Potato News

Decco announces new potato storage solution for North America at Potato Expo event

Today, Decco U.S. Post-Harvest, Inc. the post-harvest affiliate of UPL Limited, announces the launch of Decco DMN Aerosol at the 2022 Potato Expo in Anaheim. Decco adds the new EPA-registered product to its growing potato storage portfolio available across North America. This week, Decco is partnering with UPL at the Expo in Anaheim to showcase both Fresh Defense and Decco DMN Aerosol.
1/5/2022

Potato Storage Insight to host participative course for potato growers and store managers

Potato Storage Insight (PSI) in the UK will be running a two-day, residential Potato Store Managers’ Course on 15/16 March 2022 at Retford, Nottinghamshire. “This is a participative course for growers and store managers who are involved in the day-to-day management of potato stores,” says PSI Director, Adrian Cunnington. “The course follows a format that’s tried and tested by the tutors and will include talks, group discussions and practical interactive sessions, focusing on all aspects of potato storage.”
1/5/2022

KFC Kenya runs out of imported fries, now considers local suppliers ‘who meet standards’

Fast food chain KFC has suffered a shortage of French fries at its outlets in Kenya following delays in delivery from its overseas suppliers, forcing it to offer customers alternative food items in place of French fries. The company at first said it does not source potatoes for fries from local suppliers due to ‘global quality standards’, but then said on Tuesday this might happen ‘in the near future’.
1/5/2022

Webinar: ‘Why host a World Potato Congress in Ireland’

The World Potato Congress announced its first webinar of 2022. In preparation for the World Potato Congress being held from May 30 to June 2, 2022 in Dublin, Ireland, Liam Glennon, Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee, Irish Potato Federation will present this webinar. The presentation will answer the question ‘Why host a World Potato Congress in Ireland’.
1/4/2022

Upcycled Uglies Kettle Chips gets a new look

Uglies Kettle Chips announces a brand redesign with a new logo, website, and a package design ready to hit shelves this month. Uglies, a division of Dieffenbach’s Snacks, has been on a mission since 2017 to reduce waste, support farmers, and fight hunger by using imperfect potatoes to craft delicious kettle-cooked potato chips.
1/4/2022

Maine’s emergency potato storage could mean future deal for former Loring Air Force Base

Emergency potato storage on the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone saved the day for some local farmers and could lead to a beneficial ripple effect to Aroostook County’s premier industry. As Paula Brewer reports for Bangor Daily News, the story is one of the COVID-19 era’s bright points.
1/4/2022

Potato research pact between North Dakota State University and RDO still strong after 25 years

The 25-year partnership between North Dakota State University plant pathologists and the R.D. Offutt Farms of Fargo offers access to current production problems that research can help solve and helps test tools for identifying and counteracting disease pests. Participants say it’s an example of the power of research when private enterprise links with academia.
1/4/2022

French-fry airlift gives McDonald’s Japan a brief respite during shortage crisis

McDonald’s put medium and large servings of french fries back on its Japanese menu Friday after flying in much-needed supplies, ending a weeklong restriction caused by shortages that have stymied the nation’s food industry. While the restriction has been lifted for now, there is concern that McDonald’s could limit serving sizes once again, depending on inventory levels.
1/3/2022

Albert Bartlett grows profits amid challenging conditions

Scottish potato specialist Albert Bartlett has underlined the challenges posed by Brexit and cost inflation amid the continued fallout from the pandemic after enjoying a surge in profits. The privately-owned firm grew turnover to £193.7m in the latest year, from £177.2m.
1/3/2022

CFIA: No new potato wart detected in national survey

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has completed its national survey for potato wart ahead of schedule, and potato wart was not detected, the agency says in a press release. The expedited completion of the survey marks an important step in the Government of Canada’s action plan to reassure international trading partners of the safety of Canadian seed potatoes, CFIA says in its press release.
1/3/2022

