07/17/06 Acreage report seen good for fresh spuds

Washington Ag July 17, 2006 Last week's first report on planted fall potato acreage from the Agricultural Statistics Service put planted acres up two percent from last year with harvested acres up three percent nationally. Those United grower coops in the northwest and in other potato producing states have been working to hold acreage down to help support fresh market prices. And Jerry Wright with the United Potato Growers of Idaho, says the coops have done that despite the small increase the USDA reported over 2005. Wright: "But versus 2004 it is still down 4.2% and all of the increase that we can see has basically come on the processed side, on process acres. So we expect the fresh market to be as robust and positive as we had in 2005. Probably even better, mainly because frozen processors and dehydrating processors are very low on inventories and they need to replenish those inventories and there are just not enough potatoes for them to be able to do it without impacting the fresh market ." The first production report for 2006 potatoes won't be issued by Ag Statistics Service until November. I'm Bob Hoff.