WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — Potato growers faced sharply lower farm-level values in June, but consumers received limited price relief at grocery stores. USDA price-index data shows the producer index for all potatoes fell 14.5 percent from last year and 18.2 percent from five years ago.
Round white potatoes recorded the steepest decline, dropping 43.3 percent from June 2025. The broader potato producer index was also slightly below its level from ten years earlier.
Retail prices moved much less. The consumer potato index remained 1.4 percent above last year, while average white potato prices declined only 5.9 percent to about 92 cents per pound.
The difference reflects processing, packaging, transportation, labor, storage, and retail costs that do not fall automatically when grower prices weaken. Contract timing can also delay changes reaching store shelves.
Producers will watch inventories, processing demand, harvest prospects, and movement through storage. Continued weak farm prices without comparable retail declines could deepen margin pressure while providing consumers only modest savings.
