US Potato Acreage Hits 74-Year Low as Price Collapse Reshapes North American Supply

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US potato planted area fell to 353,290.57 hectares across 13 states in 2026, down 3% from 2025 and the smallest since 1952, according to USDA NASS. This marks the third straight year of acreage declines, driven by weak prices during the 2025/26 season, which averaged $11.20 per hundredweight. Idaho, the top producing state, cut plantings by 15,000 acres (-5.1%) to 298,915 acres, while Nebraska posted a record 10% cut. Idaho growers call the crop the smallest since 2011, even as prices have climbed to their highest level since summer 2023, one farmer said. The pattern echoes Europe's 2025-2026 cycle, where a price collapse triggers acreage cuts that sow the seeds of a future shortage with roughly a one-year lag. The US case suggests this boom-bust dynamic is a structural feature of the global potato market, not a uniquely European one. Low prices from the prior season keep shaping planting decisions, setting up tighter supply and firmer prices across North America in the seasons ahead.