NPPGA: demand for processing potatoes in North Dakota will be high this summer

The Columbia Basin, Idaho, and Wisconsin are all facing potential shortages, while North Dakota is sitting on more spuds than one year ago.

The North American Potato Market News is reporting the Columbia Basin will run out by July 3rd if usage continues at the March pace.

At the same time, North Dakota was sitting on nearly one million hundredweight more potatoes (on April 1) than a year earlier.

But even in North Dakota, it is questionable if fryers will be able to stretch the storage crop until new potatoes begin to come in. North Dakota growers are still waiting for the ground to dry out enough to plant.

The late planting is likely to set the potato harvest back two to three weeks later than normal this fall.