All potato production in 2019 totaled 424 million cwt, down 2 percent from the 2018 crop for comparable States. Harvested area, at 937,300 acres, was down 1 percent from 2018 crop for comparable States. The average yield of 453 cwt per acre was down 1 cwt from the previous year for comparable States.
The value of all potatoes sold in 2019, at $3.94 billion, increased 11 percent from the previous year for comparable States. The average price, at $9.94 per cwt, was up $1.16 from 2018 for comparable States. The quantity of potatoes sold from the 2019 crop totaled 395 million cwt, down 2 percent from 2018 for comparable States. Quantity sold accounted for 93 percent of 2019 production, unchanged from the previous year for comparable States.
Growers from the 13 estimating States sold 276 million cwt of raw potatoes to processors from the 2019 crop. Table stock sales totaled 97.9 million cwt. Seed sales of 19.7 million cwt for 2019. Sales for livestock feed, at 1.53 million cwt for 2019.
These estimates are based on information furnished by producers, processors, and cooperating State or Federal Agencies. The various sources include: Market News Service rail and truck shipments, Federal-State inspections, and miscellaneous data available through marketing programs.
Price estimates represent average returns to growers for all uses and for all methods of sale. These prices are applied to total production to compute value of production, and to the quantity sold to compute value of sales. Some unsold potatoes contribute to the value of production, including farm use for seed, feed, home use, and loss. The United States season average price is obtained by weighting State prices by quantities sold.
Prior to the 2019 season, potato production, utilization, and value of sales in each State have been classified by season according to the period when the largest supplies are harvested. Beginning in 2019, seasonal estimates have been discontinued.