The past two to three years there has been a growing preference for red and yellow potatoes in the United States.
Data compiled by the A.C. Nielsen Company for the USPB show retail market share for red potatoes has jumped from 15.6 percent at the beginning of 2013 to 18.5 percent midway through 2014. Yellow potatoes grew from a 6.7 percent share to just under 8 percent.
At the same time, Russet market share declined just over 2 percent and white potato share dipped 1.6 percent, proving the potato category didn't grow, but rather saw a remarkable shift in consumer preferences.
With almost all of the 2014 fall crop now in the bin, it is obvious that growers throughout the country have taken notice. The North American Potato Market News (NAPMN), published by Bruce Huffaker, did an analysis using USDA-NASS data. NAPMN concluded that the seven leading red producing states increased red acres by over 8,400 acres, with the majority of those 8,400 acres in Idaho.
The Red River Valley has traditionally been the largest grower of reds in the country by a sizable margin. Roughly 22,000 acres were planted to reds for the fresh market this past spring and another 8,000 acres for seed, some of which is sold outside the Red River Valley to meet the growing demand for red potatoes in other growing regions.
So far fresh demand continues to be good for reds out of the Red River Valley, but with all the additional acres, particularly in Idaho, 2014 could be a challenge if demand doesn't keep up with additional production. Idaho could produce 1.6 million hundredweight more reds this year, a huge increase. With Idaho's history of overproducing for the russet market, concern is well founded.
On a proportional basis, the growth in yellow potatoes is even more impressive than reds. Data from the same seven states shows yellow acres up nearly 25 percent, from 6,900 acres in 2013 to 8,600 acres this fall. One shipper in North Dakota has shifted all his potato acres to yellow varieties the past two years. This has accounted for most of the yellow growth in North Dakota. That shipper is reporting brisk business.
NAPMN noted that shipments of yellows from the summer crop were also way up. In fact, since Aug. 1, packers have shipped 33.7 percent more yellow potatoes than in the same time period of 2013.
As stated earlier, red and yellow growth has come at the expense of russets and whites. Growers responded this spring planting 8,000 fewer acres of major russet table varieties were planted in the spring of 2013. The decline in white table varieties also continued with an 18.4 percent decline from last year, down to just 6,200 acres.
Source: Farm & Ranch Guide