Reading Time: 3 minutes Gavel Zoxamide and mancozeb are the active ingredients for Gavel, a new fungicide from Gowan, which says they work in synergy to protect crops from major diseases. Zoxamide kills fungal zoospores before they are released and attempt to penetrate leaf surfaces. Mancozeb inhibits spore germination and disrupts enzyme activity. Gowan says Gavel provides excellent control […] Read more
New fungicides for potato producers in 2023
A new source of nitrogen for crops
Biological products like Utrisha N and Envita enable potatoes and other crops to harvest nitrogen from the air
Reading Time: 5 minutes The question of how different crop production would be if plants could fix their own nitrogen has been at the forefront of researchers’ work and stakeholders’ interests for more than 60 years. Aside from the ability of soybeans and edible beans to fix their own nitrogen, researchers have sought to find the same process for […] Read more
Where did potato production land in 2022?
Despite farmer challenges such as high input costs and adverse weather conditions in many areas, Canada saw an overall increase in total production and yield numbers from 2021
Reading Time: 6 minutes For many potato farmers in Canada, 2022 was a challenging year. There were some major weather difficulties to contend with — cold, wet springs delayed planting for producers in New Brunswick, Quebec, Manitoba and B.C. and in some cases contributed to later harvests as well. Harvest was also held up in P.E.I. after the tail […] Read more
Potato wart survey gives clean bill of health
Fields across Canada with a history of getting seed potatoes from P.E.I. tested negative
Reading Time: 2 minutes 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 […] Read more
McCain to double Alberta french fry plant capacity
Lethbridge-area plant to more than double staff count
Reading Time: 2 minutes 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 […] Read more
Canada’s potato crop edges up in 2022
Alberta up into top spot among potato-producing provinces
Reading Time: < 1 minute 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
Potato storage research to get boost
A federal-provincial investment goes to improve an existing storage facility at the University of Manitoba
Reading Time: < 1 minute 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
McCain acquires predictive crop technology
Reading Time: < 1 minute McCain Foods Ltd. has purchased predictive crop intelligence technology from Resson, a ‘vision intelligence technology’ firm headquartered in Fredericton, N.B. McCain has been a long-time partner with Resson, working together for nine years to develop algorithms that forecast farm yields using remote sensing technology. The technology will enable producers to make more appropriate decisions through […] Read more
Learning from McCain’s regenerative farming practices
Potato processing giant aims to 'de-risk' practices for growers
Reading Time: 3 minutes In 2021 McCain said it was going to launch three regenerative potato farming operations by 2025 and would label them “Farms of the Future.” The first, just outside of Florenceville-Bristol, N.B., now offers data to reflect on the effectiveness of the practices at the potato farm after its first fully operational season. “If we don’t […] Read more
P.E.I. seed potato producers backed for ‘soil-building’
Province puts up $3 million for BMP program
Reading Time: 2 minutes 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
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
