Vegetables and Melons Outlook: December 2001

Overview

The November 2001 estimate of U.S. fall-season potato production is 401 million hundredweight (cwt). When added to the winter, spring, and summer potato crops, this places total production for the 2001 crop year at 442 million cwt, 14 percent below a year ago. In response to reduced production, U.S. shipping-point (grower) prices for all potatoes have averaged 32 percent higher than a year ago for September through November. Prices received by growers for this period were higher than a year ago throughout the country, with some of the largest percentage gains in Colorado (up 126 percent) and California (46 percent). Some other major growing areas realizing higher grower prices are Idaho (up 42 percent), Washington (24 percent), North Dakota (14 percent), and Maine (8 percent).