United States potato producers received $2.3 billion in sales for their 2000-year crop, according to figures released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the USDA.
The amount was on 464,645 million cwt sold on total production valued at $2,591,091.
Total production reached 513,621 million cwt with 43,688 million used for seed, feed, home or went to shrink or loss. Over 17 million cwt of that came in Idaho alone.
Processed usage in Idaho and Malheur County, OR, fell to its lowest percentage in eight years-54 percent. The 1993 total used for processed was 60.8 percent.
Fresh sales in Idaho jumped from 29,500 million cwt in 1993 to 37,800 million cwt in 2000.
Prices received per cwt for growers on the 2000 fall crop ranged from a high of $8.70 in New York to a low of $2.40 in New Mexico. Idaho received an average price of $4/cwt on its 2000 crop while Washington received $4.25, Oregon $4.80, Colorado $2.95, Wisconsin $4.75 and North Dakota $5.45.