HDR1012000110080214951500POTATO STOCKS
HDR2012000110080214951500PSTK HIGHLIGHTS
Released February 14, 1995, by the Agricultural Statistics Board.

                     Potato Stocks 5 Percent Above Last Year

February 1, 1995, potato stocks totaled 196 million cwt, up 5 percent from a
year earlier and 6 percent above two years ago.  Disappearance was a record high
204 million cwt, up 8 percent from a year ago and 11 percent above two years
ago.  Processing accounted for 98.3 million cwt through January, 9 percent more
than last year and 16 percent above two years ago.  Shrink and loss of
23.7 million cwt was up 5 percent from last year.

For information call Arvin Budge at (202) 720-4285.  Office hours are
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.

Pot 1-2 (2-95)


HDR2012000110080214951500FALL POTATOES: PROD&STKS, 15 MAJ STS, '85-94
         Fall Potatoes:  Production and Stocks, 15 Major States, 1985-94
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Crop    :          :         :         :         :         :         :
Year    :Production:  Dec 1  :  Jan 1  :  Feb 1  :  Mar 1  :  Apr 1  : May 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        :                              1,000 Cwt
        :
1985    :  343,984   235,475   202,800   171,510   138,720   104,540   65,380
1986    :  307,928   209,435   180,915   154,545   128,720    95,090   59,790
1987    :  335,607   225,890   196,760   167,325   138,800   105,905   70,030
1988    :  305,623   206,420   177,750   151,050   124,485    92,585   59,355
1989    :  316,097   202,050   173,550   144,290   116,600    84,320   50,675
1990    :  344,200   225,500   194,460   162,850   134,470   101,150   63,040
1991    :  363,541   242,070   211,005   178,515   145,820   108,865   69,110
1992    :  368,516   246,820   215,990   184,560   152,795   115,785   75,040
1993    :  375,004   249,710   217,800   186,090   154,135   115,970   73,860
1994    :  400,385   263,630   229,350   196,005
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HDR2012000110080214951500POTATOES: QUNTITY USED PRCSNG, 8 STS '92-94
        Potatoes:  Quantity Used for Processing, Eight States, 1992-94 1/
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     State and    :        :        :       :        :       :       :
     Crop Year    :  Dec 1 :  Jan 1 : Feb 1 :  Mar 1 : Apr 1 : May 1 : Season
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  :                           1,000 Cwt
ID & OR-Malheur Co:
  1992            :  22,180   29,080  35,710  42,800  50,090   57,090  80,570
  1993            :  24,090   30,540  37,150  44,720  53,070   61,440  85,780
  1994            :  26,620   34,230  42,330
                  :
ME 2/             :
  1992            :   1,195    1,630   2,205   2,720   3,390    4,020   5,055
  1993            :   1,350    1,720   2,210   2,505   2,890    3,275   4,555
  1994            :   1,510    1,840   2,275
                  :
WA & OR-Other     :
  1992            :  26,840   31,550  35,950  41,670  46,530   51,630  63,510
  1993            :  28,260   33,350  39,010  45,020  51,290   57,180  70,690
  1994            :  28,690   33,500  39,120
                  :
Oth Sts 3/        :
  1992            :   7,140    9,220  11,265  13,305  15,550   17,555  25,070
  1993            :   7,605    9,515  11,605  13,720  16,080   18,705  25,690
  1994            :   8,790   12,045  14,605
                  :
Total             :
  1992            :  57,355   71,480  85,130 100,495 115,560  130,295 174,205
  1993            :  61,305   75,125  89,975 105,965 123,330  140,600 186,715
  1994            :  65,610   81,615  98,330
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1/  Total quantity received and used for processing regardless of the state in
which the potatoes were produced.  Amount excludes quantities used for potato
chips in ME, MI, MN, ND, and WI.  2/  Includes Maine grown potatoes only.
3/  MI, MN, ND, and WI.

HDR2012000110080214951500FALL POTATOES: PROD&STKS ON FEB 1, '94-95
           Fall Potatoes: Production and Stocks on February 1, 1994-95
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               :         Crop of 1993          :        Crop of 1994
               :--------------------------------------------------------------
               :           : Stocks   :   %    :          : Stocks   :   %
     State     :           : Feb 1,   :   of   :          : Feb 1,   :   of
               :   Prod    :  1994    :  Prod  :  Prod    :  1995    :  Prod
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               :   --- 1,000 Cwt ----   Percent   --- 1,000 Cwt ----   Percent
               :
CA             :     4,800      2,700       56      4,400      2,700       61
CO             :    25,270     13,300       53     25,795     13,700       53
ID             :   126,192     75,500       60    134,340     73,500       55
ME             :    19,890     10,300       52     17,250      9,400       54
MI             :    11,780      4,400       37     12,180      4,600       38
MN             :    12,650      6,100       48     17,755      9,600       54
MT             :     2,700      2,440       90      3,200      2,860       89
NE             :     3,008      1,370       46      3,888      1,690       43
NY             :
  Long Island  :     1,643        200       12      1,617        300       19
  Upstate      :     6,050      1,000       17      6,188      1,800       29
ND             :    21,090     10,200       48     28,200     12,500       44
OH             :     1,140         80        7      1,348        155       11
OR             :    23,103     14,900       64     25,784     15,400       60
PA             :     4,600      1,400       30      3,780      1,100       29
WA             :    88,500     32,000       36     88,920     37,500       42
WI             :    22,588     10,200       45     25,740      9,200       36
               :
Total 15 States:   375,004    186,090       50    400,385    196,005       49
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HDR2012000110080214951500FALL POTATOES: PROD&STKS ON FEB 1, '94-95
                Fall Potatoes: Stocks by Type as Percent of Total Stocks,
                         11 Major States, February 1, 1994-95
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               :                          Potato Types
               :--------------------------------------------------------------
   State       :         Reds        :      Whites        :     Russets
               :--------------------------------------------------------------
               :    1994  :   1995   :   1994  :   1995   :    1994  :   1995
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               :                               Percent
               :
CO             :         7          4                             93       96
ID             :                             7          5         93       95
ME             :                    1       80         81         20       18
MI             :                            75         75         25       25
MN             :         8         12       15         16         77       72
NY             :         7          5       91         93          2        2
ND             :        17         12       52         44         31       44
OR             :                             2          1         98       99
PA             :         3          3       97         97
WA             :                                                 100      100
WI             :         1          2       10         17         89       81
               :
11 State Avg.  :         2          2       16         14         82       84
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


