Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Commodity Balance
A potato commodity balance brings every major source and use of supply into one consistent accounting frame. Procurement and analysts can see how production, stocks, imports, exports, processing, seed, losses, and other uses determine the residual market available for future demand.
Market Data
How to read this market
A potato commodity balance reconciles production, beginning stocks, imports, exports, domestic uses, seed, feed, processing, losses, and ending stocks for a consistent geography, crop period, unit, and product scope. The market object should make residuals and revisions visible rather than forcing mismatched datasets to balance artificially.
Use the balance to understand total available supply and how it was allocated. Pair it with prices, storage quality, contract coverage, and market availability to judge whether an apparently large crop actually leaves meaningful open supply.
Data Module
Potato Commodity Balance
ObjectReconciled potato supply and use
SupplyBeginning stocks, production, imports
UseProcessing, food, seed, feed, exports, losses
OutputEnding stocks and balancing residual
Commercial useCoverage and market-tightness analysis
WatchpointDefinitions and crop periods must align
Analysis
Why this matters
Commodity balances matter because production alone is an incomplete supply signal. A large crop can still lead to tight ending stocks if exports, processing, losses, or seed use rise simultaneously.
The most useful analytical signal is the residual supply after competing uses. Revisions to storage losses or beginning stocks can materially change that conclusion even when the headline crop estimate stays unchanged.
Signal 01
Usable Crop Uncertainty Index
UCUI translates crop and market complexity into a simple uncertainty signal. Higher readings indicate greater uncertainty—not necessarily higher prices.
Understand uncertainty. Anticipate risk. Act earlier.
UCUI is designed to analyze potato-industry publications and data signals across regions, varieties, weather, disease, storage, supply, and demand.
WeatherHigh
DiseaseHigh
StorageMedium
SupplyMedium
Single-day snapshot based on a scan of 11,500+ web and social signals. Get historical and real-time data by clicking the button below.
The MassGain Daily
Today’s market analysis.
A daily editorial synthesis of physical potato data, crop signals, market reporting, and what participants should watch next.
September 16, 2026Latest MassGain publication
Potato market steady for now; Russia’s smaller crop is the salient risk
Spot prices are flat and USDA terminal reports read ‘market steady,’ but a renewed forecast for a smaller Russian harvest and recent regional harvest stress leave seasonal import timing and storage losses as the key uncertainty.
Signal 02
MassGain Potato Index
Independent physical-pricing intelligence and market-trend analysis for procurement, forecasting, contracting, and scenario planning.
Core Russet Carton Median
312.45 USD/MT
Latest qualifying physical-market observation
+4.75 (+1.55%)
Price discovery for the physical potato market
MPI is designed to track physical pricing data, price trends, deltas, and divergences across regions and potato types.
Series window45 days
Current public coverageCore russet cartons
Primary source basisQualifying USDA physical rows
UnitUSD per metric tonne
Single-day snapshot based on most recent 45 days worth of data. Limited to US Russets only. Get more complete, global data about all varieties by clicking the button below.
Signal 03
MassGain Spot Reference
An independent spot reference designed for price discovery, contract discussions, procurement comparisons, and risk modeling.
Russet Burbank — U.S. Midsize
305 USD/MT
Demonstration reference format
+1.6% WoW · Confidence: High
A trusted benchmark for pricing, contracts, and risk
MSR is intended to use real transactions and verifiable physical-market data to support negotiations, price checks, contracting, and risk models.
ProductRusset Burbank
SpecificationU.S. midsize, 40–70 count
Reference typePhysical spot benchmark
StatusIn development
Based on most recent 45 days worth of data. Limited to US Russets only. Get more complete, global data about all varities by clicking the button below. Full access also includes historical data -- including depreciated NYMEX/CBOE/EEX spot references -- projections, trends, and AI-driven insights.
The MassGain Product Ladder
From insight to intelligence to action
Four integrated products built for the physical potato market, delivered through public pages, reports, exports, dashboards, and API access.
1
Content
Original research, commentary, aggregated news, and market updates.
- What matters right now?
- What is happening out there?
2
UCUI™
Usable Crop Uncertainty Index: an AI-powered signal of crop risk and market uncertainty.
- Understand uncertainty
- Anticipate risk
- Act earlier
3
MPI™
MassGain Potato Index: independent physical-pricing intelligence and trend analysis.
- Price discovery
- Regional trends
- Procurement planning
4
MSR™
MassGain Spot Reference: an independent benchmark for price discovery and risk modeling.
- Contracts
- Negotiations
- Risk models
Content + UCUI + MPI + MSR + API access
Get historical series, regional detail, constituent data, exports, alerts, and direct data access.
Overview
Who is this for?
This page is for procurement teams, processors, economists, lenders, and policy analysts that need a balanced view of potato supply and use. A potato commodity balance reconciles production, beginning stocks, imports, exports, domestic use, seed, feed, processing, losses, and ending stocks under a consistent geography, crop period, unit, and product scope. MassGain helps users align those components and identify where inconsistent definitions or revisions prevent the balance from closing.
The balance provides more insight than production alone because it shows how available supply was allocated and what remained at the end of the period. A large crop may still produce a tight market if exports, processing demand, or storage losses rise, while a smaller crop can remain balanced when beginning stocks and imports are strong. MassGain connects the accounting framework with regional prices, storage quality, contract coverage, trade, and market availability. Procurement can evaluate future coverage, processors can assess raw-material risk, and lenders can test whether borrower assumptions fit the broader market. The result is a transparent supply-demand reconciliation that makes hidden residuals, data gaps, and shifts in utilization visible.
Use Case
A processor expects abundant open supply after a strong harvest. MassGain’s commodity balance shows that exports and processing use also increased while storage losses were revised upward, leaving ending stocks below expectations. Procurement preserves supplemental coverage instead of relying on the production headline.
FAQs
What does a potato commodity balance include?
It reconciles production, stocks, trade, domestic uses, losses, and ending inventory for a defined market.
Why can a large crop still create tight conditions?
Stronger demand, exports, losses, or lower beginning stocks can absorb the additional production.
How does MassGain validate the balance?
It aligns units, periods, products, revisions, and market definitions and investigates unexplained residuals.
Put this market intelligence to work
Get historical data, regional detail, benchmarks, alerts, exports, and API access tailored to your procurement
and market-analysis needs.
Data and Methodology
Professional market-data standards
MassGain is building transparent public market infrastructure. Each live metric will identify its date, unit, coverage, methodology, and source basis.
Data provenance
MassGain uses public, licensed, contributed, and independently derived physical-market information. Source availability and publication schedules vary.
Timing and revisions
Figures may reflect the latest available observation rather than a same-day transaction. Source data and MassGain calculations may be corrected, restated, or revised.
Not transactional pricing
MassGain figures are informational reference values and do not constitute executable bids, offers, settlements, or guarantees that a transaction can occur at the displayed value.
No individualized advice
Content and data are provided for informational and analytical purposes and do not constitute financial, investment, legal, trading, or individualized procurement advice.
Independent publication
Certain observations may be derived from USDA reports. MassGain is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USDA.
Commercial use and licensing
Public display does not grant rights to reproduce, redistribute, republish, or incorporate MassGain indices or references into commercial products or contracts without authorization.