Ontario’s potato harvest is on the home stretch despite drought and hot summer temperatures stretching into October.
Potatoes
Ontario potato yields down slightly, but quality is high
Summer drought and warm temperatures in October challenge growers
Alberta Crop Report: Harvest more than three-quarters finished
Alberta’s provincial harvest as of Sept. 23, 2025 was 78 per cent complete, said the province’s weekly crop report.
HJV unveils split grader with Tomra Optical Sorter at Potato Field Day
New prototype promises faster field-to-storage transfer, reduced debris, and labour savings; commercial release expected in 2026.
At Ontario’s Potato Field Day, farmers got a first look at HJV’s Split Grader prototype. Paired with a Tomra 3A optical sorter, the system removes green potatoes and debris at 100 tons per hour, improving storage quality and reducing labour needs.
Hot, dry summer cuts into Ontario potato yields
While heat stress and storage issues remain a concern, recent rainfall and cooler nights could improve harvest quality
Ontario’s record-breaking summer heat and drought could cut potato yields by between 20 and 50 per cent in some fields but cooler nights and rainfall may help salvage harvest quality.
Manzate Max fungicide now labelled for potato use against blight
Scouting, spraying and eliminating cull potatoes are key blight control strategies
Manzate Max, a new liquid formulation fungicide, is now available for use on potatoes to combat early and late blight in Ontario.
Evolutionary origins of the potato revealed – and a tomato was involved
Study, which analyzed genomes from cultivated and wild potatoes, may improve future breeding
A new analysis of 450 genomes from cultivated potatoes and 56 genomes of wild potato species has revealed that the potato lineage originated through natural interbreeding between a wild tomato plant and a potato-like species in South America about 9 million years ago.
Alberta Crop Report: Rains in the south, dryness in the north
Rain fell onto the southern half of Alberta last week, while hot and dry conditions persisted in the northern half, according to the province's crop report released on July 18.
Farm goods holding up U.S.-India trade talks
U.S. and India trade negotiators were pushing on Wednesday to finalize a tariff-reducing deal ahead of President Donald Trump's July 9 negotiating deadline, but disagreements over U.S. dairy and agriculture remained unresolved.
Farming Smarter receives financial boost from Alberta government for potato research
Farming Smarter one of 12 research associations getting part of one-time $3.2 million capital grant
Farming Smarter near Lethbridge got a boost to its research equipment, thanks to the Alberta government’s increase in funding for research associations.
Alberta crops 21 points below average but soil moisture improving
Prior to Alberta getting rain over the weekend of June 21 and 22, the province's crops were well below the five-year average for ratings. As of June 17, Alberta Agriculture said they were listed as 50 per cent good to excellent overall compared to the average of 71 per cent.