Michigan’s potato crop is forecasted to increase by 3 percent this year to 19.5 million hundredweight (cwt), according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
At 410 cwt per acre, average yield is projected to fall 5 cwt compared to last year.
Planted acres increased to 48,000 — up by 2,000 acres from 2022 — while harvested acres increased by the same amount year-over-year to 47,500 acres.
Nationally, production of potatoes for the 2023 crop year is forecast at 434 million cwt, up 9 percent from last year, while planted acreage — at 964,000 acres — is up 2 percent from the June estimate and up 5 percent from last season.
Area harvested, at 959,800 acres, is up 5 percent from the previous year. The yield forecast of 452 cwt per acre is up 14 cwt from last year’s yield.
The potato industry contributes about $1.24 billion to Michigan’s economy, including more than 3,000 jobs in potato production and processing, according to the Michigan Potato Industry Commission.
Michigan is the largest producer of potatoes for potato chips production in the country.