[deck]Total crop production appears to be up slightly from last year — largely due to more contracted processing acres and decent yields across the country.[/deck]
Canada
This year’s crop production is expected to be little higher than last year, according to the United Potato Growers of Canada.
Kevin MacIsaac, general manager of UPGC, says the final figures won’t be in until towards the end of November, but he provided Spud Smart with the best guesses from regional potato associations with respect to yield and production numbers for the 2015 crop.
As of Sept. 10, total potato production nationwide was expected to climb by just over 1.6 million potatoes or 1.6 per cent from 2014 to 2015.
MacIsaac says the increase could be attributed to a significant rise in contracted processing acres (mostly in Manitoba) from last year, but also to what was shaping up to be “a pretty decent yield” in most areas of the country.
I think it’s going to be a nice crop to store.
– Kevin MacIsaac
MacIsaac notes a cooler spring meant planting started later in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, and some areas like Alberta experienced a hotter and dryer summer than normal. But for most part, he says, there were generally good growing conditions for potatoes in Canada, which helped enhance yields as well as crop quality.
“Usually, there are some areas that get a little too much rainfall which affects storability. But everyone that I’ve talked to in each province says it’s great-looking quality both in terms of type and a lack of disease this year,” says MacIsaac. “I think it’s going to be a nice crop to store.”
U.S.A.
The sweltering summer in U.S. Pacific Northwest may have had the effect of cooling off production a bit in North America’s most prolific potato growing region, according
to MacIsaac.
“They’ve had a lot of excessive heat in some of these growing areas, and that’s lowered their yields a bit,” he says, adding that fewer potatoes on the market from Idaho and Washington would likely benefit Canadian producers hoping for good prices for the 2015 crop.
MacIsaac says one area south of the border that may exceed their yield predictions is Wisconsin. “They have a tremendous crop coming on, and if it stores well they’ll probably have a little more than what they had in previous years.”
