ALTHOUGH FARMERS have known for a long time that soil compaction is an important issue, they are now getting more serious than ever about its management. Compaction can threaten potato plants in a number of negative ways, yet farmers must often make the decision to enter a field (e.g. at planting) when conditions don’t lend themselves well to compaction prevention. However, a wholistic approach throughout the year employing the latest strategies will…
POTATO EARLY DYING COMPLEX (PED) is one of the most economically devastating diseases Canadian potato growers face each year, and incidence has been on the rise in fields across the country. With few registered chemicals available, an integrated management approach is the best means of control. Early dying in potato occurs when potato plants fail to reach full maturity. As its name suggests, early dying is a complex issue due to a…
Winter 2020 ALBERTA Terence Hochstein, Executive Director, Potato Growers of Alberta Only in Alberta can you go from -35 C on Friday to 2 C on Sunday morning. Such is the life in the Chinook belt of southern Alberta. The winter in Alberta has been a mixed bag to say the least. Three feet of snow at the end of September, then it’s gone for a while, then another couple of feet,…
Total potato production in Canada in 2019 was 106.6 million hundredweight, a four per cent increase from 2018, according to Statistics Canada figures released Dec. 13. The 2019 figures also show an average potato yield in Canada of just over 312 hundredweight per acre, a seven per cent increase from the previous year. According to Kevin MacIsaac, general manager of the United Potato Growers of Canada, the total production number could have…
PEOPLE NEWS McCain Foods Announces 2018 Top Potato Growers at Manitoba Awards Banquet McCain Foods (Canada) announced A&M Farm Ventures Ltd. as the 2018 Crop Year Champion Potato Grower for Manitoba at the annual McCain Manitoba Growers’ Appreciation Banquet held last December, an annual tradition made even more special during the 40th anniversary of the Portage la Prairie facility in 2019. Approximately 150 guests, including executives from McCain Foods, gathered to celebrate…
UNITED KINGDOM A genetically modified potato with improved tuber quality and resistance to the devastating disease late blight has progressed successfully through the latest stage of trials. The field trials follow successful lab experiments to modify Maris Piper potatoes with late blight resistance genes from wild relatives of potato called Solanum americanum and Solanum venturii. To improve tuber quality, the modified Maris Piper lines also have genes switched off — or silenced…
IT’S BEEN A LITTLE over a year since Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) began revamping its potato breeding program. In addition to making the program more efficient and up to date, the move reflects a strong desire by the AAFC to make the program more responsive to the needs of the Canadian potato industry. The changes are still ongoing, but many in the potato industry appear to like what they’ve seen so…
The World Potato Congress Inc. (WPC) has announced its second webinar in its 2020 series featuring Hein Kruyt, Solynta’s CEO, on February 20, 2020. The webinar is titled, “What’s all this talk about hybrid breeding and hybrid true potato seeds (HTPS) revolutionizing the potato industry?” Hein Kruyt, CEO of Solynta and the frontrunner in Hybrid True Potato Seeds (HTPS), will give an introduction into HTPS as well as the exciting opportunity to…
Volm Companies, Inc., an industry leader in providing the highest quality packaging and equipment solutions to the fresh produce industry, has announced that its partner, Manter International B.V. of Emmen, Netherlands, has acquired shares of Solidtec BV. Solidtec, of Dronten, Netherlands, has been manufacturing gantry style palletizing systems for fresh produce and other markets since 1999. The merger allows for a close collaboration between the companies, resulting in a more cohesive process…
Listening to young people about issues that matter to them is an important commitment of the government. Young Canadians’ participation in civic life, including government decision-making, is crucial to Canada’s continued success and to helping secure Canada’s position as an agricultural powerhouse. The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, today launched the application process for a first Canadian Agricultural Youth Council. A group of young Canadians will provide valuable advice…