Meade farm ends 2021 on high note at awards

2021 ended on a high for Irish grower, packer and distributor Meade Farm Group. As Caroline Allen reports for Agriland, the Meade family’s passion for potatoes in all shapes and forms was evident at the recent Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards. They scooped three gold awards for their fresh skinny chips, fresh chunky chips and potato starch in the foodservice category, as well as a silver gong for their white potatoes.
1/3/2022

UK farm business outlook 2022

Potatoes and sugar beet share some agronomic challenges but the structural ones differ. As Robert Harris reports for Farmers Weekly, the balance of margins in the potato sector needs addressing, while a whole-rotation costings approach to the beet crop could help grower decision-making. Many growers will be nursing financial damage or losses from the past two years of potato production.
12/28/2021

Fries in short supply due to Canada’s climate woes

A mix of drought in Canada’s prairies and flooding on its Pacific coast have brought about crop production and shipping woes now leading to international shortages of fries and mustard. In Japan, for example, McDonald’s has been forced to ration fries as the British Columbia floods squeezed potato imports, while mustard producers in France are forecasting steep price increases because the drought in another part of Canada – the world’s biggest producer of mustard grains – cut supplies.
12/28/2021

Borderlands: US potato farmers preparing for Mexico opening

After nearly 25 years of export bans, U.S. potato farmers could begin to distribute and sell more fresh potatoes across all of Mexico by early 2022. American potato farmers and exporters currently are barred from selling fresh potatoes in Mexico due to restrictions by the Mexican government, namely that U.S. growers can only sell them within about a 16-mile zone across the Mexican border.
12/28/2021

Trade ban clouds solid potato year for Canadian farmers

It was a good year for Canada’s potato farmers in 2021 with seeded and harvested acres and yields reaching levels not seen for more than a decade, according to Statistics Canada estimates. However, significant challenges remain with Prince Edward Island, the nation’s largest producer, dealing with an export ban while a tough weather year in the west might mean production will fall short of being able to meet an increase in processing capacity.
12/24/2021

Ukraine negotiating potato exports to the EU

The State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection addressed the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety with a proposal to consider the possibility of launching Ukrainian potato exports to the European Union. Ukraine and its European colleagues are currently discussing the need to appoint in 2022 inspections by European experts to launch Ukrainian potato exports to the EU.
12/23/2021

McDonald’s Japan cuts down on fries servings owing to potato scarcity from Canada

McDonald’s Japan will only serve small-sized fries for a week starting Friday, as a result of delays in potato shipments from Canada. “Due to flooding near the Port of Vancouver and the global supply chain crunch caused by the coronavirus pandemic, there are delays in the supply of potatoes,” the company announced on Tuesday. Potatoes used to make french fries are usually imported from North America, McDonald’s Japan said.
12/23/2021

Calbee releases potato-growing kits in Japan

The potato chip company Calbee Inc. and a horticultural soil company jointly started selling seed potatoes and growing kits in southwest Japan’s Kyushu region on Dec. 15. Calbee Potato Inc., headquartered in the Hokkaido city of Obihiro, and Tokyo-based Protoleaf Inc. are selling seed potatoes of the “Poroshiri” variety and “Potato Bag” soil, which they jointly developed, to grow potatoes in a bag.
12/22/2021

Haith aiming to help food producers do more with less at Potato Expo 2022

The UK’s leading manufacturer of vegetable handling equipment is heading to Potato Expo next month to help US food producers achieve more with less. Haith Group, which has been designing and supplying innovative solutions for farmers, packers and food manufacturers for 75 years, will be promoting its Pro-Line solution in Anaheim, California, on 5th and 6th January during the Potato Expo 2022 event.
12/22/2021

Chairman of the PEI Potato Board on potato trade ban: ‘This is heartbreaking…’

A convoy of almost 40 trucks, including 16 potato trucks carrying half a million pounds of fresh potatoes, made its way through the streets of Prince Edward Island’s Charlottetown yesterday along with series of heartfelt messages directed at the federal government. “The last four weeks have been horrible for Island farmers, but we’re not giving up,” said John Visser, Prince Edward Island farmer and Chairman of the PEI Potato Board in a press release.
12/22/2021

