The Michigan potato harvest is approximately 90% complete. Some growers are still shipping from the field. Favorable weather is forecast for the next week. Reports indicate that quality and recovery rates are close to average for Michigan’s chip potato crop. Open market potatoes are selling slightly below contract prices. Contract negotiations have begun for the 2026 crop. Reports suggest that contract volume reductions are likely, especially in the spring and summer growing regions.
Open-market russet table potato prices continue to decline. The Idaho Grower Returns Index dropped to $1.97 per cwt last week. That is 72.6% below the year earlier GRI, $7.19 per cwt. It is, by far, Idaho’s lowest GRI since 2005. GRIs are down significantly in each of the major russet shipping regions. Idaho table potato movement continues to exceed last year’s pace. Idaho’s shipments reached 819,000 cwt during the week ending Oct. 25, up 6.0% from the previous year. Nevertheless, total U.S. shipments have been running below the 2024 pace since May, despite large supplies and extremely low prices.
U.S. packers shipped 1.657 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending Oct. 25. That is down from 1.781 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 24,950 cwt during the week ending Oct. 25. That is down from 67,086 cwt shipped during the same week in 2024. Last week’s reported Michigan shipments were 80.2% Russets, and 19.8% Yellow potatoes.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10# bags for $7-$8.50 per 50# bale, down from $7-$9 per 50# bale last week. They are selling russet 40-70 count cartons for $12-$13 per 50# box, down from $12-$15 per 50# box a week ago. The weighted average shipping point price for new-crop Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $10.54 per cwt, down from $11.10 per cwt the previous week.
Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5# bales of size A yellow potatoes for $14-$17 per bale, unchanged from last week. They are also selling 50# cartons of size A yellow potatoes for $14-$17 per 50# box, also unchanged. They are selling 50# cartons of size B Yellow potatoes for mostly $11 per 50# box, unchanged from a week ago.
– This report was compiled by North American Potato Market News (NAPMN) for the Michigan Potato Industry Commission.