Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Minimum Price Contract
A potato minimum price contract sets a floor for defined volume, periods, regions, and specifications. MassGain places that floor against regional history and supply risk so restaurant procurement can test whether the security gained is proportionate to the downside transferred.
Market Data
How to read this market
A potato minimum price contract sets a floor below which the agreed potato-related price will not fall for defined volume, period, region, and specification. The useful market object is the relationship between that floor and the relevant physical benchmark, not the floor in isolation.
MassGain can place a proposed minimum against historical regional ranges, crop-cycle conditions, supply risk, and alternate contract structures. Procurement can then test whether the floor protects genuine committed capacity or simply transfers downside risk to the buyer without a balanced commercial exchange.
Data Module
Minimum price contract context
Price floorguaranteed minimum for defined volume
Market basismatched regional potato benchmark
Coverageproduct, plant, and committed quantity
Review periodreset and effective-date schedule
Buyer protectiondownside, credits, or collar mechanics
Decision usecapacity security versus price flexibility
Analysis
Why this matters
A price floor can be commercially rational when it secures scarce acreage, capacity, or service, but its value depends on what the buyer receives in return. A floor near the top of a historical range can lock in temporary scarcity long after the market normalizes.
The analytical question is therefore asymmetry. Procurement should compare the supplier's downside protection with the buyer's upside participation, review rights, and performance obligations. MassGain helps show whether the floor is proportionate to observable market risk rather than simply favorable to one side.
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 10, 2026Latest MassGain publication
Potato prices quiet at $30/cwt as regional harvest damage buzzes beneath the surface
Market indicators are stable, but reporting from Europe and select growing areas shows real, localized crop stress — a reminder that steady headline prices can mask uneven physical risk.
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 is for QSR and restaurant procurement teams evaluating agreements that guarantee a supplier, processor, or grower a minimum potato-related price while allowing the commercial price to change with the market. A potato minimum price contract can protect continuity and production economics, but the floor must be tied to a clearly defined exposure: region, potato type, quality, crop period, volume, delivery basis, and review dates. MassGain’s potato data suite provides the independent benchmarks, historical ranges, crop outlooks, and supply-risk context needed to test whether the proposed floor is proportionate.
For restaurant buyers, the key is understanding what they receive in exchange. A minimum may be justified when it secures dedicated acreage, approved processing capacity, special varieties, or priority service. It becomes one-sided if the buyer absorbs downside protection without receiving credits, market-linked upside limits, transparent cost components, or performance obligations. MassGain helps model how the floor would have behaved across prior tight and surplus seasons and compare it with alternatives such as collars, bands, volume options, or shorter reset periods.
The analysis supports negotiations, tenders, budget scenarios, and contract governance. MassGain does not draft legal terms or determine an acceptable floor. It gives procurement and finance a transparent market basis for balancing supplier security with buyer protection, documenting trigger conditions, and preventing a temporary high market from becoming an untested long-term minimum.
Use Case
A frozen-fry supplier asks a national QSR to accept a three-year minimum price in return for dedicated acreage and plant capacity. MassGain shows the proposed floor sits near the top of the relevant region’s historical range and would rarely allow the buyer to benefit from easing markets. Procurement limits the floor to committed base volume, adds quality and service obligations, uses a benchmark collar for movement above and below the floor, and requires an annual reset. The supplier gains dependable coverage while the chain avoids converting a temporary high-price season into a permanent systemwide minimum.
FAQs
What is a potato minimum price contract?
It guarantees a defined price floor for specified volume and periods, even when the referenced market falls below that level.
What should procurement receive in return for a price floor?
Buyers may seek committed acreage or capacity, service priority, quality obligations, transparent review rules, and balanced treatment of market upside and downside.
How can MassGain test whether a proposed floor is reasonable?
It compares the level with relevant regional history, forecast scenarios, supply risk, contract coverage, and alternative pricing structures.
Put this market intelligence to work
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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.