12 CapitalPress.com
September 21, 2018
U.S. potato exports fall in July
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
U.S. potato exports in July fell
in all categories from July 2017,
dragged down by trade wars, Pota-
toes USA reported Sept. 13.
Frozen-potato exports dropped
by 3 percent in volume and 2 per-
cent in value for July 2018 com-
pared to July 2017, the trade group
said in a release.
U.S. exports of dehydrated pota-
toes fell by 3 percent each in volume
and value. Fresh-potato exports fell
by 31 percent in volume and by 22
percent in value.
Mexico in late June imposed a
20 percent tariff on frozen potatoes.
Potatoes USA said that caused U.S.
exports of frozen potatoes to that
country to decline by 17 percent in
July 2018 from July 2017, to 9,121
metric tons. Meanwhile, Canadian
exports of frozen potatoes to Mex-
ico rose 16 percent to 4,223 metric
tons.
Washington State Potato Commis-
Washington Potato Commission
Frozen, dehydrated and fresh potato exports were down compared to July 2017,
according to Potatoes USA.
sion Executive Director Chris Voigt
said Washington’s volume to Mexi-
co in July was down by 16.5 percent
from July 2017. The state exports
about 70 percent of its total potato
production.
Elsewhere, U.S. frozen-potato ex-
ports increased by 7 percent to Cen-
tral America, 8 percent to China —
to 7,048 metric tons — and rose by
less than 1 percent to Japan, Potatoes
USA said. The U.S. saw declines of
10 percent to South Korea, 11 percent
to the Philippines and 20 percent to
Thailand.
China plans a 10 percent tariff for
frozen potatoes and a 25 percent tariff
for dehydrated potatoes, both yet to
be implemented.
U.S. dehydrated-potato exports in
July 2018 fell by 13 percent to Mexi-
co and increased by 3 percent to Can-
ada compared to July 2017, to 1,834
and 4,445 metric tons, respectively,
Potatoes USA said. Exports to South
Korea and Malaysia increased while
exports to China, Japan and the Phil-
ippines declined. China’s volume was
down 26 percent to 327 metric tons.
Fresh-potato exports from the U.S.
for July 2018 compared to July 2017
increased by 72 percent to Mexico to
9,486 metric tons, and decreased by
36 percent to Canada to 33,245, the
trade group said. Exports to Asia fell
— by 67 percent to Japan, 65 percent
to Taiwan, 59 percent to Malaysia and
58 percent to the Philippines. China is
not a targeted country for U.S. fresh
potatoes.
U.S. potato exports set dollar record for marketing year amid flat volume
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
The value of total U.S.
potato and potato-product
exports rose by nearly 2.4
percent to a record-high $1.8
billion for the July 2017-June
2018 marketing year, trade
group Potatoes USA reported.
Export gains of 8.5 percent
for fresh potatoes, 6 percent
for dehydrated and 1.8 per-
cent for frozen offset a 4 per-
cent drop in the value of chip
Capital Press File
The value of total U.S. potato and potato-product exports rose by
exports.
But fresh-weight equiv- nearly 2.4 percent to a record-high $1.8 billion for the July 2017-
alent volume of exports de- June 2018 marketing year.
clined by 0.86 percent to
3,246,830 metric tons or 71.6 Frozen-potato export volume imposed a 20 percent tariff on
million hundredweight, about dropped by just 0.1 percent.
U.S. frozen potatoes.
20 percent of U.S. volume for
Mexico bought 13 percent
“We know it’s going to af-
the marketing year, Potatoes more U.S. frozen potatoes fect the market,” Oregon Pota-
USA said in a news release. by volume in the year ended to Commission administrator
Only dehydrated and seed June 30, but U.S. market share Bill Brewer said of the Mexico
potatoes showed year-to-year dropped by six points to 76 tariff. “Either people will make
volume gains, 2 percent each. percent as the European Union up the difference in the price
Fresh-potato volume — table and Canada made significant they sell the product to offset
and chip stock — declined gains in Mexico, Potatoes the tariff, or they are going to
most sharply at 7 percent. USA said. Mexico in late June lose volume.”
China has proposed, but
not implemented, tariffs of 10
percent on frozen and 25 per-
cent on dehydrated potatoes.
