Packs & counts
Well above normalPotato sack prices by origin
Potato FOB in 50 lb sacks across origins, russet 10 oz minimum, US No. 2, USDA shipping point reports
Data through Nov 3, 2026 · source last checked Nov 4, 2026 · page revised Nov 4, 2026
Cite
- Columbia Basin
- Idaho
About this data
- Source
- USDA AMS shipping point potato FOB reports (FV130)
- Series
- Potato FOB by pack and carton count
- Basis
- FOB shipping point, per 50 lb sack as USDA quotes it, with per-cwt and per-pound conversions
- Geography
- Across US growing origins
- Unit
- $/50 lb sack
- Last observation
- Nov 3, 2026
- Update frequency
- USDA reports on business days
A 50 lb sack of potatoes sold for $11.00/50 lb sack ($22.00/cwt, $0.22/lb) FOB at the shipping point on Nov 3, 2026, for US No. 2 Norkotah russets (10 oz minimum) out of the Columbia Basin, per USDA shipping point reports. Across the 11 sack quotes USDA published on Nov 3, 2026, prices ran from $6.00-9.50/50 lb sack for US No. 2 Size A reds out of the Red River Valley to $19.00/50 lb sack for US No. 2 Burbank russets (10 oz minimum) out of Idaho; the table below lists each one. At $11.00/50 lb sack, the benchmark 50 lb sack midpoint is 33% above its 5-yr median for the date.
$11.00 per 50 lb sack for US No. 2 Norkotah russets (10 oz minimum) out of the Columbia Basin, up $1.00 from October on USDA shipping point reports. Year over year the benchmark sack is $4.50 stronger, with prices across origins ranging from $6.00-9.50 for US No. 2 reds out of the Red River Valley to $19.00 for Burbanks out of Idaho on Nov 3, 2026. The Columbia Basin sack sits 33% above its 5-year median for the date.
| Period | Current | Prior | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week over week | $11.00/50 lb sack | $11.00/50 lb sack | 0.0% |
| Month over month | $11.00/50 lb sack | $10.00/50 lb sack | +10.0% |
| Year over year | $11.00/50 lb sack | $6.50/50 lb sack | +69.2% |
| vs 5-yr median | $11.00/50 lb sack | $8.25/50 lb sack | +33.3% |
| Origin, variety and size | Grade | Per 50 lb sack | Per cwt | Per pound | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Basin russet 10 oz minimum Norkotah | US No. 2 | $11.00/50 lb sack | $22.00/cwt | $0.22/lb | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Idaho russet 10 oz minimum Burbank | US No. 2 | $19.00/50 lb sack | $38.00/cwt | $0.38/lb | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Idaho russet 10 oz minimum Norkotah | US No. 2 | mostly $18.00-19.00/50 lb sack | $36.00-38.00/cwt | $0.36-0.38/lb | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Idaho russet 6 oz minimum Burbank | US No. 2 | $11.50-12.00/50 lb sack | $23.00-24.00/cwt | $0.23-0.24/lb | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Idaho russet 6 oz minimum Norkotah | US No. 2 | mostly $12.00/50 lb sack | $24.00/cwt | $0.24/lb | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Red River Valley red Size A | US No. 1 | $14.00-16.00/50 lb sack | $28.00-32.00/cwt | $0.28-0.32/lb | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Red River Valley red Size A | US No. 2 | $6.00-9.50/50 lb sack | $12.00-19.00/cwt | $0.12-0.19/lb | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Red River Valley red Size B | US No. 1 | mostly $18.00-19.50/50 lb sack | $36.00-39.00/cwt | $0.36-0.39/lb | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Red River Valley red Size B | US No. 2 | $9.50-12.00/50 lb sack | $19.00-24.00/cwt | $0.19-0.24/lb | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Wisconsin red Size A | US No. 1 | $14.50-15.50/50 lb sack | $29.00-31.00/cwt | $0.29-0.31/lb | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Wisconsin yellow Size A | US No. 1 | $16.00-18.50/50 lb sack | $32.00-37.00/cwt | $0.32-0.37/lb | Nov 3, 2026 |
USDA quotes sacks per 50 lb sack. Per cwt and per pound are conversions of that price: a sack is half a hundredweight (100 lb), so the per-cwt figure is the sack price doubled and the per-pound figure is the sack price divided by 50.
| Origin | FOB per cwt | Last quote |
|---|---|---|
| Red River Valley | $24.00-28.00/cwt | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Minnesota | $16.00-20.00/cwt | Sep 29, 2026 |
| Florida | $24.00-30.00/cwt | Jun 18, 2026 |
A bulk tote holds about 2,000 lb and is quoted per hundredweight (cwt, 100 lb), not per tote. A 50 lb sack is half a hundredweight, so double a sack price to line it up with a tote price.
