Alberta’s potato producers finally caught a weather break.
Potato Growers of Alberta executive director Edzo Kok said harvest wrapped up Oct. 3 and a prolonged stretch of cold, wet weather hit Oct. 4.
Mother Nature hasn’t always been that co-operative this year. About 3,000 acres of potatoes were smashed by severe hail storms this summer, leaving 1,500 of those acres too damaged to be harvested.
As well, the late spring caused lower-than-anticipated potato yields and it looks like southern Alberta potato processors that make french fries and chips may run short of Alberta potatoes before the 2010 harvest.
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Kok said potato imports aren’t likely because the processing companies are more likely to boost production in sister plants in other parts of North America.
He said some of the best harvest weather in recent memory contributed to the early finish that allowed farmers to avoid weather problems.
“We had an uninterrupted harvest season,” he said. “There wasn’t any rains during harvest.”
Hot weather caused only a few delays, usually forcing farmers to stop operations after noon because the potatoes were too warm to store properly.
The industry will host its annual general meeting Nov. 17-19 in Kananaskis, Alta., which Kok said will be a business meeting, information session and trade show.
Alberta has 125 commercial potato growers who grow five acres or more of potatoes.
The Alberta potato industry is valued at $900 million, including raw potatoes and the processing sector.
