Manitoba
Garry Sloik, Manager
Keystone Potato Producers’ Association
I recently attended the Red and Russet Crop Transition conference in Minneapolis, Minn. Manitoba is not the only area that has a good potential for an early crop. In the United States, the west (Idaho, Oregon and Washington) is early and expects strong yields again following two years of below trend-line yields. The Midwest is also early and has not had any of the frequent drown-outs of the past few years, so yield potential is very good. While the east (Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Maine) was dry at that time, there have been varying rains since, and with current forecasts threatening more rain there is the possibility of potential damage. This means that while it’s still early and there isn’t much to sell yet, there could be extra potatoes soon if the summer weather is as favourable as the spring.
The other part of the equation is demand. There was discussion that the fresh market is down five to eight per cent this past year versus the previous year. This raises concerns for the table market. On the processing side, the market has been rather flat, but this could be partly due to the fact that processors have had limited supplies. Exports from North America have been relatively strong, and will hopefully stay strong, but world economies can change this quite quickly (for example, if China slows down imports).
Finally, we should be extremely happy to have potential for an excellent crop. Quality always sells. As producers, you should ensure that you do everything in your power to produce the absolute best quality you can, and consider how you can maximize the dollar value of your contract. Hitting the “sweet spots” in the bonus clauses can gain more than a dollar value per hundredweight over average and could be worth the effort rather than regular field-run. This might mean dropping (or bin separating) some undersized potatoes, top killing if you end up in a blight situation, and influencing specific gravity by monitoring and adjusting fertility, as well as harvesting early to ensure good fry colour. Some producers have suggested that larger rear crosses in harvesters could help you leave more smalls in the field, and while this doesn’t make sense for red table B’s that offer the bonus price, it could help payables in processing potatoes. Each farm needs to consider how best to manage its individual situation.
Prince Edward Island
Gary Linkletter, Chairman
Prince Edward Island Potato Board
In Prince Edward Island, as across Canada, the potato industry is governed by a series of regulations, some provincial and some federal. These regulations cover items such as the operation of our provincial board or agencies, seed certification, crop insurance programs, plant health and responsible pesticide usage. In our experience, widespread industry consultation before the implementation of new or changed regulations has been a common practice to ensure that regulations meet the needs of both industry and government. As an example, the P.E.I. potato industry is currently working with our provincial government to review the P.E.I. Plant Health Act, and we annually meet with our Crop Insurance Agency staff to discuss ongoing improvements to production insurance programs for potatoes.
At the federal level, it has been somewhat disconcerting to have had changes to Canadian Food Inspection Agency programs announced in the 2012 federal budget after little or no consultation with industry. P.E.I. representatives have been working closely with potato industry members in other provinces to present our concerns to elected representatives as well as CFIA staff in a coordinated effort through the Canadian Potato Council at the Canadian Horticultural Council. We are hopeful that any changes will not proceed without prior industry consultation and input on implementation of changes.
So far, the growing season on the Island has been beautiful. The crop looks to be about seven to 10 days ahead of last year and the latest weather pattern has been hot and sunny days followed by cool nights. New potatoes have been in the stores since around June 20. As we go to press, the crop in the central and eastern areas of the Island are in need of a good rain. For a small island there can be a lot of variability in the weather and the resulting crop.
Potato Research Centre
John Morrison, Regional Communications Officer Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Potato Research Centre in Fredericton, N.B. turns 100 in September.
Horses and oxen were used to clear the original 182 hectares of land. Today, scientists at the centre are investigating new opportunities for potatoes, using molecular chemistry and a genetic map of the potato.
Researchers at the centre began potato breeding in 1929. Since then, the centre has released 29 new potato varieties, including the Shepody variety that laid the groundwork for the french fry industry in Atlantic Canada. Three new varieties are going through the final stages of approval, and this past winter, the PRC unveiled a potato that shows promise as a low-glycemic variety.
The PRC is linked closely with the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru, as well as leading potato research centres in Europe, and works in close collaboration with the department’s Lethbridge Research Centre in Alberta.
Aside from potato breeding, scientists at the centre are busy looking for answers to pest and disease problems, and solutions to other issues facing farmers, such as soil erosion.
The PRC is also home to the Potato Gene Repository, the country’s national gene bank for potatoes. The repository consists of a library of 163 potato varieties and genetic stock, some dating back 200 years.
A special publication will be released later this year detailing the history of the centre and its plans for the future.
For more information visit www.agr.gc.ca.
New Brunswick
Joe Brennan, Chairman
Potatoes New Brunswick
The 2012 potato planting season in New Brunswick started a bit earlier than normal, like most production areas in North America, but unsettled weather stretched the process out and we finished planting during the first week of June, which is quite normal. The weather remained quite dry until the last week of June and then it all changed again! In the southern parts of the ‘potato belt’ as much as 30 mm of rain was reported with the northern areas only receiving 10 mm. When July came along, it turned very hot and dry for the first two weeks, with temperatures in the low 30s. Recently, most areas have received some rain in variable amounts.
As of mid-July, the crop looks ‘not-too-bad.’ The areas that received the most rainfall did experience some damage due to water lying in low areas, and the potential for these fields has been affected. Many fields look fine but the growers generally feel that this year’s yield can still be near-average, depending a lot on the conditions still ahead of us. We did experience some hail damage in a couple of areas again this year. Though not as widespread as last year’s storm, it was certainly devastating to the farms affected.
Our acreage this year increased as a result of increased processing contract volume. Our numbers are not yet finalized, but current estimates indicate a jump of six to eight per cent. Processing acres increased, while it appears fresh acres have declined a bit. Seed acres look comparable to last year. Potato acres have increased across North America this year, again largely due to an increase in processing contracts, and most areas have been experiencing favourable growing conditions early in this season. The extreme heat has some areas concerned, while other areas with adequate irrigation appear to be on track for good yields. The weather over the next couple of months will ‘tell the tale’ regarding our 2012 potato supply.
