b'MANITOBA NEW BRUNSWICKDan Sawatzky, general manager, Matt Hemphill, executive director forKeystone Potato Producers Association Potatoes New BrunswickCongratulations to Spud Smart for hosting the recent virtual Canadian SpudThe 2020 New Brunswick potato crop is storing very well. With the drought last Congress. Thank you to all who contributed to planning, participating andsummer, the profile is ideal, we just didnt have the yields we would normally organizing the event. It was good to provide the format to bring Canadasexpect. Lower yields have caused supply within the province in all sectors potato industry together. to be very tight. I think its safe to say, processors are running below stated In Manitoba we are missing the in-person meetings which we are accus- capacity due to the tight supply of raw product throughout the Atlantic north tomed to. COVID-19 has prevented the annual Manitoba Potato Productioneast. Payables are good, so that helps with some of the decreases in revenue.Days and other grower segment specific meetings throughout the past year.Fresh potato packers are also struggling with limited supply of raw. New We anticipate the relaxing of restrictions as vaccination rollouts bring hope ofBrunswick packers are bringing potatoes in from neighbouring provinces and meeting as we once did. states to fulfill their customers needs. Fresh potato prices are good, but this Coming off a short crop in 2020 and with COVID-19 affecting markets,is mainly due to a lack of supply. processors continue to make adjustments in covering their needs. One hasThe seed sector is no different, product is storing well, however supplies stopped the import of raw supply while the other continues to bring out- will be tight. PVY levels have never been lower in New Brunswick, the quality side product in. Working together with processors to keep plants operatingwill be one of the best we have seen in years.efficiently is everyones goal. Looking ahead in 2021, contract talks haveAll winter and spring potato meetings in New Brunswick have or will been slow. Seed is beginning to move out to farms and supply is tight thisbe moved to a virtual format. We decided to postpone our annual potato year. Contract volumes were announced early which has helped with producerconference and trade show and hope things get back to somewhat normal in planning although working toward a contract value prior to planting assists inFebruary next year.the growers ability to make final cropping plans.The dry growing conditions last year and the blessing of having ideal harvest conditions last fall has factored into below normal soil moistureONTARIOgoing into the winter. Manitoba has saw very little snowfall to date with little runoff currently available to fill off stream reservoirs. Additional snow orKevin Brubacher, general managertimely spring rains will be needed for the capture of water to fill some of theseof the Ontario Potato Boardwater storages. Approximately 15 to 20 per cent of irrigated Manitoba potato acreage draws from this source. Another irrigation source requiring manage- As we start to see signs in Ontario that winter is coming to an end, we realize ment is the Shellmouth Dam situated near the Saskatchewan border along theanother potato season is just on the horizon. Due to the global pandemic, Assiniboine River. At the start of March the decision was made to minimize thethese past few months have been like nothing we have experienced before. flow out of the dam to keep the Lake of the Prairies at a sustainable level toWith these signs of spring becoming more prominent every day, the anticipa-manage river levels over the summer. tion and excitement to get back in the field is higher than ever. Planting is just As farmers across the country look forward to another crop year, we wisharound the corner!them success. The Ontario Potato Conference and Trade Show took on a different name and format this year. The Ontario Potato Webinars took place March 4, 2021 in a virtual format. Eugenia Banks once again put together a world class pro-gram with a lineup of speakers who interested growers from across Canada. Thank you, Eugenia, for your ongoing dedication and hard work to support the potato industry. I would also like to thank the wonderful speakers for sharing their knowledge with the industry, our dedicated sponsors and Potatoes in Canada for hosting the event. I would like to wish you all a successful spring season!SPRING 2021 SPUDSMART.COM 49'