11/11/05 Idaho potato production numbers

US fall potato production is down seven percent according to USDA's forecast of 382 million hundredweight. With about one third of the national crop at 117 million hundredweight Idaho production was down 11 percent to the lowest acreage harvested since 1989. That's reflected in prices says Bruce Huffaker of the North American Potato Marketing News. HUFFAKER "The biggest increases for potatoes are coming for table potatoes, fresh potatoes and that's to be expected. That was the area where most of the production cuts came." Huffaker says the market dictated some of the production cuts but the United Potato co-op did have a role in getting growers to cut back on acreage. HUFFAKER "The other part of that is that United is making an effort to make sure the potatoes are marketed in an orderly fashion throughout the year which should overall provide growers with more revenue as a group then they would have received if the market were erratic." Washington State production is up two percent while Oregon has a nine percent production increase, both due to record yields. Potato production in the entire West is forecast to be down by five percent from last year. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott