In the spring 2018 issue of Spud Smart, we showcase the 2018 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada accelerated release varieties. Also in this issue, read about the next level of weed control, Colorado potato beetle management techniques, and the effect of climate change on potato production now and into the future.
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Potato Days is a spectacular event that is held every year in the Emmeloord-Joure areas of Friesland. It is a 3-day event, usually the second week in November, when the Dutch potato-breeding companies and a few companies from Germany and Denmark, open their doors to showcase new potato varieties. Tuber samples are on display, and there are brochures with information on agronomy, tuber quality and pest resistance. I have attended this event…
November 20, 2018 – Ottawa, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Canadian farmers and food processors across the country work hard every day to put safe, high-quality food on our tables, while driving our economy and creating good, middle-class jobs. Farming can provide an amazing lifestyle with great rewards, but it can also be hard on mental health. Farmers and their families often face high levels of stress because of forces that…
Portage la Prairie, MB, November 26, 2018 – McCain Foods (Canada) announced today infrastructure investments totalling $75 million for its Portage la Prairie and Carberry, Man., facilities. The investments further strengthen the company’s potato processing presence in Western Canada. “Our investments at both the Portage la Prairie and Carberry facilities are testaments to McCain’s ongoing commitment to growers, employees and the communities in which we operate in Manitoba,” said Jeff DeLapp, president,…
Prince Edward Island After a month of very high rainfall, the last suitable day for harvest was November 9. Many growers dug for 24 hours around the clock until rain came again in the early hours of November 10. Abnormally cold temperatures dipped to -15 C and two snowstorms since have prevented further progress. The PEI Potato Board surveyed all growers and estimate that 6,800 acres were unable to be harvested. All…
The total consumption potato harvest in four of the five major potato producing countries in the EU is estimated at least 20 per cent lower than last year and under 20 million tons brut. This estimation is made by the NEPG (North-Western European Potato Growers). As the yields figures for Great Britain are not yet available, this estimated harvest is only based upon continental Europe. For Great Britain, the final results will…
Romain Cools, President of the World Potato Congress Inc. is extremely pleased to welcome Sunrise Potato Storage LTD. as its most recent Silver Sustaining Partner. President Cools stated: “The World Potato Congress is looking forward to working with Sunrise Potato Storage LTD. and all our Sustaining Partners to further the growth and awareness of the importance of the global potato sector.” Sunrise Potato is an inter-generational farm involving Peter & Carla VanderZaag,…
Syngenta Canada Inc. is pleased to announce the registration of Vibrance® Ultra Potato as a new seed piece treatment for the suppression of pink rot and control of key seed- and soil-borne diseases, including late blight. Vibrance Ultra Potato combines difenoconazole (Group 3), sedaxane (Group 7), and mandipropamid (Group 40) in a convenient liquid pre-mix formulation. It protects potato seed pieces and seedlings to help ensure strong stand establishment, so the crop…
Carberry, MB, November 14, 2018 – McCain Foods (Canada) announced Bailey Farms as 2017 Crop Year Champion Potato Grower for the McCain Manitoba plants during the annual Growers’ Appreciation Banquet. Approximately 180 guests gathered to celebrate the Top Growers and their achievements and enjoy a celebratory evening together at the Carbery Memorial Hall in Carberry on November 7. Master of ceremonies for the evening was Bart Witherspoon, Field Department Manager, who announced…
Coaldale, Alta., November 14, 2018 – McCain Foods (Canada) announced Stiekema-Kolhorn Joint Venture as 2017 Crop Year Champion Potato Grower for Alberta during the annual Growers’ Appreciation Banquet. Approximately 140 guests gathered to celebrate the Top Growers and their achievements and enjoy a celebratory evening together at the Lethbridge Coast Inn on November 8. Master of ceremonies for the evening was Jeremy Carter, Field Department Manager, while Colin McLean, Field Representative, announced…
Scientists at the James Hutton Institute, in collaboration with colleagues of the University of Dundee, Huazhong Agricultural University, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (both China) and Wageningen University (Netherlands), have shed further light into the mechanisms through which the potato blight pathogen interacts with plant cells to promote disease. Late blight played a major role in the historical Irish potato famine, and is still a huge problem for farmers today, causing massive…