b'An irrigation boomwaters a potato cropnear Lake Diefenbaker. PHOTO: SASKATCHEWAN SEED POTATO GROWERS ASSOCIATIONThe irrigation expansion will provide growers with the infrastructure to Saskatchewan Potato Production connect their farms to irrigation systems. From there, farmers will be in charge of growing what crops they see fit and selling them themselves.8,000 I would say kudos to the growers there and the government there for supporting agriculture the way they are, MacIsaac says in an interview from 7,000 Prince Edward Island. Its impressive because the area where I live in, you cant get a permit to irrigate.6,000 Across the country options for expanding irrigation is slim. In Alberta, they are approaching their water allocations for irrigation of potatoes. In Manitoba, 5,000 there is limited access to water for expansion. Ontario is already largely Acres Seededirrigated and in P.E.I. the government has placed restrictions on building more 4,000 irrigation. In Quebec, theyve only recently built irrigation infrastructure in the last decade.3,000 Saskatchewan is probably the one area, part of the country thats got the most opportunity because theres the most available arable land thats not ir-2,000 rigated, explains MacIsaac. Saskatchewan has flat, wide open fields making it ideal for potato production.1,000 AN OPTIMISTIC FUTURE0 Despite announcing the project in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 which has saw the potato market upended due to service industry closures, SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA Year the provincial government, led by the Saskatchewan Party, believes this is the right time for it.12 SPUDSMART.COM FALL 2020'