The early weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown have shoppers stockpiling groceries, which is pushing fresh potato sales across Canada to record levels. The spud is versatile food, it can be used in various dishes and stores well — so it makes sense shoppers would turn to it as they plan to hunker down for an unknown amount of time during the novel coronavirus pandemic. In mid-March the federal and provincial governments across…
As you prepare your potato seed to plant this spring, here are a few things to keep in mind. Preparing your seed and making sure you’re planting the right variety for your area can help optimize your potato crop. Here are a few things to keep in mind for spring planting, from Steven Johnson, crops specialist with the University of Maine’s presentation at the Ontario Potato Conference in Guelph, Ont. in March….
The following piece is from our sister publication, Alberta Seed Guide. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold the Canadian government has provided Farm Credit Canada (FCC) with an additional $5 billion in lending capacity, Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced today. Bibeau’s announcement comes following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement earlier today outlining more details on the Government of Canada’s plan to support the economy during the COVID-19…
Shifting consumer habits have potato chip companies making smaller bags, requiring smaller chips and therefore smaller potatoes. Great things come in small packages may just be the idea the potato chip industry is following. As consumers are asking for more “snackable” options, potato chip companies are responding with smaller bags and they’re now asking farmers for smaller potatoes for those bags. Most chip processing plants were built when “big potatoes filled larger…