US Potato Production in 2010 down 7%

Recently the USDA has published a revised overview of the United States Potato Industry statistics for harvest 2010. This report contains a wealth of data on the production per state and per utilisation, for which we refer to the report itself.

Here is the summary:

Potato production in 2010 is revised to 404 million cwt, up 2 percent from the estimate in the January Crop Production 2010 Summary but 7 percent below the 2009 crop. Harvested area, at 1.01 million acres, is down 3 percent from 2009. The average yield of 401 cwt per acre is down 13 cwt from last year’s record high.

Spring potato final production for 2010 is 24.8 million cwt, 16 percent above the previous year. Harvested acres, at 85,800 acres, increased 16 percent from 2009. The average yield for spring potatoes is 289 cwt per acre, unchanged from 2009.

Summer potato production is 13.0 million cwt for 2010, a 17 percent decrease from 2009. Harvested area, at 40,400 acres, is down 9 percent from 2009. The average yield of 321 cwt per acre is down 30 cwt from 2009.

Fall potato production is finalized at 367 million cwt for 2010, down 7 percent from the 2009 crop. Area harvested in 2010 is 881,800 acres, down 4 percent from the previous year. The average fall potato yield, at 416 cwt per acre, decreased 13 cwt from 2009.

The value of all potatoes sold in 2010, at $3.45 billion, increased 5 percent from the previous year. The average price, at $9.20 per cwt, is up $0.95 from 2009. The quantity of potatoes sold from the 2010 crop totaled 375 million cwt, down 6 percent from 2009. Sales account for 93 percent of 2010 production, up 1 percent from the previous year.

Processors used 246 million cwt of raw potatoes from the 2010 crop, down 4 percent from 2009. Table stock sales totaled 107 million cwt, 8 percent below the previous year. Seed sales of 20.6 million cwt are up 2 percent from 2009. Sales for livestock feed, at 593,000 cwt, decreased significantly from 2009.

Potatoes used for chips and shoestrings totaled 54.7 million cwt in 2010, up 29 percent from the previous year.

Frozen french fries and other frozen products utilized 149 million cwt of raw potatoes, down 7 percent from 2009.

Potatoes used for dehydrating totaled 34.1 million cwt, down 23 percent from 2009.

Canning use, at 2.35 million cwt, is down 14 percent from the previous year.

Starch, flour, and other products were made from 6.36 million cwt of potatoes, a 2 percent decrease from 2009.

Shrinkage and loss is estimated at 25.0 million cwt for 2010, 14 percent below 2009. Potatoes used for livestock feed on farms where grown and home use totaled 1.22 million cwt, 2 percent above the previous season. Growers kept 3.00 million cwt for seed on their own farms, 10 percent lower than a year earlier.