b"WET WESTWEIGHS ON PRODUCTION OUTLOOKWet conditions in the west are the dark spot on an otherwise good growing season nationally. BY: ASHLEY ROBINSONWHILE THE MARITIMES and Eastern Canada had almost ideal potato planting and growing conditions, their western counterparts have not. Mainly wet conditions throughout Manitoba and British Columbia had growers slogging through their fields, while parts of Alberta were planting into parched soils.Everybody else is reporting really good conditions. P.E.I.'s been ideal. Ontario has been really good. Even Alberta finally got some rain that was welcome after close to four years without any significant downfall. So, they started out with a very dry season but have gotten some much needed precipitation. And Quebec as well is feeling good about the crop, Victoria Stamper, general manager of the United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC), says in a phone interview. She adds most provinces did see a slight delay in their planting start dates though.Growers in B.C. were still trying to plant their late season crops as of mid-June, but wet weather has been holding back progress. Stamper says the season started out reasonably well in the western province with the early season Warbas crop doing well and already available for purchase in stores. Manitoba meanwhile hasnt been able to catch a break. The rain started early and delayed planting from the onset. Dan Sawatzky, general manager of the Keystone Potato Producers Association, says growers in Manitoba started planting in mid-Mayusually planting would start at around the end of April. He notes as of mid-June there are still a few growers who arent finished yet. Repeated Colorado lows brought late season snowfall in April and further rain into May across the province. Following the Colorado lows the rain kept on falling, while colder conditions held back fields from drying out between rainfalls.It just kept delaying the planting. The land would almost get A potato field in Prince Edward Island being planted.dry enough, and then they'd get another rain pretty well every PHOTO: MARK PHILLIPS, P.E.I. POTATO BOARD weekend. So that delayed planting, even the ground that is often 20SPUDSMART.COM Summer 2022"