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Manitoba potato growers say they’ve reached the limit of existing irrigation licenses.
News

Potato water in Manitoba running short 

Water licence availability might cap sector growth ambitions

By
Manitoba’s processing potato producers have water worries. Specifically, they’re concerned about the number of available water licences, which allow the irrigation-reliant industry to draw from surface or groundwater. Dan Sawatzky, manager of the Keystone Potato Producers Association, says aquifer access is “basically fully allocated,” as are the minor streams some producers use to refill reservoirs.
“You have to be resilient to be a potato grower.” – Dan Sawatzky, KPPA.
Crops, News

Manitoba potato growers look for brighter 2021

Industry coming off three straight challenging years

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Beleaguered Manitoba potato growers are hoping for a normal crop this year after three consecutive years of adverse weather, unharvested acres, lower-than-expected yields and now the COVID-19 pandemic. Guarded optimism would be the best way to describe growers’ mood as they prepare for the 2021 crop amid weather and market conditions largely beyond their control.
Potato producers have been spared sights like this in 2020, although yields may have fallen short of what many producers would have liked.
Crops

Smooth harvest, but short yield for potato growers

Manitoba won’t see the undug acres of 2018 and 2019, although many yields aren’t bursting any storages

By
Manitoba’s potato crop won’t be breaking yield records. Then again, at least the crop is off the field. It has not been the case for the last two years. Producers were forced to abandon a significant portion of their crop in both 2018 and 2019 due to wet falls and damage from frost. Last year,
The downturn has come as an abrupt shift from expected demand for Manitoba potatoes.
Crops, News

COVID-19 puts the brakes on potato acres

The potato sector is bracing for long-term impacts as the COVID-19 pandemic shrinks demand

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Manitoba’s potato acres will take a hit this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and plummeting demand. According to multiple industry sources, McCain Foods has dropped 16 per cent of acres from its contracts with Manitoba farmers, while Simplot has also made smaller cuts from its agreements. Why it matters: As demands shrinks,
Potato growers struggled with waterlogged fields this fall. Now those problems are coming home to roost.
News

Another winter of headaches for potato growers

Unharvested acres were already more than double last year’s historically hard harvest, now some of that crop is rotting in the pile

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Manitoba potato growers are facing the inevitable result of a second extremely challenging digging season — elevated losses in storage. Wet weather in September and early October kept producers out of the fields, while a three-day snowstorm over the Thanksgiving weekend dropped upwards of 75 centimetres of snow in areas of south-central Manitoba, followed by
Producers were reporting storage concerns this winter as they struggled with frost-damaged potatoes and extreme cold.
Crops, News

Potato sector not stressing on seed, despite tight supplies

Last year’s tough harvest means tight seed supplies in the run-up to the Simplot expansion opening

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Manitoba’s potato sector is gearing up to supply an expanding industry but seed supplies will be tight after a tough harvest last season. J.R. Simplot’s $460-million expansion of its Portage la Prairie plant is expected to double the operation’s need for tubers when it comes online this fall. Why it matters: Manitoba’s potato sector is
Manitoba potato growers say a wet and cold fall is causing issues with storages this winter.
Local news

Spud growers battling storage woes

A wet and cold fall saw some potatoes dug and stored at less than optimal conditions

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A tough harvest is translating into a challenging storage season for Manitoba potato growers. It’s especially frustrating because growers were looking at a bumper crop, forecast to be the third-largest harvest on record. But they were denied that by rains that delayed harvest and hard frosts that hit in mid-October causing ground to freeze as
Potato growers battling storage woes
Crops, News

Potato growers battling storage woes

A wet and cold fall saw some potatoes dug and stored at less than optimal conditions

By
A tough harvest is translating into a challenging storage season for Manitoba potato growers. It’s especially frustrating because growers were looking at a bumper crop, forecast to be the third largest harvest on record. But they were denied that by rains that delayed harvest and hard frosts that hit in mid-October causing ground to freeze
It was a tough growing season and potato harvest but in the end, growers saw good yields.
Crops, Local news

Good potato yields despite challenging year

A dry summer required a lot of irrigation 
and was followed by a dry fall that 
delayed digging

By
Many Manitoba potato growers faced nail-biting times this autumn as they struggled to get the crop off. In the end, however, yields are expected to be similar to last year. Dave Sawatzky, manager of Keystone Potato Producers Association, said he predicts yields will roughly be on par or slightly better than 2016’s harvest, when Manitoba

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