Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Free Buy Price Survey
A potato free buy price survey measures current open-market purchase value outside committed contracts. MassGain separates genuine spot transactions from contract call-offs and indications and connects price with quality, delivery timing, buyer urgency, remaining supply, volume, and market concentration.
Market Data
How to read this market
Potato free-buy-price-survey data measures open-market physical purchases outside pre-existing contract programs. The market object is the eligible free-buy transaction by product, region, variety, grade, delivery period, freight basis, quality, volume, and transaction date.
Use the data to measure current spot value, market depth, buyer urgency, and regional spreads while excluding contract call-offs, formula settlements, internal transfers, options, and non-executed indications.
Data Module
Potato Free Buy Price Survey
Market objecteligible open-market purchase
Primary measurefree-buy price and range
Key dimensionsregion, product, quality, delivery
Commercial usespot benchmark and liquidity analysis
Controlscontract exclusion, coverage, concentration
Compare withremaining supply and buyer urgency
Analysis
Why this matters
Free-buy markets can be thin and episodic, so a few emergency trades may move the apparent price without representing the broader region. Urgency and specification often matter more than transaction count.
Commercial interpretation should report coverage and concentration and keep immediate-delivery or premium-quality business separate from standard deferred supply.
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 analysts and market researchers operating a potato free buy price survey for open-market purchases outside committed contract programs. MassGain defines eligible free-buy business by product, region, variety, grade, delivery period, buyer-seller relationship, price basis, freight, quality adjustment, and transaction date.
It excludes routine contract call-offs, formula-priced settlements, internal transfers, options not exercised, and indications that did not become purchases. Researchers can measure current open-market value, transaction depth, buyer urgency, and regional spreads while preserving volume and specification. The suite also shows how storage condition, remaining uncommitted supply, processor coverage, and delivery timing affect the free-buy market.
Because free-buy activity can be thin and episodic, MassGain reports sample coverage, concentration, range, and confidence rather than presenting a precise average unsupported by volume. It does not operate a trading venue or guarantee access to private transactions. It provides a transparent methodology for distinguishing genuine spot procurement from contract activity and for producing a benchmark that reflects the market buyers actually face when they need additional potatoes.
Use Case
A processor claims the free-buy market rose 12% based on two emergency purchases. MassGain shows both trades were premium quality for immediate delivery and represented little regional volume. The survey publishes the transactions but keeps them separate from the standard deferred-delivery benchmark.
FAQs
What is a free-buy potato purchase?
It is an open-market purchase made outside a pre-existing committed contract or formula program.
Why can free-buy prices be volatile?
Thin volume, urgent timing, quality scarcity, and uneven buyer coverage can move the market sharply.
How does MassGain prevent contract contamination?
It records commercial basis and excludes call-offs, formula settlements, and internal transfers from the free-buy sample.
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.