10/10/08 A record for spuds

Farm and Ranch October 10, 2008 Four of five of Washington's top commodities set records for value of production in 2007 and potatoes were one of them. Koong: "In fourth place were potatoes at 685 million, which is a 22% increase from 2006." That's Dennis Koong, deputy director of the Washington field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, which reported this week that the total value of agricultural production in Washington for 2007 was a record 8.51 billion dollars. Koong says potatoes moved ahead of cattle and calves in total value during 2007 to get the fourth place ranking behind apples, milk and wheat. Potatoes' record value for 2007 was a matter of both production and price. The Ag Statistics Service says production last year was up 14 percent from 2006 and the marketing year average price received by growers was $6.70 a hundredweight, 45 cents above 2006. Koong points out that the 685 millions dollars in the farm gate value of potatoes is not a net figure for the growers. It is just the value they received and does not account for production costs, which are also up. The Agricultural Statistics Service also reports that of all the potatoes processed in the U.S. in 2007, Washington and Oregon, excluding Malheur County, accounted for 38 percent of them. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.