USA: Fresh Potato Shipments Run 7.9% Ahead of Last Year as Idaho Prices Ease
US fresh potato shipments are running about 7.9% above last season, while the weighted Idaho Russet Norkotah price slipped to $21.68 per hundredweight.
Fresh potato shipments in the United States are running ahead of last year. The latest USDA market report, dated 23 September 2026, puts season-to-date shipments at 11,648,000 hundredweight (cwt). A year earlier the figure was 10,795,000 cwt. The gain is 853,000 cwt.
Weekly data point the same way. According to North American Potato Market News, packers shipped 1.693 million cwt in the week ending 19 September. In the same week of 2025 they shipped 1.569 million cwt. That is an increase of about 7.9%.
Michigan showed one of the strongest gains. The state shipped 41,460 cwt in the week, compared with 27,414 cwt a year earlier. All of the reported Michigan volume was Russet-type potatoes.
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Prices mostly steady, Idaho slightly lower
Shipping-point prices were mostly stable. In the Idaho Upper Valley and Twin Falls-Burley districts, 50-lb cartons of Russet Norkotah sold at mostly $21.00 for 60-count. Cartons of 70-count sold at $20.50-21.00, and 80-count at mostly $16.00.
The weighted average Idaho price for Russet Norkotah fell to $21.68 per cwt, according to North American Potato Market News. The previous week it was $22.49. The weekly drop was 81 cents.
In the San Luis Valley of Colorado, cartons of 40- to 70-count sold at mostly $20.00-21.00. In the Columbia Basin of Washington and Oregon, 60- to 70-count cartons traded at $17.00-20.00. Large 100-count cartons sold at mostly $11.00. In central Wisconsin, 40- to 70-count cartons sold at mostly $20.00, and the market was steady.
USDA described demand for mid-size cartons as good in most districts. In the Upper Valley, carton prices for 60s and 70s moved higher, while baled potatoes moved lower.
Why it matters
The 2026 US crop was planted on the smallest area in decades. Growers hoped this would tighten supply and lift prices. Faster shipments show that fresh potatoes are moving well at the start of the new season. However, prices are flat rather than rising. Large cartons and bags remain under pressure, and the Idaho average has eased. The next weeks of harvest data will show whether lower acreage is enough to support grower returns.
Photo: A potato cellar near Firth, Idaho (illustrative). Sociotard / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
