Potato Production United States: USDA-NASS publishes 'Potatoes 2016 (Summary)'

The USDA-NASS has just published an overview of their estimates regarding last year's potato crop in Potatoes 2016 Summary (September 2017). We highlight some of the headlines, while we have also included some of the data from this report in the Statistics section of Regions

Overall potato production

Potato production in 2016 totaled 441 million cwt, up slightly from the estimate in the Crop Production 2016 Summary and the 2015 crop. Harvested area, at 1.02 million acres, was down 3 percent from 2015. The average yield of 433 cwt per acre was up 15 cwt from the previous year.

Potato production by season

Spring potato final production for 2016 totaled 15.2 million cwt, 27 percent below the previous year. Harvested area, at 48,000 acres, decreased 34 percent from 2015. The average yield for spring potatoes was 316 cwt per acre, up 30 cwt from 2015.

Beginning in 2016, spring potato estimates were discontinued in Arizona. In addition, North Carolina estimates were moved to the summer potato program.

Summer potato production was 19.6 million cwt for 2016, a 25 percent increase from 2015. Harvested area, at 60,700 acres, was up 29 percent from 2015. The average yield of 323 cwt per acre was down 11 cwt from 2015.

Beginning in 2016, summer potato estimates were discontinued in Delaware. Estimates began in 2016 for North Carolina.

Fall potato production was estimated at 407 million cwt for 2016, up slightly from the 2015 crop. Area harvested in 2016 was 909,600 acres, 3 percent below the previous year. The average fall potato yield, at 447 cwt per acre, was up 14 cwt from 2015.

Beginning in 2016, fall potato estimates were discontinued in Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

Value of the potato production

The value of all potatoes sold in 2016, at $3.74 billion, increased 4 percent from the previous year. The average price, at $9.08 per cwt, was up $0.32 from 2015.

Destination

The quantity of potatoes sold from the 2016 crop totaled 411 million cwt, up slightly from 2015. Quantity sold accounted for 93 percent of 2016 production, unchanged from the previous year.

Growers from the 22 estimating States sold 270 million cwt of raw potatoes to processors from the 2016 crop, down 1 percent from 2015. Table stock sales totaled 114 million cwt, 2 percent above the previous year. Seed sales of 26.3 million cwt were up 3 percent from 2015. Sales for livestock feed, at 1.08 million cwt, increased 18 percent from 2015.

Shrinkage and loss was estimated at 26.5 million cwt for 2016, slightly below 2015. Potatoes used for livestock feed on farms where grown and home use totaled 679 thousand cwt, a 22 percent decrease from the previous season. Growers kept 3.61 million cwt for seed on their own farms, down 4 percent from 2015.

Use for processing

U.S. potatoes used for processing totaled 286 million cwt, up 3 percent from 2015. Potatoes used for chips and shoestrings totaled 60.3 million cwt, up 6 percent from the previous year. Frozen french fries and other frozen products utilized 170 million cwt of raw potatoes, up 2 percent from 2015. Potatoes used for dehydrating totaled 48.0 million cwt, virtually unchanged from 2015. Canning use, at 1.93 million cwt, was up 13 percent from the previous year. Other products made from potatoes utilized 6.00 million cwt of potatoes, a 7 percent decrease from 2015.
 

(Click to access full report as pdf)

USDA-NASS report: Potatoes 2016 Summary (published September 2017)