U.S. frozen-potato exports in
the year ended June 30 fell 7
percent after recovering from
significant declines in the first
half, Potatoes USA reported.
But world exports to China
were up 34 percent after Eu-
ropean Union exports to China
jumped by 183 percent.
“Prospects for U.S. exports
in the coming year are mixed,”
Potatoes USA Chief Market-
ing Officer John Toaspern said
in the release. “The ongoing
trade disputes with Mexico,
Canada and China could re-
duce exports to these very
important markets. Addition-
ally, new trade agreements by
competitors the EU and Can-
ada with Japan, Vietnam and
other markets will result in
lower tariffs for their products
compared to the U.S. On the
positive side, world trade in
potatoes continues to increase,
up 84 percent in value and 48
percent in volume from 2013
to 2017.”
U.S. exports of frozen pota-
toes to its fifth-largest market,
the Philippines, increased by
1 percent even as worldwide
exports to that nation dropped
4 percent. U.S. frozen exports
to Japan, its largest market, fell
1.4 percent.
For fresh potatoes, table
and chip stock, U.S. export
dollar value rose by 8.5 percent
thanks to higher prices, which
in turn help push volume down
by 6.8 percent. Exports to
Canada — 46 percent of total
export volume — dropped by
13.5 percent and to Japan (all
chip stock) by 18 percent fol-
lowing a record high the pre-
vious year as severe weather
reduced Japan’s domestic sup-
ply. U.S. fresh export volume
to Mexico increased by 11.7
percent. Fresh exports to Tai-
wan maintained year-earlier
highs, and chip-stock exports
to Korea rebounded.
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See one of these dealers for a demonstration
38-2-3/102
Matthew Weaver/Capital Press File
Christopher Schnepf, forest
educator for University of Idaho
Extension in Coeur d’Alene,
is offering a course on family
forest management.
UI course
will helps
new family
forest owners
ask better
questions
Family forests
provide 25 percent
of mill volume
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
By the end of the upcom-
ing University of Idaho Ex-
tension short course, forest-
ry educator Chris Schnepf
hopes family forest owners
be able to ask better ques-
tions about managing their
land.
“People are afraid to cut
a tree sometimes,” Schnepf
said. “That’s understand-
able, because it’s hard to put
them back on the stump.”
The course includes the
importance of growing the
right species at the right
density, Schnepf said.
The six-week short
course will be Thursdays
from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Oct.
25, Nov. 1, 8, 15 and Dec.
6 and 13 at the UI Kootenai
County Extension Office,
1808 N. Third St., Coeur
d’Alene. Registration fee is
$38. Pre-register by Oct. 18
at 208-446-1680.
“We want those ques-
tions to be based on good
science,” Schnepf said. “A
lot of times people have
their instincts about their
forests based on hearsay.
They don’t realize there’s
things they have to do ac-
tively if they want the for-
est to continue on a good
trajectory or get on a better
trajectory.”
The course is “really a
great way for people to get
a good grounding in forest
ecology, silviculture, wild-
life management, a whole
range of things to help them
manage their forest land,”
Schnepf said.
In many counties, forest
owners must file a forest
management plan to receive
a reduced property tax rate.
The program helps owners
write their plan or informs
their discussions with a con-
sulting forester.
Schnepf estimates Idaho
gains 2,000 to 3,000 new
forest owners each year.
“New” can be defined as
recently moved to Idaho and
purchased rural acreage, or
someone who takes over
management of the family
forest from parents, he said.
A 2016 UI survey of
36,000 family forest owners
found that those who par-
ticipated in the short course
were most likely to imple-
ment forest land manage-
ment practices, he said.
In the Idaho Panhandle,
roughly 40 percent of the
forest landscape is family
forests, Schnepf said.
“Statewide, family for-
ests are only 11 percent,”
he said. “But a lot of fed-
eral land is low-value
trees, tough rocky (terrain)
or high-elevation sites. ...
Family forests may only
be 11 percent of the state’s
forest land, but on average,
the last 10 years, they’ve
provided 25 percent of the
volume to mills.”
The course will also be
offered in Sandpoint on
Wednesday mornings in
June and July.