Varieties
Red potatoes vs russet: the FOB price spread
Russet and red potato FOB side by side, per hundredweight, from USDA shipping point reports
Data through Nov 3, 2026 · source last checked Nov 4, 2026 · page revised Nov 4, 2026
Cite
- Russet, Columbia Basin
- Red, Wisconsin
- Red, Red River Valley
- Red, Minnesota
About this data
- Source
- USDA AMS shipping point potato FOB reports (FV130)
- Series
- Russet and red potatoes, US No. 1, each at its benchmark pack and size, FOB per hundredweight
- Basis
- FOB shipping point, per hundredweight, gaps between range midpoints
- Geography
- Across US growing origins
- Unit
- $/cwt
- Last observation
- Nov 3, 2026
- Update frequency
- USDA reports on business days
Russets quote mostly $21.00/50 lb carton ($42.00/cwt) out of Columbia Basin, 70-count 50 lb carton, against $14.00-16.00/50 lb sack ($28.00-32.00/cwt) for reds out of Red River Valley, Size A 50 lb sack: russets $12.00/cwt above reds on range midpoints, as of Nov 3, 2026.
Russet $42.00/cwt Columbia Basin 70-count carton commands $12.00/cwt over red $28.00-32.00/cwt Red River Valley Size A sack on range midpoints. Russets quote mostly $21.00/50 lb carton, reds mostly $14.00-16.00/50 lb sack. The spread narrows in consumer bales, where reds run above bulk russets.
| Pack | Russet | Red | Russet minus red (midpoints) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 lb carton | $42.00/cwt, Columbia Basin 70-count | $32.00-36.00/cwt, Red River Valley Size A | +$8.00/cwt |
| 50 lb sack | not quoting | $28.00-32.00/cwt, Red River Valley Size A | — |
| 10×5 lb consumer bale | $20.00/cwt, San Luis Valley Size A | $32.00-33.00/cwt, Wisconsin Size A | -$12.50/cwt |
| 5×10 lb consumer bale | $18.00/cwt, San Luis Valley Size A | not quoting | — |
| Bulk tote | not quoting | $24.00-28.00/cwt, Red River Valley Size A | — |
| Year | Same-day readings | Median gap (russet minus red) | Days russet higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 247 | +$11.00/cwt | 100% |
| 2022 | 379 | +$10.00/cwt | 74% |
| 2023 | 426 | +$22.25/cwt | 68% |
| 2024 | 384 | -$8.00/cwt | 9% |
| 2025 | 341 | -$8.00/cwt | 11% |
| 2026 | 246 | -$8.50/cwt | 25% |
Previous weeks
An earlier week
Russets quote mostly $21.00/50 lb carton, 70-count, out of Columbia Basin at $42.00/cwt, against $15.00-16.00/50 lb sack for reds from Red River Valley at $30.00-32.00/cwt. Russets hold $11.00/cwt above reds on range midpoints.
Week of Oct 30, 2026
Russet potatoes out of Columbia Basin quote mostly $21.00/50 lb carton at 70-count ($42.00/cwt), against mostly $15.00-16.00/50 lb sack for Red River Valley reds at $30.00-32.00/cwt. Russets hold $11.00/cwt above reds on range midpoints.
An earlier week
Russets mostly $21.00/50 lb carton from Columbia Basin, 70-count, versus reds $15.00-16.00/50 lb sack from Red River Valley, Size A, with russets $11.00/cwt above reds on range midpoints.
An earlier week
Russet $42.00/cwt vs red $30.00-32.00/cwt, with the $11.00/cwt premium reflecting Columbia Basin 70-count cartons against Red River Valley Size A sacks. The spread tightens to $7.00/cwt when comparing the 50 lb carton format. Reds command a $12.50/cwt premium in the 10×5 lb consumer bale over San Luis Valley russets.
What sets the red and russet price
The russet is the potato the rest of the market is read against: about 70 percent of US planted acres, by USDA's Economic Research Service, and the potato behind the baked potato and the fry. Its fresh price is set in 50 lb cartons graded by count, so the benchmark here is the 70-count 50 lb carton, the spec the trade quotes most and the one the russet price page headlines. Four storage regions dig in the fall and ship for months, which keeps the russet price moving in long, slow steps.
Reds are a fresh-market crop with a fraction of the acreage. They are graded by size rather than count, Size A for table stock and Size B for the smaller potato, and the benchmark here is the Size A 50 lb sack the red price page headlines. Because only one or two red districts are usually shipping at a time, a short crop or a late handoff can move reds in a week by more than russets move in a month.
That is why the gap swings, and why it depends on the pack. A count-graded russet carton is a premium foodservice pack, while a red sack or bag is table stock, so the benchmark gap carries some of that pack difference; the pack-by-pack table above holds the pack fixed. All prices are FOB at the shipping point, before freight, and USDA publishes them as ranges; the gaps are measured between range midpoints.
Common questions
Are red potatoes more expensive than russets?
Not on the latest benchmark quotes. At the shipping point the russet 70-count 50 lb carton quoted $42.00/cwt against $28.00-32.00/cwt for the red Size A 50 lb sack, so russets were $12.00/cwt higher (as of Nov 3, 2026). It depends on the pack: in 50 lb cartons russets were $8.00/cwt higher; in 10×5 lb consumer bales reds were $12.50/cwt higher. Over 2,023 same-day readings since 2021, the russet benchmark was the higher of the two on 47% of them, and the median gap, russet minus red, was -$1.50/cwt.
Why do red and russet potatoes sell at different prices?
They are different markets. Russets are a storage crop grown across four big regions and sold largely as count-graded 50 lb cartons of bakers for foodservice, plus consumer bags, so supply is deep and the price moves in slow steps as the cellars draw down. Reds are a much smaller, mostly fresh-market crop, graded Size A and Size B, sold in sacks, cartons and consumer bags, and handed from one origin to the next through the year, so one short district can move the red price hard while russets sit still.
Where do red and russet potatoes ship from?
Russets ship from storage in Idaho, the Columbia Basin, Colorado's San Luis Valley and Wisconsin in almost every week of the year. Reds rotate: the Red River Valley ships out of storage from fall into spring, Wisconsin from late summer into winter, Florida in late winter and spring, California in early summer, and Minnesota, Virginia and the mid-Atlantic districts through summer and early fall. The US potato calendar covers the handoffs.