Tour attendees examine hemp plots in 2017.
 photos:ALEXIS STOCKFORD

Pushing the crop comfort zone

The winners and losers of WADO's experimental crop trials

Rice in Manitoba was a disaster. In 2012, in the Banana Belt region of the province near Melita, the staff at the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization (WADO) seeded a plot of dry rice to see if they could bring it to harvest. The project fit with their role in Manitoba’s agricultural sphere: They risk the wreck, so

Processors are demanding it, but how does an underground crop adopt a movement that prioritizes low soil disturbance?

Making regenerative ag work in potato production

Colorado regen potato grower shares lessons for Manitoba

A trait of regenerative agriculture is that no two farms are the same, but there are five basics behind the philosophy: grazing animals, crop diversity, living roots in the soil, avoidance of bare ground and low soil disturbance. That last one is a challenge for potato production, since producers need to get under the soil


McCain foods has launched Presia Ag Insights, a firm that will use artificial intelligence to advise growers.  Photo: McCain Foods

McCain launches new predictive ag firm

McCain Foods has formed a new digital agriculture subsidiary, Presia Ag Insights. The move builds on McCain’s 2022 acquisition of a “predictive crop portfolio” from Resson, a Fredricton, New Brunswick firm that uses artificial intelligence to advise farmers on crop management decisions. McCain, in a media release, said the Presia launch is “the result of

Jason Cardinal talks market gardens and tech to attendees of the Indigenous Ag Summit at Canadian Western Agribition in Regina. (Lisa Guenther photo)

At Agribition: Northern community integrates tech, education into market garden

Flying Dust working to improve operation's food distribution

Riverside Market Garden, operated by Flying Dust First Nation, started in 2009 with two people and an old alfalfa field. Today it employs about 20 people, plus summer students; provides food for the community and some wholesalers; and gives youth a chance to learn about agriculture. Over the years the First Nation, just north of


“Early emergence was the one thing that stood out. The potatoes were up and out of the ground quicker than they normally would be because we had some warmer weather in the spring.” – Susan Ainsworth.

Manitoba potato harvest expected to hit records

After a string of hard years, 2023 looks decidedly friendlier to the potato sector

After several years of below-average to poor harvests, Manitoba potato growers have finally caught a break. “There have been some challenging years, so it’s nice to have a strong, good-quality crop,” said Susan Ainsworth, general manager of the Keystone Potato Producers Association. “They were due for a good crop.” Why it matters: Potato yields were

Hungry potato beetles in southern Manitoba in June 2023.

New potato pesticides announced

The products cleared Canadian registration in September

Potato growers will have two more crop protection options next year. Two pesticides, a joint fungicide-insecticide seed-piece treatment dubbed Emesto Complete and a fungicide-nematicide called Velum Rise, passed Canada’s regulatory bar in late September. Both come from Bayer Crop Science and are based on previous products. The company announced the Canadian registrations Sept. 19. The


Chad Berry of Under the Hill Farms speaks at a 2020 field tour of his potato operation.

Potatoes see big benefits from water stewardship project

Farmers studied the benefits of in-field and field edge projects for themselves and the community

Improved water stewardship on potato fields in the Lake Winnipeg basin could provide a surprising amount of community benefits, a recent project showed. “Those numbers were way bigger than I would ever expect,” said farmer Chad Berry. Berry, who owns Under the Hill Farms near Cypress River, was one of four farms (covering 34,000 acres)

Potatoes can grow around foreign objects, causing a food safety risk.

Keep an eye out for field trash when harvesting potatoes

Potato producers asked to clear non-tuber objects prior to harvest

One of Manitoba’s major potato processors is asking producers to ensure their soil surface is clear before bringing in spuds this year. Scott Graham, J.R. Simplot’s raw agronomy manager, urged producers to watch for foreign objects in their fields and among potatoes. The issue of foreign objects arriving at the plant was brought up during


Pink rot symptoms on full display.

Potato processor warns against pink rot as harvest gets underway

There are a number of strategies to avoid pathogen spread and potato spoilage in storage

One bad potato can spoil the batch, which is why processor J.R. Simplot is reminding producers to beware of pink rot as they begin harvest. “If you know there’s rot in there, tell your harvest operator, ‘when you come to that low spot, pick up the harvester, drive over, and don’t harvest those certain areas,’”

File photo of a Prince Edward Island potato field. (Onepony/iStock/Getty Images)

P.E.I. potato growers, CFIA to draft plan for ‘pest-free places’

Plan would support movement of seed potatoes, feds say

A system of “pest-free places of production” (PFPP) is now on the drawing board for Prince Edward Island’s potato sector, following a meeting between federal and industry officials. Federal Agriculture Minister and P.E.I. MP Lawrence MacAulay on Friday reported meeting with staff and representatives of the P.E.I. Potato Board, to discuss next steps in the