Posts Tagged “Red River Valley potato shipments”
It took a few weeks for digging potatoes to get back on schedule in the Red River VAlley following a mid-September heatwave, but fall weather is now well established.
Northland Potato Growers Association, East Grand Forks, MN reports favorable weather for the 300-mile valley in upper Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota.
Acreage was up in Minnesota this year and down in North Dakota.
Growers planted 74,000 acres of red and yellow potatoes in North Dakota, about 2,000 acres less than last year, and expected to produce about 24 million hundredweight — 9% less than in 2023. Minnesota growers look to harvest up to 46,000 acres, down about 100 acres from last year, and should dig about 19 million hundredweight, up 3.6% from 2023.
O.C. Schulz & Sons Inc., Crystal, N.D., started its harvest Sept. 10 but was putting digging on hold until the heat subsided.
The company plans to ship until early May, depending on crop size and demand, with an average to above-average crop with good quality.
NoKota Packers Inc., Buxton, N.D., had harvested 15% of its crop before shutting down temporarily during the heatwave, but it was not expected to affect the quality of the crop.
“The company expected a normal-size crop with about 75% red potatoes and 25% yellow.
Associated Potato Growers Inc., Grand Forks, N.D. reports potatoes could lose a little color after exposure to the hot sun, but is still optimistic for the overall crop.
The co-op expects volume to be up slightly this year because of good rainfall.
Although red potatoes account for the majority of Red River Valley spuds, yellows are gaining in popularity.
Ben Holmes Potato Inc., Becker, MN points out everyone in central Minnesota has increased their acreage and yellow potatoes now make up a big portion of the acres grown.
The company markets most of the potatoes produced by Peatland Reds Inc., Trail, MN., where growing conditions were mostly optimal this year, with timely rains and good weather.
After two straight disappointing years, the Red River Valley is expected to ship a more normal sized fresh crop this fall.
Weather played a large part in declining red production each of the last two years. Coupled with declining acres, the 2020 and 2021 red crops each fell more than 25% below the 5-year average.
Big increases in RRV yellow planted acres each of the past two years caused yellow potato production to be up substantially despite of weather challenges. This year, many potatoes went in late after a cool, wet spring, but the crop progress has pretty much returned to average levels with near ideal weather conditions over the summer.
Barring any surprises from Mother Nature this fall, look for reds and yellows to both be up this year with possibly the largest fresh crop in the Red River Valley since 2014. How does this fit in with the national forecast? With heat stress in the west and fresh acres shifting to processing, demand could potentially be favorable.
Some Red River Valley potato shippers could finish a little earlier than usual this year because North Dakota and Minnesota growers planted fewer acres of red potatoes in 2021. Drought conditions also reduced yields.
This could result in storage inventories being depleted four to six weeks ahead of normal.
The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association of East Grand Forks, MN reports some of the region’s 13 shippers will be finishing in March and April, rather than in May.
In the Northern Plains Region, potatoes are grown on about 70,000 acres in North Dakota and 8,800 acres in Minnesota. Growers planted fewer acres of red potatoes in 2021,
Potato shipments from the Red River Valley of North Dakota and western Minnesota are down 15 to 20 percent this season, with loadings expected to continue until June.
The Northern Plains Potato Association of East Grand Forks, MN reports the major varieties for the fresh market are Red and Dark Red Norland, and for the frozen processing market the Russet Burbank and Umatilla are popular. The favored chipping varieties are Cascade and Dakota Pearl, while seed potatoes are very diversified.
The NPPA notes yellow potatoes have been increasing for a decade, without any signs of a slow down. While yellow acreage has increased an estimated 8 percent, red acreage is off 1-2 percent. However, red potatoes are still the dominant variety for the region.
The Red River Valley is one of the nation’s top-10 potato growing areas — and it is the largest producer of red potatoes in the United States and one of the top-five yellow potato production areas.
While some potato shed have rail sidings, arrivals of rails cars are often a week or more late in arriving.
The harvest is over in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota and shippers are expected make a big rebound from a disastrous season a year ago thanks primarily to too much rain.
The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association of East Grand Forks, MN estimates 30 percent of the association members’ crops were lost, and some individual growers lost nearly their entire acreage. This year is expected to be totally different.
