According to USDA NASS, potato planted area across 13 states fell to 353,290.57 hectares in 2026 — down 3% from 2025 and the smallest figure since 1952. It marks the third consecutive year of declining acreage, driven by persistently low prices during the 2025/26 season, which averaged just $11.20 per hundredweight. Idaho, the leading producing state, cut plantings by 15,000 acres (−5.1%) to 298,915 acres, while Nebraska posted a record 10% reduction. Growers in Idaho now describe the crop as the “smallest since 2011,” even as prices have climbed to their highest level since summer 2023, according to farmer R. Valen.