Previous weeks
An earlier week
Columbia Basin US No. 2 Norkotahs in 50 lb sacks sold for $11.00/50 lb sack ($22.00/cwt) FOB on Nov 2, up $1.00 from the prior month. The benchmark stands 33% above its 5-year median for the date.
Week of Oct 30, 2026
US No. 2 Norkotah russet sacks, $11.00/50 lb sack, up $1.00 on the week from the Columbia Basin on Oct 30. The 50 lb sack midpoint sits 33% above its 5-year median for the date.
An earlier week
Columbia Basin US No. 2 Norkotah russets, 10 oz minimum, came in at $11.00/50 lb sack on Oct 29, up $1.00 on the week and month. Year-over-year the sack is up $4.50. At this level it sits 33% above the 5-year median for the date.
An earlier week
US No. 2 Norkotah russets in 50 lb sacks out of the Columbia Basin sold for $11.00 on Oct 28, 2026, up $1.00 on the week. Year over year the sack price has gained $4.50. The benchmark sits 29% above its 5-year median for the date, per USDA shipping point reports.
How 50 lb potato sacks are priced
USDA quotes potatoes in 50 lb sacks by the sack, so every price on this page is per 50 lb sack, with the per-hundredweight and per-pound conversions beside it. A sack is half a hundredweight, so the per-cwt figure is the sack price doubled and the per-pound figure is the sack price divided by 50.
Two different trades share the sack. Round reds, yellows and whites are sold in sacks as graded table stock, Size A and Size B, in both US No. 1 and US No. 2. Russets go into sacks as US No. 2, sold by minimum weight, while US No. 1 russets are packed in count-graded 50 lb cartons; the carton-count page carries those. A russet sack price and a red sack price are different products, so read each against its own grade and size. How potato grades affect FOB price covers the grade gap.
These are FOB prices: the potatoes loaded on a truck at the packing shed, before freight. A store's 50 lb bag adds the haul, handling and the retailer's margin. The sack price calculator converts a sack, hundredweight or per-pound price into the others and into a 60 lb bushel, and the bulk totes above are quoted per hundredweight, not per tote.
Common questions
How much is a 50 lb sack of potatoes?
A 50 lb sack sold for $11.00/50 lb sack ($22.00/cwt, $0.22/lb) FOB at the shipping point on Nov 3, 2026, for US No. 2 Norkotah russets (10 oz minimum) out of the Columbia Basin, per USDA shipping point reports. Across the 11 sack quotes USDA published on Nov 3, 2026, prices ran from $6.00-9.50/50 lb sack for US No. 2 Size A reds out of the Red River Valley to $19.00/50 lb sack for US No. 2 Burbank russets (10 oz minimum) out of Idaho. These are wholesale prices for potatoes loaded at the packing shed, before freight; a store price adds the haul, handling and the retailer's margin.
How much is a 50 lb bag of potatoes per pound?
Divide the sack price by 50. US No. 2 Norkotah russets (10 oz minimum) at $11.00/50 lb sack work out to $0.22/lb (Nov 3, 2026). Across the sack quotes in the table above, the per-pound figure ran from $0.12-0.19/lb to $0.38/lb. The sack price calculator converts any sack, hundredweight or per-pound price into the others, and into a 60 lb bushel.
Why are russet potato sacks graded US No. 2?
Because that is how the russet sack trade runs: every russet sack quote on this site's record since 2021 is US No. 2, sold by minimum weight (6 oz minimum or 10 oz minimum) rather than by count. US No. 1 russets are packed in count-graded 50 lb cartons instead, so a sack of russets and a carton of russets are different grades at different prices. Round reds, yellows and whites sell in sacks in both grades, 71% of their sack quotes US No. 1. How potato grades affect FOB price covers the gap between the grades.
How many pounds are in a sack of potatoes?
Fifty, in USDA's shipping point reports: every sack on this page is a 50 lb sack, half a hundredweight. Older references list a heavier sack. USDA's 1992 handbook of weights and conversion factors (Agricultural Handbook 697) gives a potato sack as 100 lb, and the same handbook puts a bushel of potatoes at 60 lb.