09/26/08 Idaho potato harvest, part two

Idaho potato growers have seen the price for their crop drop dramatically in recent weeks. WRIGHT "Two weeks ago we were over 33 dollars for the weighted average price for selling all of the saleable potatoes out of a hundred pounds. That price has dropped to about 29.50. We've come down three dollars and fifty cents or about seven dollars per hundredweight." Jerry Wright of the United Growers of Idaho says a couple of factors are involved. First is the fourth largest natural disaster in US history, Hurricane Ike which hit Houston, the fourth largest American city. WRIGHT "And that effectively impacted those markets. Now those markets historically take a lot of this large size carton business for food service out of Idaho." Add to that the larger size Norkota crop being harvested and you have an oversupply in the potato pipeline. Wright says this is a temporary problem and should be corrected within two to four weeks. WRIGHT "The message for all the growers right now; go to storage. There's no sense in crashing the market just because we're in a hurry to rush these things out of the field to the marketplace." Wright expects to see prices stabilize in the 18 dollar range for cartons long term with consumer bag prices somewhere in the twelve dollar range. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott