Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Farm Operating Expense Ratio
Potato farm operating expense ratio measures how much farm revenue is absorbed by operating costs over a defined period. MassGain connects the ratio with potato acreage, input prices, yield, quality, contract revenue, storage, and crop mix so users can distinguish structural cost pressure from a temporary revenue swing.
Market Data
How to read this market
Potato farm-operating-expense-ratio data compares defined operating expenses with gross farm revenue for the same enterprise and period. The market object is the operating-cost burden by crop year, with seed, fertilizer, chemicals, fuel, irrigation, labor, repairs, custom work, storage, and other included expenses matched to potato revenue.
Use the data to separate changes caused by input cost, input quantity, marketable yield, realized price, quality, and contract mix. Keep accounting scope consistent across farms and periods because interest, depreciation, rent, family labor, and insurance proceeds may be treated differently.
Data Module
Potato Farm Operating Expense Ratio
Market objectoperating cost relative to farm revenue
Primary measureoperating expenses / gross revenue
Key dimensionsfarm, crop year, cost scope
Commercial usecost-pressure and resilience analysis
Driversinputs, yield, quality, realized price
Compare withpeer definitions and total-cost return
Analysis
Why this matters
A higher operating-expense ratio can reflect cost inflation, weaker yield, lower realized price, or a quality-driven drop in marketable output. Those mechanisms have different implications for next year's contracts and supplier resilience.
Commercial interpretation should decompose both numerator and denominator. A crop-driven one-year deterioration is different from a persistent expense structure that remains high under normal yield and pricing.
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 potato growers, producer organizations, lenders, and market analysts that need a farm operating expense ratio. The ratio compares defined operating expenses with gross farm revenue and shows how much of each revenue dollar is consumed before interest, depreciation, taxes, and other excluded items under the chosen definition.
MassGain organizes seed, fertilizer, chemicals, fuel, irrigation, labor, repairs, custom work, storage, freight, and other operating costs alongside potato sales, contracts, quality adjustments, crop insurance proceeds, and other revenue. Growers can compare crop years and fields. Lenders can distinguish cost inflation from weak yield or price realization. Processor procurement teams can assess whether supplier economics are under structural pressure. Scenario views can test higher inputs, lower marketable yield, delayed sales, or changing contract prices.
The ratio is only comparable when expense and revenue scope are consistent. MassGain does not define accounting policy or set a target. It provides a transparent market and farm-economics framework that separates price, volume, quality, and cost effects, helping users understand whether deterioration comes from controllable operations, adverse crop conditions, or a commercial structure that no longer supports sustainable production.
Use Case
A grower’s operating expense ratio rises from 68% to 82%. MassGain shows fertilizer and labor increased modestly, but the largest driver is lower marketable yield after quality damage. The lender treats the year as crop-driven while requiring a revised storage and contract plan for recurring risk.
FAQs
How is the operating expense ratio calculated?
Divide defined farm operating expenses by gross farm revenue for the same period.
Why must definitions be consistent?
Interest, depreciation, rent, family labor, and insurance proceeds may be classified differently.
How does MassGain explain movement?
It separates input cost, acreage, yield, quality, price, contract, and crop-year effects.
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.