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Hungry potato beetles in southern Manitoba in June 2023.
News

New potato pesticides announced

The products cleared Canadian registration in September

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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.
Crops, News

Potatoes see big benefits from water stewardship project

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

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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.
Crops, News

Keep an eye out for field trash when harvesting potatoes

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

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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.
Crops

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

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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)
Crops

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

Plan would support movement of seed potatoes, feds say

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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
File photo of a potato field in Alberta’s Lacombe County. (COrthner/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

Alberta potatoes chip in $2.9 billion for Canadian economy

New report verifies what many in industry suspected

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Alberta’s potato industry is making a big impact — not just on that province but the entire country. A new report — dubbed a “landmark study” by the Potato Growers of Alberta — revealed the sector drove a total contribution of $2.87 billion to Canada’s economy in 2022. It also notes the nationwide creation of
File photo of potatoes in storage. (Kativ/E+/Getty Images)
Crops

Potato wart survey gives clean bill of health

Fields across Canada with a history of getting seed potatoes from P.E.I. tested negative

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A national survey on the watch for potato wart has come back clean. On March 13, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said results from their 2022 potato wart survey had not found any cases of the soil-borne fungus. The agency had tested nearly 1,500 soil samples from fields in British Columbia, the three Prairie
McCain Foods’ french fry processing plant near Coaldale, Alta. (University of Lethbridge video screengrab via YouTube)
Crops

McCain to double Alberta french fry plant capacity

Lethbridge-area plant to more than double staff count

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Alberta’s plans to boost its irrigated acres are being met near the starting line with a major french fry producer’s plans to double the capacity of its plant there. McCain Foods announced Monday it will put up $600 million to build two new production lines for frozen french fries and potato specialty goods at its
Tracy Shinners-Carnelley updates potato producers on changing fungicide rules at Potato Production Days in Brandon in late January.
Crops, News

Adjusting to the new fungicide reality

Broad spectrum fungicides are increasingly off the table for potato production

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Potato producers have seen their last year for the old label of mancozeb. The grace window given to the multi-site contact fungicide by Health Canada ran out as of November 2022. The fungicide has been “a staple in the industry for fungicide use,” said Dan Sawatzky, manager of the Keystone Potato Producers Association. “I think there are other
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

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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.

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