The USDA NASS has provided an update on the U.S. potato crop in its weekly crop progress report (https://www.nass.usda.gov/) for last week. Here’s a sample of what the latest report showed.
Oregon – The report shows 38 percent of Oregon’s 2023 potato crop has been harvested thus far, up from 34 percent last week. The five-year average of what has been harvested by this time of year is 48 percent, so the state is still behind its average.
Washington – Just to the north, 35 percent of the potato crop has been harvested in Washington. That’s up from 30 percent a week ago but slightly down from the five-year average of 36 percent.
Idaho – The state continues to ramp up in the potato harvest with 11 percent of the 2023 crop having been harvested. That’s a modest increase of 4 percent from a week ago when it was 7 percent and slightly behind the five-year 14 percent average.
North Dakota – The NASS report on the condition of the potato crop in North Dakota has improved somewhat compared to previous weeks. The report shows that 5 percent (half of what previous reports showed) of the crop is rated as very poor and another 21 percent as poor. Thirty-three percent is rated as fair and another 37 percent (9 percent improvement) as good. Four percent of the crop is rated as excellent.
Seventeen percent of the crop has been harvested, which is close to the 19 percent harvested at this time last year and ahead of the 11 percent average.
Colorado – The state showed a 10 percent increase in potatoes harvested this past week compared to the previous week with 65 percent of the potato crop outside Colorado’s San Luis Valley having been harvested. That’s up from the 55 percent a week ago and well above the five-year average of 40 percent.
Inside the San Luis Valley, 23 percent of the crop is rated as excellent and 52 percent as good. Nineteen percent is rated as fair and 6 percent as poor. Harvest figures show 6 percent of the crop has been harvested, a 1 percent increase compared to a week ago but behind the five-year average of 12 percent.
Minnesota – Minnesota comes away with another good potato crop report from last week with 26 percent rated as excellent and another 59 percent as good. Fourteen percent was rated as fair and another 1 percent as poor but none as very poor.
The harvest is moving along well with 29 percent of the crop harvested, up from 19 percent a week ago and about right on the five-year average of 28 percent.
Maine - Maine also had a good report for last week with 9 percent of the potato crop rated as excellent and another 70 percent rated as good. Twenty-one percent was rated as fair with none rated as poor or very poor.
Meanwhile, 38 percent has been harvested, up from 32 percent a week ago and 10 percent above the five-year average of 28 percent.
Alaska – The harvest is clipping along with 20 percent of the crop out of the ground, up from 5 percent a week ago. The five-year average is 28 percent harvested by this time of year.
The report shows the crop is in good shape with 5 percent rated as excellent and 75 percent as good. Fifteen percent was rated as fair and 5 percent as poor.
Wisconsin – Forty-two percent of the potato crop has been harvested, which is a few days ahead of the average for this time of year.
New York – Fifty-one percent has been harvested thus far, up from 39 percent from a week ago.