Wisconsin potato acreage dips slightly

Wisconsin harvested potato acreage will be down 5% for 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

USDA estimates Wisconsin growers will harvest from 66,000 acres this year, the lowest number since 2014, when harvested acreage was 64,000. 

Wisconsin accounts for 7% of total fall potato acreage in 2021, compared with 7.6% in 2020, according to the USDA.

Shipments

Wisconsin fresh potato truck shipments in the calendar year 2020 totaled 652.3 million pounds, according to the USDA. That was up 24% from 2019 and up 6.4% compared with 2018.

Wisconsin organic fresh potato shipments in 2020 totaled 4.5 million pounds, up nearly double from 2.5 million pounds in 2019 and 2.8 million pounds in 2018.

The biggest month for Wisconsin fresh potato shipments in 2020 was November, when 12.6% of total annual shipments were moved. That was followed by October with 11.6% and September with 10.9%.

In 2020, July was the lightest month for shipments, with just 4.7% of annual volume moving then. Other lighter months were June, with 5.5% of annual shipments, and February, with 6% of annual shipments.

By type of potato grown, the USDA reports 2021 acreage is 7% red/blue, 48% russets, 40% white and 5% yellow.

That compares with 2020 numbers of 9% red/blue, 46% russet, 39% white and 6% yellow.