# Current potato prices Idaho russet Norkotah potatoes in 70-count 50 lb cartons are quoted at mostly $18.00 per 50 lb carton FOB as of Aug 20, 2026 (USDA), the fresh market's trade benchmark. _Data through Aug 20, 2026 · source last checked Aug 21, 2026 · page revised Aug 21, 2026_ > Idaho russet Norkotah potatoes in 70-count 50 lb cartons are quoted at mostly $18.00 per 50 lb carton FOB as of Aug 20, 2026 (USDA), the fresh market's trade benchmark. ## The table tracks the comparison midpoint of the USDA range for the benchmark combination. | Period | Current | Prior | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Week over week | $18.00 | $17.00 | +5.9% | | Month over month | $18.00 | n/a | n/a | | Year over year | $18.00 | $16.75 | +7.5% | | vs 5-yr median | $18.00 | $20.00 | -10.0% | ## What moves potato prices The price on this page is a wholesale one: what a truckload trades for at the shed, free on board (FOB) the shipping point, at the trade benchmark of Idaho russet Norkotahs in 70-count 50 lb cartons from [Idaho](/origin/idaho), the flagship storage origin. It is not a grocery-shelf price; the store adds freight, handling and retail margin on top of it. What moves it is the storage crop and the calendar. The fall harvest is dug once and shipped from sheds for the following ten months, so the size, grade-out and keeping quality of that one crop shape the whole marketing year, and the [carton-count spread](/pack/carton-counts) is the early read on how the remaining supply's size profile is holding up. The [weekly board](/board/weekly-movers) shows which districts are quoting and what moved. For the full structural treatment, [Why are potato prices rising right now?](/why/potato-prices-rising) and [its falling twin](/why/potato-prices-falling) cover the drivers in both directions. ## Common questions ### What is the current price of potatoes? Idaho russet Norkotah potatoes in 70-count 50 lb cartons are quoted at mostly $18.00 per 50 lb carton FOB as of Aug 20, 2026 (USDA), the fresh market's trade benchmark. This is the wholesale FOB price at the shipping point, what a truckload trades for at the shed, not a grocery-shelf price. Other districts, varieties and packs quote their own ranges — see [the weekly board](/board/weekly-movers). ### Are potato prices going up or down right now? Potato prices at the benchmark spec are broadly flat right now, with no sustained move in either direction for 1 week. [The weekly board](/board/weekly-movers) shows what is moving elsewhere. ### What does 70-count mean on a potato carton? A 50 lb russet carton is graded by how many potatoes fill it, from 40-count (the biggest potatoes) to 100-count (the smallest), so 70-count is the mid-size carton the trade treats as the benchmark. The counts trade at different prices, and the [carton-count spread](/pack/carton-counts) tracks that ladder live. ### Is this what potatoes cost at the grocery store? No. This is the wholesale FOB price at the shipping point, quoted per 50 lb carton. A grocery-shelf price adds freight, handling, packaging and retail margin on top, and this site does not track retail shelf prices. ### Where does this potato price data come from? From USDA Agricultural Marketing Service shipping point reports, which quote FOB prices by district, variety, pack and count on business days while a district is shipping. The [methodology page](/methodology) has the full sourcing. ## About this data - Source: USDA AMS shipping point potato FOB reports (FV130) - Series: Russet Norkotahs, 70-count 50 lb cartons, Upper Valley Idaho, FOB - Basis: FOB shipping point, low-high range - Geography: Upper Valley Idaho - Unit: $/50 lb carton - Last observation: Aug 20, 2026 - Update frequency: USDA reports on business days, in season --- Cite: Benchmark potato FOB prices (Idaho russet Norkotahs, 70-count 50 lb cartons) are 10% below their 5-yr median for the date (USDA shipping point reports). The Russet Report, data through Aug 20, 2026. https://therussetreport.com/current-price/potatoes Canonical URL: https://therussetreport.com/current-price/potatoes