Potato Growers Continue To Struggle With Input Costs

While annual inflation decreased from 4.2% in July 2025 to 3.5% last month, the cost of doing business is still top of mind for growers across the Northwest.

“The costs are still up quite significantly, but I think that the inflation has leveled out a little bit,' said Jamey Higham, Executive Director of the Idaho Potato Commission.  "They're not continuing to go up, but they're still much higher than they were back pre-COVID and just after COVID. But things have, it is more expensive to grow our potatoes.”

Higham said those elevated costs make it very difficult for growers to breakeven, let alone turn a profit.  He said looking forward, the industry is hopeful customers will be willing to pay what it costs us to grow potatoes and then some.

"It's a challenge. But just like a lot of commodities, it's supply and demand," Higham said.  "When we have too many potatoes, the price goes down. And when we have not enough, the price goes up. We'd like to find that perfect balance in there where we can keep the product moving and still make some money while we're doing it.”

In an effort to help with an oversupply of potatoes, Idaho growers removed roughly 15,000 acres from production this year.

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