b'EYE ON THE NATION MANITOBA PRINCE EDWARD ISLANDSusan Ainsworth, general manager of theJohn Visser, chair of the Prince Edward Island Keystone Potato Producers Association Potato BoardIt has been a mild winter with very little snowfall, however a lowWe have had a busy few months at the PEI Potato Board as we pressure system brought anywhere from 5-30cm of snow the firstexperienced what we like to call meeting season. We had some half of March, with the higher amounts falling in the Western areasvery timely information sessions with presenters from across of the province. This much needed precipitation was welcomedCanada and Great Britain for all Island growers put on by our AIM as there is some uncertainty about whether runoff amounts willresearch group. Meetings focused on decreasing fertilizer use, new be sufficient to fill off stream reservoirs. So, if its true that whentechnologies for increased farm efficiency, and environmental March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb, maybe we can lookimpacts for reduced tillage practices. We had a great participation forward to an early spring. Planting season will be here before werate in these sessions across the Island. know it, and seed has been moving accordingly. Our seed industry is alive and well and our post-harvest virus Manitoba Potato Production Days saw record attendance withtesting has been extremely positive, with most of the crop tested and nearly 650 people attending the multi-day event that includes aan over 92 per cent pass rate as of now. While we anticipate having tradeshow with more than 80 exhibitors. Our next industry eventenough seed for the crop this year, things will be much tighter than was the United Potato Partners Spring Production Meeting whichpast years and growers may need to be flexible in the varieties they was held March 26 in Portage La Prairie. are looking for.The storage crop has been keeping well and payables have beenLike other provinces as well as our U.S. counterparts, processing above average. There have been some challenges with low bruise freenegotiations are going to look quite different than the past few years. numbers which stemmed from the maturity of the 2023 crop whichThe processing committee is working hard to stay on top of the was high in gravity and larger in size profile. North American negotiations already underway and be prepared to Contract negotiations have begun but due to excess supply acrossaccept a fair contract settlement on P.E.I. The table market is down North America acreage will be down slightly. Market demandslightly over last year, in price and volume, which is not surprising as remains high however so we remain optimistic that a mutuallyit was a historic year and there were significant crop increases across beneficial contract can be settled upon. western North America. Overall, we are trending above average in the fresh market and if we maintain current movement, we will have few issues moving the 2023 crop.We hosted a very successful International Potato Technology Expo here in P.E.I. on Feb. 22 & 23, 2024. Event organizers stated IN-LINE SCALE that over 3,100 people came through the doors which is the largest ever attendance, making us the premier North American potato fSTORING expo. The bi-annual event will occur again in 2026 and I encourage everyone to join us in P.E.I.fTRACKING Wishing all fellow potato growers a great upcoming planting seasonmay the weather be on our side!fSHIPPINGfTREATINGBRITISH COLUMBIAHugh Reynolds with Reynalda Farmsin Delta, B.C.BC has had a mild and dry winter, but our sheds are still half full of the good crop from last season. This year we are cutting back on early potatoes which were planted on schedule. The total acres are going to remain the same as we are limited by rotation and shortage of acres. With a short mountain snow supply, we have ocean water that comes into the river and on calm days the freshwater which is lighter floats on top of the salt. The salt sensors stop the pumps FOR MORE INFORMATION: on windy days. it will be annoying and keep us closer to home. 519-669-4698GREENTRONICS.COM Good [email protected] 2024'