The World Potato Congress (WPC) is pleased to announce that Mr. Lu, Xiaoping has accepted the position to become the WPC’S newest international advisor. Mr. Lu, Xiaoping, joined the International Potato Center (CIP) in May 2011 and has since been working as its Deputy Director-General and Director of the CIP-China Centre for Asia and Pacific (CCCAP), a regional arm of CIP. His primary responsibility is heading the start-up work of CCCAP, the…
Ivan Noonan was recently presented with a Certificate of Appreciation as a founding co-chair of the United Potato Growers of Canada, which was formed in 2006. He was presented with the certificate of appreciation by UPGC chairman, Ray Keenan, in Charlottetown, P.E.I., on August 2, 2019. Before his retirement, Noonan was the general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board for 14 years from 1994-2008 and then general manager of Food Trust P.E.I., before…
The harvest of the early processing crop started this week. According to sources at WD Potato Ltd., the quality is good. Two to three inches of rain stopped digging of the early crop in the Simcoe-Delhi, Ont., area, but the rain was a blessing. The tubers are at the bulking stage. The Alliston and Shelburne areas continue to be dry. Irrigation is the order of the day. Although the weather has not been favorable…
Mr. Clement Lalancette recently retired as a founding director of the United Potato Growers of Canada, which was formed in 2006. He was presented with a certificate of appreciation by UPGC chairman, Ray Keenan, in Quebec City, on July 15, 2019. Lalancette is recognized for his outstanding leadership and dedication to the Canadian potato industry as a director of United Potato Growers of Canada representing the Quebec Potato Producers Association. Lalancette was the general manager…
Jeff Miller, a researcher with Miller Research in Idaho, will be presenting his latest study on management of pink rot (Phytophthora erythroseptica) at the 2019 Potato Association of America (PAA) annual meeting. This persistent soil-borne disease causes tuber breakdown and yield loss. Miller’s field trial is looking at the effect of the timing interval between spraying a phosphite fungicide for pink rot suppression and applying irrigation water. Miller provides some background information…
Nora Olsen has a list. It’s a bucket list, of sorts, she has kept for the past 10 years of all the potato research she’d like to carry out. It’s no wonder that list is dwindling after the University of Idaho professor and extension potato specialist’s tireless efforts for the sector. Olsen champions the potato industry and its stakeholders, especially growers, because she loves her work and feels honoured to be part…
Peter VanderZaag has been on a vigorous campaign to alleviate poverty and hunger through potato science and production almost his entire life. His work improving potato production in Central Africa, Southeastern Asia, and China has had far-reaching effects. The researcher was heavily influenced by his heritage — generations of VanderZaags in the Netherlands have been potato producers — and most notably his Uncle Date, a distinguished potato scientist. “My Uncle Date was…
Since John Nordgaard has been with Black Gold Farms, the company’s size has quadrupled. Employees have increased from around 30 in 1997 to 185 full-time staff today. As director of operations then, and executive vice-president of operations now, Nordgaard has participated in much of that growth. Although, he’d be the last person to say so. At Black Gold Farms, Nordgaard oversees operations for all farms across multiple states, he has also managed…
After spending more than three decades with the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Genetic Improvement of Fruits and Vegetables Laboratory as a research plant geneticist developing improved potato varieties, Kathleen Haynes says a significant highlight of her career has been bringing researchers together to work on projects for the benefit of the potato industry. “I’m most proud of the working groups we assembled to address problems in the industry,” she says. This year,…
EXCITEMENT IS IN the air as Manitoba gets ready to host the 103rd Potato Association of America Annual Meeting in Winnipeg at the end of July. It’s a time for the sector’s scientific branch to share research information about all facets of the potato industry, to recognize members who have made significant contributions to the sector, and to nurture and mentor upcoming researchers. It’s also an opportunity for all industry stakeholders, including…