A & L Potato Co. of East Grand Forks expects to be at full capacity for the first time in years. Last year, the company, lost 95 percent of its red and yellow potatoes.
Nokota Packers Inc. of Buxton, N.D., started digging potatoes the week of Sept. 14, with ideal digging conditions. The company has finished it red potato harvest a couple of weeks ago.
Lone Wolf Farms of Minto, N.D., reports similar conditions and started shipping in mid-October.
Folson Farms Corp. of East Grand Forks, ships red and yellow potatoes and had some digging delays due to dry conditions.
J.G. Hall & Sons, Edinburg, N.D., along with O.C. Schulz & Sons Inc., Crystal, N.D., will started shipping potatoes out of storage from H & S FreshPak Inc., Hoople, N.D., in October. Hall & Sons is just now start to ship its own potatoes.
Growers have been shipping about 80 percent of their potatoes to retail stores and 20 percent to foodservice. Foodservice business has been hit much harder by COVID-19.
By Ted Kreis – Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, Communications
For the first time all year, fresh potato shipments from the Red River Valley are meeting or exceeding last year’s numbers. Shipments had been running at about two-thirds of last year’s pace until the pandemic broke and consumers abandoned restaurants for eating at home.
Because of large crop losses last fall, prices for red and yellow potatoes from the valley have been higher all year which has slowed shipments to extend the shipping season accordingly. But in mid-March fresh shipments from the Red River Valley exceeded last year for the first time all season. This past week shipments were up nearly 20 percent compared to last year, all this as supplies dwindle in the Red River Valley.
Meanwhile, there has been an opposite effect on the frozen potato market which is highly dependent on foodservice business, which includes restaurants. With restaurant business mostly disappearing with the exception of drive-thru business, stockpiles of frozen fries is backing up causing huge cuts in 2020 contracted acres and much uncertainty going forward. This could also have a trickledown effect on the fresh market this fall if russet supplies in the Northwest are diverted to fresh.
In the U.S., processors are cutting, eliminating or delaying contracts but its not just happening here, this is a worldwide problem. In Western Europe, several potato processing units are shutting down totally or partially. Throughout the European northwest, the industry is calling for a reduction in planting areas as it now expects a huge surplus of fries in storage. One estimate is that the Dutch potato sector has 1 million metric tons of surplus processing potatoes at the current time. In France, an estimated 500,000 tons of potatoes cannot be processed.
We have never seen anything happen to the entire world like what is happening now so there is no playbook or roadmap to economic recovery. However one thing is certain, the world will always have to be fed, and potatoes will help lead the way. We just don’t know how that will look.
(This article appeared in Potato Bytes, an online publication by the NPPGA)
Summary by North American Potato Market News
Expect fewer potato shipments from the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota this season.
North Dakota- Growers abandoned 15,000 acres of North Dakota’s 2019 potato crop. That is 1,000 acres more than the November estimate. In addition, USDA reduced its estimate of the state’s average yield to 350 cwt per acre from 355 cwt. That reduced the 2019 crop estimate to 20.30 million cwt, a 645,000 cwt decline. The 2019 crop is down 3.43 million cwt, or 14.4 percent, from the 2018 crop (largest percentage drop in the country). Some of the crop was compromised during harvest, which will result in additional storage losses.
Minnesota – Production is estimated at 18.04 million cwt. That is 665,000 cwt, or 3.6 percent less than Minnesota’s 2018 crop. Minnesota is the only state whose 2019 crop estimate was not adjusted in January. That is a major shift from recent years when USDA has made massive adjustments to the state’s crop estimate.
U.S. Fall Crop – The total U.S. fall crop was adjusted upwards by 439,000 cwt. which is just a 0.1 percent increase. Even with that, the total U.S. fall crop is down nearly 9 million cwt. compared to 2018, or 2.1 percent.
Heavy rains followed by freezing cold weather created the perfect storm during the growing and harvest season in the Red River Valley. As a result, fresh potato shipments from North Dakota and Minnesota could be slashed by more than 50 percent.
With the close of October , the Red River Valley potato harvest was basically shot down.
