Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Farm Retail Price Ratio
The potato farm retail price ratio view expresses matched farm-level potato value as a share of the corresponding retail selling price. Growers and analysts can track the ratio through time while keeping pack-out, shrink, packaging, freight, distribution, and promotions in context rather than treating the result as profit.
Market Data
How to read this market
Potato farm-retail-price-ratio data expresses matched farm-level potato value as a share of the corresponding retail selling price. The market object is a normalized farm-to-shelf ratio by region, variety, package, period, and saleable-weight basis.
Use the data to monitor how the producer share changes through time and compare channels after adjusting for pack-out, shrink, processing where applicable, unit conversion, and promotions. Pair the ratio with intermediate packaging, freight, wholesale, and distribution costs.
Data Module
Potato Farm-Retail Price Ratio
Market objectfarm share of matched retail value
Primary measurefarm value / retail price
Key dimensionsregion, product, package, period
Commercial usevalue-chain benchmarking
Adjustmentspack-out, shrink, units, promotion
Compare withintermediate costs and historical ratio
Analysis
Why this matters
The ratio can fall even when growers receive higher prices if retail prices rise faster, and it can rise during retail discounting without any improvement in farm economics. It is therefore descriptive rather than a profit measure.
Commercial interpretation should identify which side of the ratio moved and why. Intermediate costs remain essential context before drawing conclusions about bargaining outcomes.
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 growers, producer groups, economists, and market analysts that need to compare farm-level potato value with retail selling prices through a ratio. The farm-retail price ratio expresses the farm value as a share of the matched retail price. MassGain helps users calculate the ratio on a consistent product and weight basis and understand why it changes.
The suite aligns farmgate prices with retail products by region, variety, package, period, and saleable quantity. It can adjust for pack-out, shrink, processing where applicable, and unit conversion, then compare the ratio with freight, packaging, wholesale margins, promotions, and historical norms. Growers can monitor whether their share of the consumer price is rising or falling. Analysts can compare channels and regions. Producer organizations can identify when movement reflects farm prices, retail prices, or both.
The ratio is descriptive and does not measure profit at either stage. A declining farm share may coincide with rising packaging or distribution costs, while a rising share can compress downstream margins. MassGain does not assign a target ratio. It provides the transparent normalization needed to interpret the measure and use it responsibly in market analysis and commercial discussions.
Use Case
A grower group reports that its share of a five-pound retail bag has fallen. MassGain adjusts for pack-out, bag weight, promotions, and regional matching and confirms the ratio declined because retail prices rose while farmgate values stayed flat. The group presents the trend with the cost bridge clearly separated.
FAQs
How is the farm-retail price ratio calculated?
Divide the matched farm value contained in a retail unit by that unit’s retail selling price.
Does the ratio measure grower or retailer profit?
No. It does not deduct production, packing, logistics, distribution, or retail operating costs.
How does MassGain improve the ratio?
It aligns products, regions, units, pack-out, package, timing, promotions, and intermediate costs.
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.