Dakota and Nebraska will have by far the largest drops in shipments on a percentage basis at 22.6% and 18.2% respectively. However the largest drop in actual shipments will occur in Idaho potato shipments projections show a drop of 14.4 million cwt. compared to last year. Idaho easily leads the nation in potato shipments every year.
If all the state projections hold true, North Dakota would drop from 4th place down to 6th place in potato shipments in 2013-14 season, and only slightly ahead of Minnesota.
The USDA will have its fall potato projections out later this month.
Big Lake, MN red potatoes – grossing about $3300 to Atlanta.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $5500 to New York City.