USDA: North Dakota potato crop down 10 percent

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Agriculture Department says North Dakota's potato crop is down 10 percent over the past year.

North Dakota growers, dealers and processors held 12.6 million hundredweight of potatoes in storage on Dec. 1. That's down 10 percent from a year ago and down 3 percent from 2009.

The department says that current stocks represent 68 percent of the production, up from 64 percent in 2010 and the same as in 2009. Total stocks are defined as all potatoes on hand, regardless of use, including those that will be lost through future shrinkage and dumping.

The total consisted of 67 percent russets, 11 percent round whites, 5 percent long whites and 16 percent reds and 1 percent yellows.

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