Potato acres across Canada are almost all planted, according to an update from the United Potato Growers of Canada, published on May 28. Across most of the country planting conditions have been good which has allowed farmers to get their spuds in the ground in a timely manner. Prince Edward Island Planting on the island is about 70 per cent complete with no rain delays having happened in the past 10 days,…
North American french fry sales may be coming back faster than the industry had expected with the anticipated buildup of finished-product inventories not having happened, the May 27 issue of North American Potato Market News says. “We believe that April sales of finished product exceeded industry expectations,” the report says. “However, we are picking up anecdotal evidence that sales are coming back more quickly than fryers had anticipated when they cut 2020…
A national campaign to connect consumers with the Canadian food system called It’s Good, Canada has been launched, the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI), says in a release on May 27. The campaign will feature personal stories about Canadians working in the food supply system from across the country on both the front and back lines. It will also provide credible resources for Canadians to find fact-based information about the Canada’s…
The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) organization have evaluated two genetically modified (GM) potato lines and have ruled they are safe for human consumption, a news release from the regulatory body on May 22, says. The two potatoes are derived from Innate potato lines V11 and Z6. V11 has reduced acrylamide potential and reduced browning traits (blackspot bruising), while Z6 has both traits plus disease resistance to foliar late blight, the…
While the United States potato industry appreciates the government aid which has been announced so far, they still need more to make it through the pandemic, the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association (NPC), says in a news release on May 27. “Given the scope of this crisis, we knew the initial funding would be insufficient to meet the need of family farms. Based upon the limited resources announced under this direct payment…
The Canadian government is investing up to $9.2 million to enhance the Youth Employment and Skills Program (YESP) and fund up to 700 new positions for youth in the agriculture industry, the government says in a news release on May 26. The funds are meant to help ensure the resilience of the food supply chain and to provide support to keep the agriculture sector strong. “During this unprecedented time, our food producers…
The majority of Ontario’s potato crop was seeded over the past week, the May 21 vegetable crop report from ONvegtables, says. Growers are being recommended to check on seed piece health in fields which were planted before the stretch of frosts, the report notes. “The crop may be slower to emerge so keep that in mind when applying your pre-emerge herbicides.”
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has given $81,000 to the Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association (AFFPA) through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) to upgrade its online producer directory, a release from the government says on May 21. “This initiative will help solidify the connections between the agriculture producers who want to direct market and their potential customers,” Rod Bradshaw, with Beck Farms, says in the release. The funding will allow AFFPA to expand…
After crop losses last fall in Manitoba and Alberta, french fry processors were forced to import potatoes from the United States to fill increased processing demand, however those imports slid in mid-March as the COVID-19 pandemic caused french fry demand to drop off, the May 20 issue of North American Potato Market News says. U.S. trade data shows during January to March Canada imported 1.187 million cwt of fresh potatoes from the…
Dutch potato breeder HZPC has developed a robot which helps them identify potato DNA and isolate diseases in plants, the company says in a release on May 20. Within 15 minutes the robot can isolate the DNA of 1,536 potato plants with positive traits being crossbred into a potato variety which is resistant to a variety of diseases. The DNA from the potato plants is then examined to see whether a more…