United States Potato outlook isn't good

There are two likely scenarios facing U.S. potato growers in the 2014-15 season, and neither of them is sunny, according to Jerry Wright, president and chief executive officer of the United Potato Growers of America, Salt Lake City.

And of those two scenarios, Wright said there’s an 80% chance the one with the worse outcome will happen: growers across the U.S. will plant up to 2% more potatoes in the spring and fall seasons, increasing fresh production by up to 6 million cwt., significantly more than this year’s crop of about 97 million cwt.

“I hate to be the voice of gloom and doom,” Wright said March 13, during his annual update at the U.S. Potato Board’s annual meeting. “I really am not. I am the voice of realism.”

Wright’s assessment came after his report on the health of the potato market during the current season, which should see about 4 million cwt. less than the 2012-13 season of 101 million cwt. Although retail prices were lower, actual consumption was flat. The main good news came from a drop in russet production, leading to an overall “excellent” return on that main variety — although individual region russet returns depended greatly on how many of that variety each area produced, not overall U.S. fresh market production. “The last thing we need is more russet production next year,” he said.

But Wright said he believes his message is too late to influence growers about what they intend to plant, leaving it up to Mother Nature to be the major factor in what happens to the market next season. Even if plantings hold steady from last season, that could lead to an increase of 4 million cwt. more potatoes for fresh, compared to this season.