Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Harvest Loss Assessment
Potato harvest loss assessment measures the gap between expected biological production and recovered marketable output after field loss, mechanical damage, rejects, or downgrade. Growers and processors can trace the source of lost value, update contract coverage, and price replacement needs by the actual affected specification.
Market Data
How to read this market
Potato harvest-loss-assessment data measures potatoes left in the field, mechanically damaged, rejected, downgraded, or otherwise unavailable after lifting. The market object is the difference between biological or expected production and recovered marketable output by field, variety, and destination.
Use the data to reconcile field sampling with delivered weights, intake grade, defects, and contract volume and to separate weather, soil, machinery, timing, and quality sources of loss. Value lost tonnes according to their actual commercial specification and replacement market.
Data Module
Potato Harvest Loss Assessment
Market objectrecovered versus expected crop
Primary measuremarketable loss
Key dimensionsfield, variety, loss source
Loss typesfield, damage, reject, downgrade
Commercial usecontract and revenue reconciliation
Compare withreplacement price and usable yield
Analysis
Why this matters
Gross yield can remain strong while commercial supply disappoints if wet conditions, mechanical damage, or quality rejection reduce recovery. The gap becomes especially important when loss affects a scarce specification rather than generic tonnes.
Commercial interpretation should separate physical loss from economic downgrade. Potatoes redirected to a lower-value channel remain tonnes, but they can still create a contract shortfall and replacement cost.
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, processors, insurers, lenders, and supply-chain teams that need to quantify potato harvest losses. Harvest loss assessment measures potatoes left in the field, damaged during lifting and handling, rejected for quality, or otherwise unavailable for sale or processing. MassGain helps translate those losses from an agronomic percentage into their effect on contract coverage, marketable supply, inventory value, and regional prices.
A strong assessment distinguishes the source and commercial consequence of each loss. Weather, soil condition, harvester settings, field shape, tuber size, variety, disease, bruising, and timing can all affect recovery. MassGain combines field samples and harvested weights with acreage, expected yield, quality specifications, destination, current benchmarks, replacement availability, and freight. Growers can calculate marketable yield and revenue impact; processors can identify whether contracted volume still covers plant demand; insurers and lenders can evaluate evidence and residual exposure. The same physical loss can have different value depending on whether it affects ordinary table potatoes or a scarce processing variety during a tight delivery window. MassGain does not perform field appraisal or determine an insurance claim. It provides the independent market framework needed to reconcile expected and recovered production, compare loss across fields and seasons, and decide whether replacement sourcing, contract adjustment, or financial contingency is required.
Use Case
After a wet harvest, a grower reports normal gross yield but unusually high potatoes left behind and more bruising at intake. MassGain reconciles field sampling, delivered tonnes, grade results, and market prices. The processor identifies a contract shortfall early, secures replacement volume, and the lender updates the borrower’s marketable-yield case.
FAQs
What belongs in a potato harvest loss assessment?
It can include field loss, mechanical damage, rejects, quality downgrades, shrink, and unmarketable production.
Why is gross yield not enough?
Only recovered potatoes meeting a usable specification contribute to saleable or contract-ready supply.
How does MassGain value the loss?
It connects lost or downgraded tonnes with relevant prices, contracts, freight, and replacement availability.
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.