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Tag Archives Potato

File photo of 10-pound sacks of potatoes loaded on pallets at a Canadian distribution centre. (PierreDesrosiers/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

Canada’s potato crop edges up in 2022

Alberta up into top spot among potato-producing provinces

MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada (StatCan) issued its potato production report Thursday, which noted a 1.5 per cent increase in the country’s crop in 2022. Across Canada, nearly 122.9 million hundredweight (cwt) of potatoes were harvested last year, with an average national yield of 322.3 cwt/acre on 381,351 acres. Alberta rose from third into the top […] Read more
File photo of potatoes in storage. (Kativ/E+/Getty Images)
Crops

Potato storage research to get boost

A federal-provincial investment goes to improve an existing storage facility at the University of Manitoba

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Manitoba’s potato research landscape is getting a funding injection to improve infrastructure. The governments of Canada and Manitoba are investing $98,970 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to upgrade the University of Manitoba’s horticulture storage facility so it can conduct potato research. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and provincial Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson made the announcement […] Read more
Close-up file photo of an alfalfa plant in a Canadian field. (Jennifer Seeman/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

P.E.I. seed potato producers backed for ‘soil-building’

Province puts up $3 million for BMP program

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In an attempt to support its potato farmers following trade suspensions with the U.S. over potato wart, the government of Prince Edward Island plans to put up $3 million in new funding for a program that will help farmers shift to “soil-building crops.” “In our meetings with industry and the P.E.I. Potato Board, the need […] Read more
File photo of a P.E.I. potato field against the backdrop of the Confederation Bridge. (Onepony/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

P.E.I. testing finds potato wart in another field

Testing stemmed from last October's detection

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Soil samples taken on Prince Edward Island following detections of potato wart last fall have turned up another field with the fungus that causes the disease. The P.E.I. Potato Board on Tuesday said the field in question is near to, and is “directly associated” with, a field where the soil-borne disease was found in October. […] Read more
A tractor-mounted snowblower runs through rows of piled-up surplus potatoes on a field near Victoria, P.E.I., about 35 km west of Charlottetown, on Dec. 20, 2021. The shredded potatoes are expected to break down over the winter as compost. (Screengrab from P.E.I. Potato Board video)
Crops, Markets

Feds put up funds toward managing P.E.I. potato surplus

Ottawa budgets $28 million for distribution and disposal

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Prince Edward Island potatoes locked out of the U.S. export market will go either to food banks or “environmentally-sound” disposal with new federal funding. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Monday announced $28 million “to support the diversion of surplus potatoes, including help to redirect surplus potatoes to organizations addressing food insecurity and support for […] Read more
Conservative agriculture critic John Barlow speaks Nov. 24, 2021 in the House of Commons. (Screengrab from supplied video)
Crops

End date sought for P.E.I. potato export ban

A ban from Washington would be harder to reverse, Liberals say

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The federal Conservatives want to see a clearly defined end zone for the Canadian government’s suspension of Prince Edward Island potato exports to the U.S. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Monday announced the suspension of certification for P.E.I. potato exports to the U.S., — a move which, according to federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, […] Read more
P.E.I. Ag Minister Bloyce Thompson announces a $10 million contingency fund to support potato growers affected by a new ban on exports to the U.S. and calls on Ottawa to reverse its decision. (Government of P.E.I. video screengrab via Facebook Live)
Crops, Machinery

P.E.I. potato exports to U.S. halted

Canada imposes new rules after potato wart findings

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Canada has moved to halt exports of Prince Edward Island potatoes to the United States after findings of potato wart in the province last month — on what federal officials describe as the threat of a U.S. ban. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Monday it has “temporarily suspended” exports of fresh potatoes from P.E.I. […] Read more
Sandhill Cranes continue to cause damage
News

Sandhill Cranes continue to cause damage

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A resolution to allow seed treatments for control of Sandhill Cranes was passed at the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association annual meeting. The cranes dig up seeds and other crops such as potatoes and cause significant damage when they stop in North Ontario. Mac Emiry, who farms in the Sudbury district has heard that […] Read more
A Spornado spore trap set up in southern Ontario.
Crops

Making better spraying decisions with low-cost, early fungal disease detection

Spornado is being tested across Canada, especially in higher value vegetable crops

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It was a call from a client looking for a low-tech method for early detection of a fungal disease in potatoes that charted a new course for Toronto microbiology lab Sporometrics. The resulting innovation, Spornado Sampler, has been called the first reliable, early alert system for fungal crop diseases that’s available to farmers at an […] Read more
Red skin and flesh potatoes are popular due to antioxidant properties.
Crops, News

Emerging potato varieties aim to put more pop into potato market

Federal government overhauling national potato research program to make it more responsive to industry

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The latest potato varieties being evaluated for the Ontario market were on display at the University of Guelph’s Elora Research Station in late August for interested growers and industry representatives. The majority were from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada potato breeding program in Fredericton, which annually provides cultivars with potential for Ontario’s climate and growing […] Read more

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