US: Rain Curtails Idaho Potato Harvest as Shipping-Point Prices Hold Steady
Key takeaways
- 21 September AMS report says rain curtailed Idaho harvest
- 22 dollars per 50 lb carton for 40s and 50s Russet Norkotah
- 16 dollars was the usual price for Idaho 80 count cartons
- 10,978 thousand cwt of US potatoes shipped season to date
Why it matters
- For farmers
- Avoid digging saturated fields where possible and watch bruising and soft rot going into storage; a short crop makes every stored tonne count.
- For processors
- Check contracted volumes and delivery schedules with Idaho growers now; harvest delays on a smaller crop can tighten raw material for the storage season.
- For traders
- Track the next AMS reports for a move in large carton sizes; demand for 40 to 70 counts is already good and supply is delayed.
60-second summary
Rain and wet fields have curtailed the potato harvest in Idaho's Upper Valley and Twin Falls-Burley district, according to the USDA AMS National Potato and Onion Report of 21 September 2026. Prices have not moved: AMS calls the market steady, with good demand for 40 to 70 count cartons. Russet Norkotah potatoes in 50 lb U.S. One cartons were quoted at 22 dollars for 40s and 50s, 20 to 21 dollars for 60s and 70s, 15 to 18 dollars, mostly 16, for 80s, 13 dollars for 90s and 11 dollars for 100s. In Wisconsin, 40 to 70 count cartons sold at 19 to 21 dollars, mostly 20. US shipments for the season reached 10,978 thousand cwt. The delay hits a season in which Idaho was already expected to harvest its smallest crop since 2011, and a Hazelton grower told KMVT his yields were about 450 to 460 cwt per acre versus a typical 500. The price data come from a single official source, AMS.
Rain has slowed the potato harvest in Idaho, the largest potato-producing state in the US. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Potato and Onion Report dated Monday, 21 September 2026 notes that in the Upper Valley and Twin Falls-Burley district “harvest curtailed due to rain and wet fields”.
Prices did not react. AMS describes the Idaho market as steady, with good demand for 40–70 count cartons. Shipping-point prices for Russet Norkotah potatoes in 50 lb cartons, U.S. One grade, were:
- 40s and 50s: $22.00;
- 60s and 70s: $20.00–21.00;
- 80s: $15.00–18.00, mostly $16.00;
- 90s: $13.00;
- 100s: $11.00.
In Wisconsin, the same report lists 40–70 count Russet Norkotah cartons at $19.00–21.00, mostly $20.00, also with a steady market. Total US potato shipments for the season to date reached 10,978 thousand cwt.
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Context
The weather delay comes in a season when Idaho was already expected to harvest a smaller crop. Earlier in September industry reports pointed to the smallest Idaho crop since 2011 and prices at their highest since summer 2023 (see our earlier coverage). A grower near Hazelton told local station KMVT in mid-September that his fields were yielding around 450–460 cwt per acre against a typical 500.
Why it matters
A wet harvest window is a quality risk as much as a timing problem: potatoes dug from saturated soils are more prone to bruising, soft rot and storage losses. With a smaller crop, every week of delay tightens the supply that packers and processors can count on for the storage season. For now the market is holding steady, but the next AMS reports will show whether the rain turns into a price move, particularly for the larger carton sizes in strongest demand.
Photo: Potato harvest and sorting in Declo, Idaho, 2018 (illustrative). Kirsten Strough, USDA / Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Source: USDA AMS, National Potato and Onion Report, 21 September 2026.
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What next
Subsequent AMS reports will show whether the rain delay translates into higher prices, particularly for the larger carton sizes in strongest demand.
Sources
- USDA AMS National Potato and Onion Report, 21 September 2026; KMVT; earlier industry reports on the Idaho crop.
Linked in this material
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