Government statistics show the final value of Idaho’s 2020 potato crop sold totaled $912 million, down 5% from 2019.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, the marketing year average price for the 2020 Idaho potato crop was $7.28 per cwt., down $0.70 from last year.
Idaho’s potato production in 2020 was 134.7 million cwt., up from 130.9 million cwt. in 2019 but down from 141.75 million cwt. in 2018, according to USDA numbers.
The yield per acre in Idaho in 2020 was 450 cwt. in 2020, up from 425 cwt. in 2019 and unchanged from 2018.
Potatoes used for processing in Idaho and Malheur County Oregon totaled 90.7 million cwt. in 2020, up from 86.8 million cwt. in 2019, according to the USDA.
Russet potatoes accounted for 90% of the varieties planted in Idaho for the 2020 crop year, the USDA said, down from 91% in 2019. The percentage of yellow potatoes increased from 2% to 3% from 2019 to 2020, while whites and reds were unchanged at 3% and 4%, respectively, compared with 2019.
Planted area of potatoes in Idaho totaled 300,000 acres in 2020, down from 310,000 acres in 2019 and 315,000 acres in 2018.
