HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is encouraging producers and agribusinesses to respond to two upcoming surveys – the Potato Stocks survey and the Potato Processing survey – that are critical to the potato industry.
Potato Stocks reports are used by all parts of the potato industry to aid in the orderly movement of the crop. Farmers use the reports to decide when to sell their crop. Shippers, processors, and brokers monitor crop movement to help decide when to buy and when to ship. Transportation firms need information on the location and volume of production. The chipping industry needs stocks by type to gauge the supply of potatoes suitable for their products. Many agribusiness firms use stocks and production reports as they provide services to the industry. The United Potato Growers of America use stocks data to update and improve their marketing plan as the season progresses.
The Potato Processing survey will be conducted concurrently with the Potato Stocks survey. Data collected includes the total quantity of potatoes processed as chips, frozen french fries, other frozen, starch, flour, other dehydrated potatoes, canned potatoes, and other potato products.
This year, NASS will survey in February, April, June, and December for Potato Stocks and Potato Processing surveys under the title Potato Stocks. NASS will publish this February’s result on Feb. 17. Potato Stock publications display data collected from the corresponding February, April, June, and December surveys. The publication will be available on the USDA-NASS website at nass.usda.gov.
NASS continues to gather survey data online, through mail, and by interview. “The cooperation of the potato industry is crucial to ensure that your state’s potato crop is accurately represented in national potato statistics,” said King Whetstone, director of the USDA’s NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office. “NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only state and national level data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified,” added Whetstone. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office at (800) 498-1518.
