With harvest expected to start the week of July 24, southwest Michigan potatoes are anticipating a big potato crop. Harvest may take another week for volume to pick up, unless there is a glitch in harvesting in other growing areas. 

Big potato crop expected in Michigan

USDA puts the 2016 fall potato planted area at 916,400 acres. That is 8,800 acres less than growers planted in 2015. (Note that USDA dropped several smaller growing areas from its reporting matrix. Comparisons reported here are based on the current definition). USDA indicates that Michigan growers planted 48,000 acres to potatoes this year, up from 46,000 acres in 2015. Type data suggest that increases were concentrated in Round White and Red potatoes, while both Russet and Yellow potato acreage is supposed to have declined.

US fresh potato shipments for the week ending July 2 totaled 1.801 million cwt., which is up from 1.727 million cwt. shipped during the same period in 2015. However, last year’s shipments included the July 4 weekend. Michigan shipments for the week ending July 2 totaled 24,200 cwt., up from 22,315 cwt. during the same week in 2015. Russets made up 100% of last week’s Michigan shipments.

Source: Michigan Potato Commission