Basin Norkotah Up 8% to $21.00, Count Premium at Zero

Columbia Basin russet Norkotah firmed to mostly $21.00, 50 lb carton, across all quoted counts (40, 50, 60 and 70), up 8% week over week per USDA shipping point reports. No count premium separates bigger bakers from smaller stock on the Basin this week, all four counts printing at the same level. Idaho russet Norkotah 70-count holds at mostly $24.00, 50 lb carton (USDA shipping point, 2026-10-29), leaving the origin spread at $3.00 on that count.

• Idaho Norkotah, 40- and 50-count, 50 lb carton: mostly $25.00, up 4% week over week (USDA shipping point, 2026-10-29), 108% above the five-year median. Idaho's large-count premium over its own 70-count is $1.00 per carton. Markon's October 15 trade update reported 40- to 70-count supplies from Idaho as extremely limited, attributing the constraint to lower yields from rain and wildfire smoke during the growing season.
• Idaho Norkotah, 60-count, 50 lb carton: mostly $24.00, up 2% week over week (USDA shipping point), 100% above the five-year median. The 60-count and 70-count are priced identically on the week.
• Wisconsin russet Norkotah, 70-count, 50 lb carton: mostly $22.00 (USDA shipping point, 2026-10-29). Wisconsin sits $1.00 above the Basin and $2.00 below Idaho on this count.
• San Luis Valley russet Norkotah, 70-count, 50 lb carton: mostly $21.00-23.00 (USDA shipping point, 2026-10-29). The range brackets the Basin on the low end and approaches Idaho at the high end.
• Red River Valley red, size A, 50 lb sack: $15.00-16.00 (USDA shipping point, 2026-10-29). Fall-harvest reds are current and quoting.

Movement: Canadian potato import crossings reached 69,905 cwt for the week of 2026-10-28, up 80% week over week and 82% above the five-year median per USDA movement reports. Idaho export volume fell to 8,475 cwt, down 53% week over week, though still 83% above the five-year median.

Data note: 151 movement series, including movement:arizona, movement:california:export, movement:florida and others flagged in this week's digest, have not updated in over two weeks. Figures from those exact series are stale.