The 13 major potato growing states held 206 million cwt of potatoes in storage Feb.1, up 7 percent from last year and 9 percent more than in 2006, the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service reports.
Potatoes in storage accounted for 52 percent of the 2007 fall storage states' production, up 3 percentage points from last year. Klamath Basin stocks-including California and Klamath County, Ore.,-totaled 2.70 million cwt, up 4 percent on last year.
Disappearance (sales, shrink, and waste) of 194 million cwt from the start of harvest to Feb. 1 was down 1 percent from last year but up 5 percent from 2006.
Shrink and loss, at 18.0 million cwt, was down 2 percent from the previous year but 7 percent above the same date in 2006.
NASS says central states accounted for 43.3 million cwt of potato stocks Feb. 1, down 2 percent from last year but 10 percent above the same date in 2006.
Wisconsin's potato stocks were unchanged from last year, North Dakota's sheds held 17 percent less and potato stocks in Minnesota were 1 percent below last season. Nebraska's potato stocks fell 8 percent from the same date in 2007. Michigan's sheds held 35 percent more than a year ago.