b'INSIDERS ADVICE FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTSPOTATO EQUIPMENTHow to Find Your Cleaning Table MatchJOE DAHLEN Area Sales ManagerLOCKWOOD Manufacturinglockwoodmfg.comWouldnt potato harvesting be a whole lot sim- heavier, wetter soils on machines equipped withsteel or rubber smooth rollers that can be pler if all your fields, all the time, had identi- quick reverse hydraulic drive technology.run in forward or reverse direction depending cal harvest conditions? The reality, however, is soilProducers who grow fingerlings and otheron field conditions. The smooth rollers are conditions vary across a farm, weather changessmall specialty potatoes may instead opt for aadjustable up/down from the control box on the from day-to-day (and sometimes minute-to-min- 13/7-finger star, which suits lighter soils but canmachine to set the aggressiveness of cleaning ute), and different potato varieties need differentgently handle and retain even the smallest ofdesired. The speed of all rollers is also adjusta-handling. Do you have the right cleaning tablestubers. A small pitch belted chain table can offerble. This table works well in all soil conditions for the spuds coming out of your ground? even more control of the smallest-sized potatoes. and does an excellent job of removing dirt Producers growing in lighter soils with fewIn rockier, light to medium soils, producersclods, grasses, vines and corn trash.rocks and clods can have good success with starneed a cleaning table like a double stone table.LOCKWOOD is the only company in North tablesthe simplest of cleaning tables. Opt forThis kind of table consists of a series of narrowAmerica to take adjustability to the next level stars covered in urethane to help alleviate dirthub 13/7 finger star rollers configured with two our VACS Mobile/VACS-8 air separator ma-buildup. Star tables come in various configura- smooth steel rollers. The smooth rollers adjustchines offer modular, interchangeable tables. tions, many of which can be adjusted to size outup and down to create a stall in the flow over theChanging out a table requires just eight bolts, small rocks, small dirt clods and, in certain cases,table, allowing smaller stones to fall out. two hydraulic quick couplers and less than an undesirably small potatoes.In heavier soils, producers will fare best withhours effort. While theres no one-table-to-suit-One of the most versatile star tables is aa workhorse like what we call our Extreme Cleanall option, this level of quick-change adjustabil-5-finger star, which can handle light to mediumtable. This kind of table consists of a series ofity is the next best thing. soils. 5-finger stars can also have success inurethane spiral rollers in combination with either POTATO GROWTH REGULATORS AND SPROUT INHIBITORSHow to Save a Crop You Didnt Plan to Still Be StoringBILL ORR Canada Technical Representative1, 4 Group14group.comPhew. After incredible market upheaval from15 per cent reduction in acreage year-over-year.to a DMN product (1,4SIGHT), which is the best March through much of May, processing po- As summer heats up, keeping a crop stable inpreventative treatment for sprouting at this time tatoes are finally moving again as fry processorsstorage is challenging even with air conditioning.of year and carries no risk of internal sprouting. restart their lines. COVID-19 has resulted in a veryThe key to successful long-term storage startsAny product applied this time of year should be rough go for potato processors and farmers alike,with temperature stabilitythe more evenapplied with a fresh air applicator to reduce but Im really pleased to see some positive marketthe storage temperature, the less tubers will becolour shift.trends slowly returning. That said, the two plusstressed into sprouting. One option for storageIf peepers appear, be ready to act with a month backlog means farmers need to prepare fornot equipped with air conditioning is temporaryrescue product like 1,4ZAP. While you may have much longer-term potato storage than normal. portable refrigeration. While not as effective as asuccessfully sold tubers with mild sprouting in Even under the best-case scenario, farmersunit purpose-built for the job, portable refrigera- the past, an uncertain ship date could translate should anticipate delayed shipping as processorstion just might save your crop. to significant (and unsalable) sprouting. Keep in work through their full freezers before they resumeCrops fogged early in the storage season withmind that processors have so much backlogged normal production. Not all farmers will be luckychlorpropham (CIPC) may now be beginning toproduct available this year, they may be pickier enough to ship, however, this springs unprece- wake as the CIPC wears off. Keep an ultra-vigilantthan normal regarding sprouting and other faults. dentedly low fry sales means some farmer con- eye on your pile, watching constantly for peepers. With careful management, most farmers will tracts have been cancelled and more may be atCIPC applied at this time of year is very riskysuccessfully save and ultimately sell their stored risk. Some seed growers may also be left holdingas the pile is settling and fogging is unlikely tocrop. However, lets all cross our fingers we never unsold seedearly estimates suggest a 10 todistribute effectively enough. Instead, transitionsee a repeat of the spring of 2020!22 SPUDSMART.COM SUMMER 2020'