b'EYE ON THE NATION ONTARIO MANITOBAKevin Brubacher, general manager Dan Sawatzky, general manager,of the Ontario Potato Board Keystone Potato Producers AssociationPlanting season is just around the corner! At the time of writingIts hard to believe that spring is just around the corner with the this in early March, we are less than a month away from whencold temperatures and even colder windchill values experienced the first early potatoes will be put in the ground. Its hard tothe week prior to writing this article on Feb. 28. The calendar believe with the sporadic shots of winter that keep hitting thedate is nearing March at the time of writing, the lengthening province. Winter has been relatively mild with shallow frosthours of sunlight, and potato seed movement confirm springs levels; this is a concern as far as what disease pressure will beeminent arrival. present during the growing season. We expect planting to beIn-person meetings have been welcomed with enthusiasm, in full swing the second week of April in southern Ontario withrubbing shoulders and shaking hands with people whom we other areas beginning near the end of April and into May.have not seen in some time. Manitoba Potato Production Days, Quality has been good on the storage crop, and its expectedheld the last week of January, was a resounding success, drawing there will be enough potatoes to carry us through to new648 peopleshattering the old pre-COVID record of 550. crop. Red and yellow potatoes are running short and theres anUnfortunately, some couldnt make it due to flight cancellations. anticipated strong demand for this product. Overall, marketing ofThe new location at the venue allowed for more machinery and the 2022 crop is running near our five-year average.displays. Demo and speaker sessions were very well attended.Eugenia Banks hosted the Ontario Potato Conference onApart from the usual early storage breakdown, the crop has March 2, 2023. There was a strong turnout as it was the first inbeen storing relatively well. Higher levels of dockage, consisting person Ontario Potato Conference since the COVID-19 pandemicmainly of hollow heart and undersize, is reflective of the delayed began. Banks put together an excellent program with a sold outspring planting date and rapid growth experienced to finish the tradeshow. We would like to thank Banks for her hard work incrop. Seed is in tight supply.organizing and executing this world class industry event! ThankContract negotiations have begun to take place with a couple you Banks! of recent meetings this past week with both processors in the I wish you all a successful planting season! province. Strong demand and short North American supply coupled with ever increasing costs are pointing to the need to settle in a timely manner for all involved to know how to plan for QUEBEC the future.Looking forward to a better 2023 production season than we Sarah-Maude Larose, project officer for Lesin Manitoba have experienced in some time. Hoping all of you Producteurs de pommes de terre du Qubec have a great season of growth.2022 was a good growing season for Quebec growers. Movement on the fresh side has slowed down in the last couple of weeks, particularly on the reds. With fewer holdings of reds this year, theres no concern that the sheds will be empty in a timely manner. Overall, the current stock of potatoes is lower than the 2022 numbers, but still higher than the average stock levels over the past five years. Most packers are reporting having ample supply to meet demand and next years crop. Pricing has been good and stable. In the processing sector movement has been strong with plants running at capacity. Processor contracts are still in negotiations.As we look toward spring, there are several uncertainties that could affect next years planting intentions: labour availability, input costs, market demand and pricing, weather conditions. With the current state of the market, acreage is expected to remain flat.Our annual general meeting will be held virtually on March 30.56SPUDSMART.COM Spring 2023'