Idaho potato price down more than 40%

In the first week of June, a grower could expect to receive between $7.75 and $8.25 for 100 pounds of potatoes, depending on quality, according to data. In the first week of July, prices had fallen to between $4.25 and $4.75.

Growers are facing substantial losses because the price of a potato, even during the June price peak, has been less than the cost of producing it, said Paul Patterson, an agricultural economist with the University of Idaho Extension.

He estimates the current cost of production, including shipping and storage, at between $8.50 and $9 per hundred pounds.

Kevin Stanger is vice president of sales and marketing with Wada Farms, which produces potatoes on about 10,000 acres of land in Idaho.

“It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize when prices get this low it’s a negative return for growers,” he said. Full story. Bryan Clark, Idaho Falls Post Register

How many pounds of potatoes on average do you buy each month?