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…
The following piece is from our sister publication, the Alberta Seed Guide. The Canadian government has expanded the eligibility for the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal minister of agriculture and agri-food, says in a news release on May 19. “Farmers can be assured that we have their back, and we are continuing to roll-out supports for our agriculture sector,” Bibeau says in the release. The eligibility now allows farmers…
More than 50 per cent of potato acres in the central region of Manitoba have been planted, the weekly crop report from Manitoba Agriculture, says on May 19. “Potato planting continues with over 50% of the acres planted. Cold soil temperature was slowing emergence, but conditions are improving rapidly,” the report notes.
The Canadian federal government is launching a $100-million Agriculture and Food Business Solutions Fund to support proven, viable companies through unexpected business disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, through Farm Credit Canada (FCC), the government says in a release on May 14. The fund is being launched in partnership with Calgary-based venture capital firm Forage Capital Inc., with FCC as the sole investor. “This type of investment fund will offer companies another option when faced…
Wageningen University and Research (WUR) is launching a new study of wild potatoes to try and find new pest and disease-free varieties, the university says in a release on May 4. The research will focus on finding yield breeding material which can be used to develop disease-free potato varieties able to help with sustainable and circular potato production. It will help growers use less pesticides for disease and pest prevention on potatoes, the…
The Ontario government, along with the federal government, are investing $2.25 million in order to help farmers better protect employees and ensure the continued supply of healthy food products for consumers during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Ontario government says in a news release on May 14. “This additional support will help Ontario farmers quickly adopt new on-farm measures and practices that follow the best public health guidance, so they can continue to…
As the pandemic reduces demand for potato products Canadian potato holdings are at 32.25 million cwt as of May 1, which is 13.1 per cent higher than last year, the May 13 issue of North American Potato Market News says. On April 1, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba were the only provinces with more potatoes in storage than they held a year earlier, by May 1 though, British Columbia was the only…
The first official crop report from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry released on May 8, estimates potato planting in Alberta at 51.5 per cent done. The south region is 59.2 per cent complete, while no acres have been planted in northwest region yet. Overall seeding in Alberta is 9.4 per cent done for all crops.