Potato News from Prince Edward Island

In the fall of 2021, the detection of potato wart disrupted sales of Prince Edward Island (PEI) potatoes to the United States, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of Islanders.

Last month, the North American Potato Market News (NAPMN) projected the US 2023 potato crop to come in at 429.6 million hundredweight (cwt), more than 37 million cwt more than last year's unusually small crop.

A scientist from Prince Edward Island has issued a challenge to Island farmers: Guess the yield of a potato field grown using only fertilizer left over from last year's crop.

The World Potato Congress appoints Blair Richardson, President and CEO of Potatoes USA to the WPC board.

Charlottetown Metal Products Ltd (CMP and FPS Food Process Solutions (FPS) launch an Innovation Center located at CMP’s manufacturing complex on Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Scientists are running experiments at a Harrington, P.E.I., field to see if they can better manage weeds by using a sandblaster filled with crushed walnuts, corncobs and baking soda.

As of July 1, 2023, total Canadian Potato Storage Holdings are reported to be down 34.9% over 2022 numbers for the same period, and lower than the 3-yr. average.

The potato crop in Canada is in varying stages - from emergence to touching between rows. Potato growers everywhere are optimistic for the good growing conditions needed to move this crop in its early life stages.

As of June 1, 2023, total Canadian Potato Storage Holdings are reported to be down 3.3% over 2022 numbers for the same period, and higher than the 3-yr. average.

Steve Watts from Genesis Crop Systems Inc. along with six farmers participated in the Living Labs Atlantic project to test out a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer, also called enhanced efficiency nitrogen.

New numbers from the P.E.I. Potato Board show that on Prince Edward Island the acreage of cover crops grown before potatoes has doubled.

In 2014, Charlottetown-based research scientist Bourlaye Fofana was looking for a way to make plant products healthier by adding the antioxidant selenium.

The World Potato Congress Inc. is now calling for proposals from parties interested in hosting the 14th World Potato Congress to be held in 2028.

At the Annual General Meeting on March 13th, CEO of Kroeker Farms in Manitoba, Wayne Rempel was elected as the new Chair of the United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC) after serving several years as the Secretary.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has completed its 2022 national survey for potato wart and confirms that potato wart was not detected in the soil samples tested from the fields where the samples were collected.

To help offset rising food costs, four farms on Prince Edward Island are opening their potato storages to Islanders. Visitors are invited to help themselves and pick unwashed potatoes directly from the pile in storage. The event occurs Saturday, March 11th, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

The PEI potato industry welcomed the final report of the International Advisory Panel (IAP) on Potato Wart that was presented to industry and government on January 16, 2023.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) scientists have discovered that selenium, a micronutrient and anti-oxidant activates genes in potatoes that boosts the plant's immunity and helps in the prevention of late blight.