Rain, snowfall and frost plague the progress of potato harvesting in the United States. Northern states, but also colleagues in Canada, are faced with far from ideal harvesting conditions. What influence does this have on the market and are we noticing this in Europe?
The two largest potato states in the United States: Idaho and Washington, have had an average to good season. This is where 2% of American potato production comes from. However, in some other northern states the growing season is not as good. The weather is affecting harvest progress, especially in Wisconsin and North Dakota. In terms of acreage, these states are not comparable to the heavyweights of the chip potato harvest, but they are of significant importance.
Night frost stops harvesting work
With an area of approximately 30.000 hectares of potatoes, North Dakota is the number 3 potato area in the US. The summer was dry, which means that the harvest on the unirrigated half of the area is lower than average. By mid-October, almost 5.000 hectares still had to be cleared. Moderate frost prevents harvesting. A snow cover protects the potatoes from freezing.
According to insiders, the chip varieties have now all been harvested. Chips and table potatoes, as well as seed potatoes, are still in the ground.
Excessive precipitation
A little further east, in Wisconsin, even more clearing needs to be done. In mid-October, almost 11.000 hectares of potatoes were still in the ground, according to insiders. That is almost half of the total acreage in this state. In addition to night frost, excessive rainfall is a particular problem. In the first 2 weeks of October, 100 to 125 millimeters of precipitation fell.
The potatoes have rotted in low spots, partly because the summer was already wet. Green tubers due to run-off from the ridges is also an issue. There has been a backlog in all segments: French fries, table potatoes and seed potatoes. Seed potatoes in particular are lagging behind in terms of harvest progress. It is difficult to get a good idea of the final quality, because so much still needs to be cleared. Even when the weather improves, harvesting continues well into November. The question is whether growers will get that chance, given possible frost periods.
Late Canadian harvest
Even on the other side of the border, in Canada, the harvest is not going smoothly everywhere. Planting took place late this spring on Prince Edward Island. In addition, frost fell early and a lot of rain fell during October. The harvest is therefore lagging behind. Yields are lower and the sorting is better. In other Canadian states, improving weather has allowed harvesting to resume. However, it has frozen quite a bit locally and there has not always been enough snow to protect the ridges.
Potato growers in Texas and Idaho in particular are having a very large harvest this fall. The question for now is how much influence these factors have on the total harvest. Shifting volumes back and forth is possible in Europe. From Poznan to Rotterdam it is more than 900 kilometers. However, shipping potatoes from Texas to North Dakota is a 2.000-mile journey. The American potato sector is waiting to see how processors anticipate the situation.
Influence on global market
This year, hectare yields differ by a few percentage points, positive or negative, compared to the multi-year average. However, when harvesting is not possible due to frost and rain in the northern states, the picture suddenly looks different. However, this situation should not be compared with that in Europe. There is no significant dip in production, but on an international level it does take the wind out of the sails of American chip exporters.