November 19, 2008
January 7-9, 2009 – Potato Expo, San Antonio, TX
February 11-12, 2009 – Winter Potato Conference and MSU Variety Day, Comfort
Inn Suites, Mt. Pleasant
The
chipstock market remains quiet. Chip plants are covering their needs with
contract potatoes. A few storage issues have surfaced, but the industry seems
to be keeping ahead of the problem lots. There is still a lot of talk about
2009 contracts, but nothing has been settled since the central Florida deal.
Input
costs for the 2009 crop are starting to decline, along with costs for
petroleum. The recent declines may create serious divisions in the industry
between those growers who locked in their inputs earlier this year because of
fear that markets would continue to move up, and those who have waited to
purchase inputs until later. The divergence in production costs, between the
two groups, might be exploited by buyers who hope to the limit the extent of
any raw-product price increases for the coming season.
Michigan
Size A Round White potatoes are selling for
$2.20-$2.25 per 10# bag, down from $2.20-$2.60 a week ago. Long Island shippers
are selling 50# bags of size A Round White potatoes for mostly $11.00 per bag,
unchanged from last week. Long Island chefs are selling for $10.00-$10.50 per
50# bag, down from $12.00 at this time last week. Maine growers are selling 5#
bags of 2" minimum Round White potatoes for $10.00-$10.50 per 50# bale,
unchanged from last week.
Michigan
shippers are selling Size A Russet potatoes for
$2.20-$2.25 per 10# bag, down from $2.25-$2.60 at this time last week.
Wisconsin is selling Russet non-size A potatoes in 10#
bags for mostly $10.00-$10.50 per 50# bale, up from $10.00 at this time last
week. Wisconsin 50-70 count cartons are selling for $13.00-$13.50 per 50# box,
down from $13.00-$14.00 a week ago. The weighted average shipping point price
for Idaho Russet Burbanks inched up to $20.18 per
cwt, from $19.93 at this time last week.
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