b'NFTI President Jackie Milne (left) digs up some potatoes from a plot. PHOTO: NFTIweve had from our customers has beengood. Theyve got to be pretty, and theyve so positive.got to taste good.As they worked to establish the farmMacKenzie-Grieves favourite potato and discover what grew best in thevariety is Sylvana, however it has been northern region, they quickly founddiscontinued which means hes testing out potatoes were one of the best crops toother varieties. The potato varieties Yukon grow. Using MacKenzie-Grieves previousGrain Farm grows need to be hardy and job experience building storage units forearly maturing. Theyve struggled with potato farmers in Alberta, he constructedred skin varieties because of the skin set, a state-of-the-art storage shed and startedmaking yellow varieties a better fit.growing spuds. There has also been struggles to Yukon Grain Farm also grows 300 tofind the right potato equipment. When 400 acres of grain for livestock feed. Theythey started growing spuds, they used grow 25 acres of spuds, six acres of carrots,equipment bought in Alberta and shipped two acres of beets, an acre of cabbage andnorth. However, they quickly discovered half an acre of parsnips on irrigated land.the equipment was made for larger spud All of the vegetables they grow are sold toproduction and wasnt gentle enough for Loblaws stores in Whitehorse, with somethe thin skin sets of the early harvested shipped to Dawson City. The potato cropnorthern potatoes.AAFC research scientist Rick Peters, whousually lasts for nine to 10 months. We bought an AVR harvester from is involved in AAFCs northern productionVarieties for us are crucial, we willBelgium and that harvester basically made study, in a potato field.PHOTO: AAFC happily take less yield in order to get skinthis farm because it made potato farming set, MacKenzie-Grieve says. Becausefun. We harvest with that harvester, we these are table potatoes, they have to lookput (potatoes) right into a box, right into 8SPUDSMART.COM Summer 2021'