Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Soil Temperature Monitoring
Potato soil temperature monitoring tracks field and regional root-zone conditions through planting, emergence, crop development, and harvest. Growers and processors can distinguish short surface fluctuations from persistent soil conditions that shift emergence, field readiness, harvest timing, or contracted delivery windows.
Market Data
How to read this market
Potato soil-temperature-monitoring data tracks temperature in the potato root zone across planting, emergence, crop development, and harvest. The market object is a field or regional temperature series tied to depth, soil type, moisture, crop stage, and planting date.
Use the data to evaluate planting readiness, emergence timing, disease or stress context, and harvest or storage-transition risk. Compare duration and depth of temperature departures rather than reacting to one surface reading, and connect persistent anomalies with contracted delivery windows.
Data Module
Potato Soil Temperature Monitoring
Market objectroot-zone temperature series
Primary measuresoil temperature
Key dimensionsdepth, field, crop stage, soil
Commercial usecrop timing and harvest risk
Driversweather and moisture
Compare withemergence, field access, delivery schedule
Analysis
Why this matters
Soil temperature affects timing more directly than headline air temperature in early crop development. A cold spring can delay emergence without necessarily reducing final yield, shifting delivery before it changes annual production.
Commercial interpretation should distinguish timing from tonnage risk. For processors, the immediate exposure may be a bridge-supply requirement rather than a crop-shortfall purchase.
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, seed suppliers, and crop planners that need potato soil temperature monitoring. Soil temperature influences planting readiness, seed-piece healing, emergence, root development, disease pressure, tuber initiation, and harvest and storage decisions. MassGain combines field sensors, modeled data, weather, soil type, moisture, planting dates, variety, and historical crop development to show whether regional conditions are within expected ranges.
The same reading has different meaning at different stages. Cold soil can delay emergence and increase the risk of uneven stands, while excessive heat during development can affect crop stress and quality. Near harvest, soil temperature can influence damage and storage considerations. MassGain connects temperature patterns with mapped acreage, crop progress, contracts, expected delivery windows, and regional market exposure. Growers can prioritize planting or field checks, processors can identify likely intake delays, and procurement can determine whether a regional concern justifies coverage action. The platform helps distinguish a brief surface fluctuation from persistent root-zone conditions across commercially important acres. MassGain does not replace local agronomy or field measurements. It provides a consistent monitoring and market layer that helps users understand how soil conditions may alter crop timing, usable supply, and the reliability of contracted delivery assumptions.
Use Case
A cold spring keeps soil temperatures below the emergence range in one contracted district. MassGain compares planting dates, moisture, forecast weather, and prior seasons and projects a two-week delivery delay rather than a yield collapse. The processor adjusts intake sequencing and secures a small bridge from another region.
FAQs
Why monitor soil temperature for potatoes?
It affects planting, emergence, root activity, disease, crop development, harvest, and storage risk.
Should one temperature reading change a forecast?
No. Duration, depth, soil type, moisture, crop stage, and geographic coverage determine significance.
How does MassGain connect soil temperature with supply?
It links conditions with planting, emergence, acreage, crop timing, contracts, and expected delivery windows.
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.