Canadian govt announces $28 million to help P.E.I. potato growers cope with export ban

Today, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (AAFC) Marie-Claude Bibeau announced $28 million in funding to support Prince Edward Island (PEI) potato farmers affected by trade disruptions. The Government of Canada says in a press release it is taking a Team Canada approach and working collaboratively with the Province of PEI and industry to support potato growers and resume full market access for PEI fresh potatoes.
12/20/2021

North Dakota potato operation bets on cutting-edge sorting technology

A fourth-generation potato farming and marketing family in North Dakota is leaping into a new era of electronic potato grading. The Hall family partnership of Hoople in northeast North Dakota put in place a multi-million-dollar optical grading system that uses cameras to evaluate potatoes individually and sort them into lanes. The Halls’ Spectrim can sort up to 1,700 potatoes a minute or around 120,000 per hour.
12/20/2021

New storage advisory service launched by former head of Sutton Bridge research facility

After the closure of the world-renowned Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research facility last week, following the loss of the potato levy ballot in March and subsequent announcement of AHDB Potatoes’ demise in September, former head of site Adrian Cunnington has moved swiftly to plug the advisory gap for the potato storage industry. Adrian has set up Potato Storage Insight Ltd (PSI), an independent advisory and support service for the potato storage sector.
12/20/2021

CFIA: Potato wart investigation could take until 2023

An official from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the investigation into the discovery of potato wart in two P.E.I. fields could take until 2023 to complete. As Nancy Russell reports for CBC News, a group from CFIA made a presentation Friday afternoon to members of the legislature’s standing committee on natural resources. Committee chair Cory Deagle was so taken aback by the mention of 2023 he asked the presenter to repeat what he had just said.
12/20/2021

The Brazilian conservation farmer who ‘kidnaps’ carbon: ‘This makes me a better farmer’

“As a conservation farmer, the practices we use on our farm are allowing us to ‘kidnap carbon’ from the atmosphere and store it in our soil. This makes me a better farmer. The practice of carbon farming supports my efforts to grow more food and help the environment at the same time,” writes Andre-Figueiredo Dobashi in this article published by Global Farmer Network. The article is titled “I’m a conservation farmer who kidnaps carbon for good”.
12/20/2021

Climate change presents challenges and opportunities for Idaho

The impacts of climate change in Idaho will present challenges and opportunities to all sectors of Idaho’s economy — from recreation and tourism to agriculture, energy, human health, infrastructure and land — according to a series of reports prepared by Idaho researchers and just released to the public by the University of Ida
12/19/2021

AHDB Petitioners: ‘Growers best placed to decide own R&D’

The AHDB Petitioners – vegetable, flower and potato growers in the UK who voted to abolish a statutory levy on horticulture and potato production – say that recent comments by the Growers Better Levy Group (GBLG) not only go against the result of two votes on the issue, but are patronising in telling growers how to fill in the current Defra consultation.
12/19/2021

Lay’s unveils limited-edition potato vodka for the holidays

Lay’s is getting into the specialty liquor game with a new potato vodka for the holiday season. The Pepsico-owned brand unveiled the limited-edition booze on Thursday, in an effort to deliver “new and innovative ways to bring joy and fun” to fans, according to Melissa Miranda, Frito-Lay North America’s senior director of marketing.
12/19/2021

Parliamentarians: British seed potato farmers continue to face Brexit struggle

Farmers in Britain have warned they face increasing pressure from restrictions imposed by Brexit on trade of seed potatoes. Aberdeenshire East MSP Gillian Martin and Gordon MP Richard Thomson met with seed potato farmer John Lind and NFUS Vice-President Andrew Connon, to discuss the issues being faced by the sector. They expressed concern about how long the ban may be in place.
12/19/2021

AVR: New features for harvester cameras, new kit for spring equipment, and other news

