Prairie potato growers are digging up decent yields in the face of adverse weather conditions.
The harvest is expected to wrap up next week.
Terence Hochstein, executive director of Alberta Potato Growers, said producers have faced a wide variety of elements over the last six weeks.
“From about the last week of August on has been just horrendous. Snow, rain, you name it, we’ve had it,” he said from his office in Taber, Alta.
“It has been a challenging year.”
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Hochstein said growers have re-ported solid yields, and an average crop is expected. Alberta potato growers typically produce 350 hundredweight per acre.
“All things being considered, it’s turned out to be a pleasant surprise,” Hochstein said.
“It’s not a bumper crop year, but it’s not a disaster.”
Hochstein said the dreadful weather delayed harvest by 10 to 14 days. Alberta producers are normally done digging by the end of September.
Dan Sawatzky, manager of the Keystone Potato Growers Association, said the story is similar in Manitoba.
Conditions were wet in late August and September, which delayed the harvest. However, growers are reporting yields of around 300 cwt. per acre, which is normal or slightly higher than the province’s five year average.
“Last year we averaged about a 310 average,” he said. “I would put this crop up close to the 300 mark, but I’m really just speculating.”
Manitoba’s potato harvest is 85 percent complete, he added.
“Overall it’s a good average crop.”
Sawatzky said the results prove that drainage tile preserves potato yields when conditions are wet.
“There’s been a lot of drain tiling installed here the last few years. I think that has shown to pay off on a year like this.”
Yields may be marginally up, but Manitoba’s potato production will be down this year.
Manitoba farmers grow processing potatoes for a Simplot french fry plant in Portage, McCain Foods plants in Carberry and Portage and a Cavendish Farms plant in Jamestown, North Dakota.
The processors reduced the volume of process potato contracts in Manitoba by 13 percent this year. Some of the companies said they are shifting production to other regions, particularly the Pacific Northwest, where potato yields are higher and can be cheaper to buy.
Sawatzky said Manitoba growers will likely produce sufficient potatoes to satisfy the contracts, but it’s unclear how the smaller crop will affect french fry production in the province.
“McCain had cut (volumes). They will have to look at how they intend to the run the two plants they have in Manitoba with that decreased volume (of potatoes),” he said.
“Depending on how the crop ends up, that will determine how they plan to manage their plant capacities.”