HDR2012000110080214951500PSTKS NARRATIVE
                           Potato Stocks Up 5 Percent

The 15 major potato States held 196 million cwt of potatoes on February 1, 1995,
up 5 percent from last year and 6 percent above two years ago.  Storage
accounted for 49 percent of fall production this year, 1 percent less than last
year.  Stocks by type were 2 percent red, 14 percent white, and 84 percent
russet, with more russets and less whites than a year ago.

Disappearance from the start of harvest through January was a record high
204 million cwt, 8 percent more than last year and 11 percent above two years
ago.  Shrink and loss to date was estimated at 23.7 million cwt, up 5 percent
from the 22.7 million cwt lost last year and 3 percent above the 23.0 million
cwt lost from the 1992 crop.

Processor usage totaled 98.3 million cwt to February 1, 1995, up 9 percent from
a year ago and 16 percent above two years ago.  January processing of
16.7 million cwt of potatoes was up 13 percent from last year and 22 percent
above 1993.

Eastern States stored 12.6 million cwt of potatoes this year, down 2 percent
from last year and 26 percent below 1993.  Maine's stocks were down 9 percent
and Pennsylvania's were off 21 percent.  New York's stocks were up 75 percent
from last year but 6 percent below two years ago.

Central States accounted for 37.7 million cwt of potato stocks this February, up
17 percent from last year but 1 percent below two years ago.  North Dakota and
Nebraska potato stocks were both up 23 percent and Minnesota stored 57 percent
more than last year.  Michigan's cellars stored 5 percent more potatoes than a
year ago, while the small amount left in Ohio was nearly doubled that of a year
ago.  Wisconsin's stocks were down 10 percent from last year.

Western States held 146 million cwt of potatoes in storage on February 1, 1995.
This is up 3 percent from last year and 12 percent above two years ago.  Idaho's
stocks were off 3 percent and accounted for 50 percent of the Western total.
Oregon's stocks were up 3 percent and Washington gained 17 percent.  Colorado's
stocks were up 3 percent from last year and California's storage was the same as
a year ago.  Montana's stocks, mainly seed, were up 17 percent.



HDR2012000110080214951500RELIABILITY OF FEB 1 STKS ESTIMATES
                    Reliability of February 1 Stocks Estimates

The "Root Mean Square Error" for the February 1 stocks estimate is 3.2 percent.
This means that the chances are 2 out of 3 that the current estimate of
196 million cwt will not be above or below the final estimate by more than
3.2 percent or approximately 6.3 million cwt.  Chances are 9 out of 10
(90 percent confidence level) that the difference will not exceed 5.6 percent
or approximately 11.0 million cwt.

The 10-year (1984-93) record of the differences between the February 1 stocks
estimates and the final estimates averaged 4.5 million cwt, ranging from
0.2 million to 14.2 million cwt. During the 10-year period, the February 1
estimate has been below the final estimate 9 out of 10 years.

HDR2012000110080214951500FALL PSTKS: PRELM&FNL FEB STKS, US '84-94
           Fall Potato Stocks:  Preliminary and Final February Stocks,
                             United States, 1984-94
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Crop   :    Preliminary          :     % of            :   Final
  Year   :       Stocks            :     Final           :  Stocks 1/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         :      1,000 Cwt               Percent              1,000 Cwt
         :
 1984    :        142,990                  98.8               144,760
 1985    :        169,810                  99.0               171,510
 1986    :        150,640                  97.5               154,545
 1987    :        167,110                  99.9               167,325
 1988    :        144,625                  95.7               151,050
 1989    :        143,150                  99.2               144,290
 1990    :        154,310                  94.8               162,850
 1991    :        178,965                 100.3               178,515
 1992    :        170,385                  92.3               184,560
 1993    :        178,070                  95.7               186,090
 1994    :        196,005                   ---
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/  As reported in the September "Potatoes" annual report.

NOTE:  Stocks are defined as the quantity (whether sold or not) remaining
       in storage for all purposes and uses, including seed potatoes not yet
       moved and shrinkage, waste, and other losses that occur after the
       date of each report.  Sales of fall potatoes for all purposes for
       the past 5 years averaged 90.6 percent of the total fall production.
       Shrinkage, loss and home use account for the remaininq 9.4 percent.
       Most seed for use the following year is on hand, but remains as
       part of stocks until planted.


HDR2012000110080214951500NXT RLSE DATE&EEO STATEMENT
The next "Potato Stocks" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on March 14, 1995.

                             ***********************

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employment opportunity employer.

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