The Northern Plain Potato Growers Association in East Grand Forks, MN reports there were several days of freezing temperatures, probably ruining in potatoes left in the fields.. Industry observers are estimating shipments may down down by 45 to 55 percent. Additionally shipments could be over sometime in February, weeks ahead of a more normal season.
Shippers are expected to take care of their long-standing customers first, Some packing sheds are operating at partial capacity and running only a few days a week.
The Red River Valley accounted for about 25 percent of the U.S. red potato shipments last season.
In a turn around from a year ago Red River Valley potato grower-shippers in North Dakota and Minnesota anticipate plenty of potato loads for hauling this season. It would be a terrific improvement for both growers, shippers and truckers from a rain-soaked 2016 season.
Last year during the 2017 growing season, dry soil made growing and harvesting difficult although the abundant rainfall from 2016 had created good planting conditions. The result was a 30 percent drop in potato shipments.
A couple of timely downpours this past September helped the digging get started on time.
The Red River Valley potato harvest generally runs for about six weeks in September and October, with shipments typically lasting through spring.
The Red River Valley includes about 80,000 acres in North Dakota and 45,000 in Minnesota. Potato volume for the fresh market typically totals about 7 million hundredweight (cwt).
A significant change in the valley this season is formation of H & S FreshPak in Hoople, ND, a new company created when J.G. Hall & Sons of Hoople and O.C. Schulz & Sons Inc. of Crystal, ND, who purchased Northern Valley Growers of Hoople and changed the name to H & S.
Truck availability has been a concern in the valley this season, a situation that has a history. Due to the low population of North Dakota, getting loads into the valley is often a challenge. Other factors such as the recovery from hurricanes in Texas and Florida hasn’t helped the availability of trucks.
The valley has over 250 growers producing more than 40 million cwt. of potatoes annually, with about 17 percent of the product shipped to the fresh market. The region is the third largest potato growing area in the U.S.
Yellow variety potatoes continue to increase in popularity, mostly at the expense of Russets and whites, neither of which valley growers have produced in a number of years.
While U.S. red potato shipments increased about 14 percent between 2009 – 2015, white potato shipments plunged 43.3 percent.
The co-op Associated Potato Growers Inc. of Grand Forks, ND continues to be the valley’s largest potato shipper. Of the dozen wash plants in the valley, two of the other largest shippers are NoKota Packers, Inc. of Buxton, ND and J.G. Hall of Hoople.
Potato shipments from Grand Forks – grossing about $4800 to New York City.
Volume in terms of hundredweight is expected to be down only slightly for Wisconsin potatoes shipments this season. Meanwhile, the Red River Valley has very limited potato shipments at this point.
Wisconsin’s potato shipments are expected be off about 5 percent this season from a year amounting to 27 million hundredweight (cwt) the 2017 18 growing. storage and shipping season. The 2016=17 fresh volume totaled 28.5 million cwt.
Due to a late weather related planting, growers will be leaving the potatoes in the ground as long as possible to give time to gain size. This resulted in diggings getting underway September 11th instead of September. 1st. Updated forecasts will be needed as growers are rolling the dice a bit as the latter harvest increases the change of a damaging frost. Wisconsin’s potato farmers normally complete harvest by October. 10th. Digging of potatoes this fall could continue as late as October 20 to gain as much growing time as possible for a product that is gauged by weight. Thus, growers are praying for a late frost.
Russet potatoes currently make up about 70 percent of potato shipments in the U.S., followed by red potatoes that have increase to 20 percent and yellow potatoes amounting 10 percent. Russets also continue make up the biggest volume of Wisconsin potato shipments.
How Wisconsin Potato Volume Ranks
Wisconsin is the nation’s third-largest potato shipping state, and ranks number one No. 1 east of the Mississippi River. Frito Lay has become a big presence in the Badger State and accounts for 25 percent of Wisconsin’s potatoes shipped for the processing market. Another 10 percent of the state’s potatoes are shipped as seed.
Red River Valley Potato Shipments
Shipments haven’t really ramped up yet but red potatoes from the nation’s largest “red” production region have got underway. While red potatoes continue to grow in popularity, about 18 percent of the Valley’s fresh potato production will be yellows this fall, a number that has tripled in the last six years.