Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Planting Intentions
Potato planting intentions estimate the acreage growers expect to plant in the upcoming crop. MassGain compares intended area by region, variety, and end use with seed availability, contracts, water, weather, competing crops, financing, and later planting progress so users can judge how much announced acreage is likely to become actual supply.
Market Data
How to read this market
Potato planting intentions estimate the acreage growers expect to plant in the upcoming crop, ideally by region, variety, and end-use sector. The object should preserve survey or reporting date, crop year, geography, intended area, and revision history because intentions can change before planting is complete.
Use intentions with seed availability, contracts, water, weather, competing crops, input economics, financing, and processor demand. Compare preliminary intentions with later planting progress and final area to judge how much of the announced acreage is likely to become actual supply.
Data Module
Potato Planting Intentions Monitor
Crop yearupcoming production season
Regionintended growing area
Areaplanned acreage or hectares
Mixvariety and end use where available
Contextseed, contracts, weather, economics
Decision useearly supply planning
Analysis
Why this matters
Intentions are valuable precisely because they are early, but that also makes them fragile. Seed shortages, weather, water constraints, or competing-crop economics can reduce follow-through. A credible supply outlook should weight intentions by the evidence that the acres can actually be planted and supported.
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 food processors, growers, procurement planners, seed suppliers, and agricultural lenders that need potato planting intentions. Planting intentions estimate how much acreage producers expect to plant and, where available, which regions, varieties, and end-use sectors will receive those acres. MassGain helps users compare intentions with contracted acreage, seed availability, crop economics, weather, input costs, processor demand, and historical follow-through.
Intentions are an early supply signal, not a final planted-area result. Growers can change plans because of weather, seed, contracts, water, competing crops, financing, or price movement. MassGain tracks reporting vintages and compares preliminary intentions with later planting progress and final area, allowing users to judge credibility and revision risk. Processors can identify potential coverage gaps, seed suppliers can assess demand, and lenders can test crop budgets and borrower assumptions. The result is a forward-looking acreage view that shows where the crop may expand or contract and which evidence would confirm that intentions are becoming actual planted supply.
Use Case
A processor sees growers intend to increase potato area 6%. MassGain shows the expansion depends on scarce seed and uncontracted land in a drought-sensitive region. Procurement treats only part of the planned increase as dependable and secures additional contracted acres elsewhere.
FAQs
What are potato planting intentions?
They are preliminary estimates of the acreage growers expect to plant in an upcoming crop period.
Why can intentions differ from final plantings?
Weather, seed, water, financing, contracts, input costs, and competing crops can change plans.
How does MassGain validate intentions?
It compares them with seed supply, contracts, economics, planting progress, weather, and historical revisions.
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.