U.S. potato growers continue to ship a strong 2024 crop out of storage as the year progresses, and they anticipate an equally solid crop for 2025.
According to Denver-based Potatoes USA, total grocery store fresh potato sales were up 3% last year to about 4.8 billion pounds. Dollar sales were down about 5%, however, to just over $4 billion.
Russet potatoes were the top-selling variety, accounting for 64% of potato sales, followed by yellow (16%), red (11%) and white (4%).
“The crop this year was beautiful,” said Ross Johnson, vice president of retail and international for the Eagle-based Idaho Potato Commission.
Sizing was larger than usual, he said, but many retailers were able to use the larger-profile potatoes to increase their bulk potato sales or introduce an 8-pound jumbo bag option.
Growing and harvest conditions also were excellent, said Coleman Oswald, director of sales for Idaho Falls-based Eagle Eye Produce.
“We wrapped up harvest faster than ever, breaking records for acres harvested per day,” he said.
Quality has been excellent for all sizes, Oswald said. Acreage and volume should be similar to last year for the upcoming 2025 crop at Eagle Eye Produce.
The company grows and packs russet, red and yellow potatoes. Norkotah russets are the top sellers followed by Burbanks. Red and yellow potatoes make up about 20% of the company’s volume.
Eagle Eye Produce also offers value-added products, including microwaveable potatoes, Steam’d bags and 1.5-pound grab-and-go mesh bags.
“We supply potatoes year-round by transitioning through key growing regions across the U.S.,” Oswald said.
Wada Farms Marketing Group, Idaho Falls, Idaho, offers a wide range of potato options — primarily russet, red and yellow varieties — in several pack and size options, and it also is a leader in the value-added potato category, said Eric Beck, marketing director.
“We offer a full lineup of organic, microwaveable, griller and mini potato options,” he said.
Quality of the current storage supply “remains sound and will yield a good customer experience,” Beck said.
The company supplies potatoes year-round thanks to its diverse network of growing partners and is on the verge of planting its 2025 storage crop.
“Seed procurement, acreage planning, water mitigation, etc. have all been planned out, and with the onset of spring on the approach, we’re getting ready to get into the dirt,” Beck said.
Volume in 2025 should be similar to the 2024 crop.
“We should have a manageable pile of potatoes come harvest later this summer/fall,” he said.
In the North Dakota/Minnesota region, red potatoes have been a favorite since they were first planted in 1946, said Gary Shields, executive director of the Northland Potato Growers Association, East Grand Forks, Minn.
But trends and varieties change over the years, he said, and yellow potatoes have been gaining popularity. In fact, sales of yellows have nearly approached sales of reds, Shields said.
“It’s all about what the consumers want when they go into the grocery store,” he said.
Yellow and red varieties both thrive in the region’s dry land, he said, while some growers produce irrigated russet potatoes for the chip market.
“This current crop is a good crop,” Shields said. “It’s been a good season.”
Red and yellow fresh market varieties are holding up well, he said.
“We’re on board to mirror what we did last year,” he said.
Demand and consumption are good for the region’s potatoes for fresh market, chips and processing.
Suppliers hoped to see stronger potato prices in the coming months.
“Pricing is currently stable,” said Oswald of Eagle Eye Produce. “It is higher than this time last year but still lower than some of the peak levels we have seen in recent years.”
Spring and summer usually see tighter supplies, which strengthens pricing, he said.
“Once new-crop potatoes hit the market in early fall, prices adjust,” Oswald said. “Fall is our busiest shipping season.”
Pricing to date has been “fair,” said Beck of Wada Farms.
“There is potential for the russet market to strengthen a bit due to variables such as stocks on hand in the late season, quality of the potatoes as we embark into the home stretch of the 2024 storage crop, and if demand remains high with inflationary pressure still a viable concern for the consumer,” he said.
