While Easter is almost three weeks later in 2025, shipments of potatoes look comparable to last year. "However, they started off slower given the timing and have increased as we've gotten further into April," says Drew Callaghan, executive vice president at RPE. "The timing in general has been good as we saw a good pull in March and then Easter right on its heels in April has led to a strong few weeks of shipping across all regions.
Callaghan says the pull started off slower given Easter's timing this year and have increased getting further into April.
In all, he says this should make a nice finish for some potato shippers to conclude their season while some customers have opted to take advantage of new crop Florida potatoes and the late Easter arrival to switch from storage to new crop, even if only for the holiday.
Supply from Florida
Meanwhile, new crop potatoes are helping keep the potato supply steady. "Florida's season launched with exceptional quality, thanks to ideal growing conditions. The state continues to ship into a strong new crop market as supply tightens earlier than last year in other regions," says Callaghan.
At the same time, an early harvest has begun in California and the desert growing areas, where growing conditions also suggest another season of high quality. "These trends point toward a robust summer market for colored potatoes, Russets and organic potatoes, especially as the Midwest and Canada are expected to finish earlier than usual," says Callaghan.
An early harvest has begun in California and the desert growing areas.
As for demand, it too is steady with many regions shipping more potatoes year-to-date than in 2024. "However, Wisconsin and Minnesota have felt the effects of a challenging growing season, which has impacted their available supply. As of early April, total U.S. potato shipments are roughly flat to last year, with storage crop shipments still ongoing," says Callaghan.
So where is all of this leaving the market? The current potato market is beginning to firm up in the Midwest, while Idaho continues to offer more flexible supply availability. "The shipping pace remains strong across all regions, though stocks on hand are significantly lower year-over-year in Wisconsin and notably tighter in Colorado," he says.
Looking closer at the Red River Valley
In the Red River Valley, market strength is also evident despite a larger harvest volume. This is driven by lower recovery from late storage crops compared to this time last year.
Callaghan says RPE is encouraged by the momentum from Florida and California's new crops and anticipates a strong summer market. "Early yields on new crop Creamers are promising for smaller-size potato consumers, which should provide a valuable promotional opportunity for the industry as A-size supplies tighten this summer," he says.
The company is encouraged by the momentum from Florida and California's new crops and anticipates a strong summer market.
Looking ahead at the fall already, fall crop plantings are underway across all major regions and are generally taking place on schedule. While it's still early, initial reports indicate fewer planted acres compared to 2024. "The industry is cautiously optimistic, hoping for cooperative weather to support quality yields," says Callaghan. "Color potato acreage is expected to remain flat, with possible shifts among specific varieties. The industry is watching Idaho closely for updates on Russet acreage and how decisions in the processing sector may affect the fresh market."
For more information:
Drew Callaghan
RPE, LLC
Tel: +1 (267) 566-5246
[email protected]
https://www.rpespud.com/