CY 24 will be remembered as a “mixed bag” of results. Considering that CY 23 was one for the record books, this year went to the other end of the spectrum for some.
Spring started out relatively normal and then May and June turned cool and wet. Planting was delayed in some areas with our seed growers in some cases finishing planting before the south part of the province. As mid-June rolled around, the rain stopped, and the heat was here to stay. Our seed growers received little moisture throughout their growing season, which carried over to harvest. Their crop, although down in yield, still turned out better than most expected. In the south the growers were able to use their allocated water throughout the summer for what turned out to be a very reasonable crop. This did come at an expense to the rest of their crops, as most irrigation areas were on a 50 per cent allocation this year due to the drought the entire province has been under for many years.
The fall was open and extended well into late October, which turned out to be a blessing as most growers were able to gain a week or two out of the season, thus leading to the unexpected yields we received. A mid-September frost would have been devastating as some growers hadn’t even started harvest by then.
The McCain expansion continues to track for a mid-spring/early summer startup which is exciting for the Alberta industry.
CY 24 is storing well, and it appears that all processors will have enough in storage to finish out the crop year.
Here’s looking towards a normal spring and all that it has to offer.
Submitted by Terence Hochstein, Executive Director of Potato Growers of Alberta