Manitoba and Alberta set records for potato yields this fall, according to Statistics Canada.
Manitoba potato growers had an average yield of 322.8 hundredweight per acre and Alberta producers were at 384.3 cwt. per acre.
The previous high for Alberta, set last year, was 361.1 cwt. per acre. For Manitoba, the previous record of 310 cwt. per acre was set in 2013.
Canadian potato production increased 4.1 percent from last year, thanks largely to Manitoba, where production area increased 4,000 acres to 67,000 acres.
Dan Sawatzky, general manager of the Keystone Potato Producers Association, said the Manitoba yield figures sound high.
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“They are early numbers. There are usually adjustments,” he said.
“I’m not sure we’ll maintain that (yield average)…. Most guys thought it was a good crop, but not a real bumper.”
Sawatzky said Manitoba potato yields ranged from the high 200s to around 350 cwt per acre. The average may wind up a bit lower, but generating yields north of 300 cwt is crucial for the province’s potato industry.
Manitoba competes with producers in Idaho and Washington state, where yields are often 400 and 600 cwt. per acre, respectively.
The 75 cent loonie makes Canadian potatoes inexpensive and encourages more acres, but the industry can’t rely on a favourable exchange rate.
“We need to target those (yield) goals,” Sawatzky said.
“If the exchange ever goes the other way, we have to be in a position where (stronger) yield helps us out.”
Improved agronomy and favourable weather have boosted Manitoba yields the last few years.
As well, more growers are installing drainage tile, which helps manage water levels when conditions are wet or dry.
The Statistics Canada figures may be revised, but for now Canadian growers have set a new yield record of 304.8 cwt. per acre. The previous record was established last year at 294 cwt.
A long, brutal winter and late spring planting made for a challenging season in Prince Edward Island, where yields were down slightly at 279.2 cwt. per acre.
Potato production in Canada
(million hundredweight)
2006 112
2007 110
2008 104
2009 101
2010 97
2011 92
2012 101
2013 103
2014 101
2015 105
Source: Statistics Canada
Contact robert.arnason@producer.com
