Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Shipping Point Basis
Potato shipping point basis is the price relationship between a defined origin-market quote and a matched destination, neighboring origin, contract value, or broader benchmark. MassGain aligns product, crop period, package, timing, and freight relationships and adds history so distributors can distinguish normal regional spreads from actionable dislocations.
Market Data
How to read this market
Potato shipping-point basis is the price relationship between a defined origin-market quote and another reference, such as a destination price, neighboring origin, contract value, or broader benchmark. Both legs should match product, grade, size, package, crop period, and timing.
Use basis data to distinguish origin-market movement from freight and destination effects. Track historical relationships by route and product before deciding whether an apparent regional discount is commercially actionable.
Data Module
Shipping-point basis context
Originshipping-point market
Referencedestination, region, contract, or benchmark
Product matchvariety, grade, size, and pack
Timingcrop and delivery period
Freight relationtransport effect on spread
Decision useorigin selection and price comparison
Analysis
Why this matters
A wide shipping-point spread can disappear after freight. Conversely, a stable origin price can create a changing delivered basis when lane capacity or fuel moves.
The analytical task is to separate structural regional relationships from temporary dislocations. Harvest pressure may create a normal seasonal discount, while an unusual quality or demand imbalance can produce a spread worth acting on. History helps determine which state the market is in.
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 potato distributors, wholesalers, shippers, and procurement teams that need to understand shipping-point basis—the relationship between an origin-market potato price and another reference such as a destination market, futures signal, contract value, or delivered purchase. MassGain helps users define both sides of the spread and preserve product, grade, package, crop period, and freight terms.
Basis can change even when the underlying potato market appears stable. Freight capacity, local supply, storage condition, pack availability, destination demand, or timing may cause one shipping point to strengthen or weaken relative to another benchmark. MassGain tracks historical relationships by origin and product and separates commodity movement from transportation and destination effects. Distributors can use this information to select origins, negotiate supplier pricing, update customer escalators, and identify when an apparent discount is likely to disappear after freight. The result is a practical basis framework built around executable physical markets rather than a generic subtraction between unrelated quotations.
Use Case
A wholesaler sees Idaho russets trade below a Colorado reference and considers shifting all volume. MassGain shows the shipping-point discount is historically normal during harvest and is largely offset by freight to two eastern branches. The buyer reallocates only western demand and preserves Colorado supply where the delivered basis remains favorable.
FAQs
What is potato shipping-point basis?
It is the price difference between a defined origin market and another matched reference after commercial terms are specified.
Why can shipping-point basis change?
Regional supply, crop timing, packages, freight, destination demand, storage, and market depth can alter the spread.
How does MassGain make basis comparisons valid?
It aligns product, origin, period, unit, package, freight basis, and historical relationships.
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.