b'Changing with the TimesInnovative new products are helping growers adapt to changing market and field conditions.BY: JIM TIMLICKITS BELIEVED THE first potatoes to be grown for human consumption were produced in South America about 10,000 years ago. The method used to grow tubers hasnt changed much since then: plant, water, feed, weed and harvest. Thankfully for todays potato growers though, the instruments used to plant, care for and harvest them have greatly evolved.Spud Smart takes a look at some of the newest and most innovative tools available to potato growers and the potential they have to make operations both big and small more productive and profitable.HARRISTON CLAMP PLANTERHarriston Industries Clamp Planter promises to make planting more accurate while at the same time speeding up the process. Seed potatoes are fed into a large bowl in the planter where they are then picked up by two rotating wheels and held in place with metalHarriston Industries Clamp Planter makes planting more accurate and speeds up the process.arms. The wheels drop the seed potatoes backwardsPHOTO: HARRISTON INDUSTRIESat a low height, virtually eliminating any kind of roll back and skips common in most other planters. Global positioning system velocity sensors provide precise seed placement.Were able to plant at much higher speeds than most other planters, about double the speed of a cup planter, and were able to maintain the same accura- Were able to plant at much higher speeds cy, says Thomas Sitzer, a sales engineer with Minto, N.D.-based Harriston Industries. than most other planters, about double the Unlike pick planters, the Clamp Planter doesntspeed of a cup planter, and were able to need to puncture seed potatoes during planting and isnt susceptible to any kind of rock damage. And de- maintain the same accuracy. spite all the moving parts, the clamp planter is almostTHOMAS SITZERmaintenance-free, according to Sitzer. You pretty much just have to wash them, put grease in them and store them, he adds. The Clamp Planter has been available commercially for the past three seasons and the company has received positive feedback on it from growers in Western Canada and the northern United States.4 SPUDSMART.COM SPRING 2020'