AVR announces that two major changes in harvesters’ cameras will be carried out to increase the quality of the images and the ease of use. AVR now offers a new system of ridging elements and cage rollers. Last week, one of AVR’s Pumas left the port of Antwerp and started its long journey to Australia.
12/17/2021

Ban of P.E.I. spuds to U.S. won’t be resolved this year: minister

The ban of Prince Edward Island’s potatoes to the U.S. won’t end this month, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Wednesday. “It would be ambitious to think it could be solved by the end of the year, considering the date,” Bibeau said. “It’s a top priority. … I’ve had quite a few conversations with (U.S. Agriculture) Secretary (Tom) Vilsack directly.”
12/16/2021

Vakuum Food’s ‘Snacks-TEAM’ employs PEF process in close cooperation with Elea

Vakuum Food GmbH & Co. KG is a snacks producer based in Neuenkirchen near Osnabrück and was founded by Martin Johanning in 2018. The company’s new brand is called the “Snacks-TEAM” and is the result of producing high-quality snacks conventionally and with organic quality, using a combination of high-performance vacuum packaging and pulsed electric field (PEF) technology.
12/16/2021

United Potato Growers of Canada opens new front in efforts to open U.S. border

The United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC) have opened a new front in the efforts to get the U.S. border open to fresh Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) potatoes. “We thought it would be easier to talk grower to grower, group to group,” said Kevin MacIsaac, executive director of the United Potato Growers of Canada. The farmer-to-farmer talks are focused initially on opening exports to Puerto Rico.
12/16/2021

Brexit impact: Europatat urges EU and UK policy makers to reach agreement on seed potato trade ‘soon’

Europatat is calling on EU and UK policy makers to break the deadlock and to reach an agreement on the resumption in the bilateral trade of seed potatoes. “It is especially important that this is done soon, so as to avoid the possibility of regulatory divergence emerging between the EU and UK markets, further hindering the opportunities for mutually beneficial bilateral trade,” Europatat says.
12/16/2021

‘AgSensor Solutions’: New agriculture sensor development platform launched

AgSensor Solutions is a new platform company designed to help sensor creators move agricultural applications to market more quickly, has been formed by a collaboration of three established firms. The new company says it provides a bridge to commercialization for sensor creators. The gap between creation and reaching the market sees too much failure, says Michael DeSa, founder of AGD and managing director of AgSensor Solutions.
12/16/2021

Farm Credit Canada to support PEI potato producers impacted by export ban

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) says it is offering support to customers in Prince Edward Island (PEI) who could be facing production or cash flow challenges as a result of the temporary ban on PEI potato exports to the United States. “On the heels of one of the best crops in years, the PEI potato community is concerned they no longer have access to the valuable market due to the temporary ban on potato exports to the U.S,” said Gil Miner, assistant vice-president for FCC’s Atlantic operations.
12/16/2021

Bayer to launch industry-first digital carbon footprint measurement solution for agriculture

Bayer, Bushel and Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently unveiled Project Carbonview. It is to enable farmers to report, analyze and better assess their end-to-end supply chain carbon footprint. Bayer says that it is a first-of-its-kind technology solution that will help farmers in the United States drive more sustainable supply chains and mitigate the impact agriculture has on the environment by aggregating the carbon footprint of end products.
12/16/2021

Ireland: New potato partnership bids to ‘eliminate’ reliance on imported chips

A new partnership could see Ireland back producing significant amounts of chips for chip shops and distributors throughout the country. As Tamara Fitzpatrick reports for the Independent, O’Shea Farms from Piltown, Co Kilkenny have joined forces with Meadowfresh Foods in Tallow, Co Waterford to market and supply fresh Irish chipping potatoes.
12/14/2021

NPC CEO weighs in on soil sampling data and the spread of potato wart on PEI

Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council (NPC) calls in via the organization’s Eye on Potatoes podcast to discuss how CFIA’s own data – which is said to “demonstrate a clear and troubling reduction in sampling”, and how this leaves the industries on both sides of the border with uncertainties about the spread of the disease on PEI and what the future holds for reopening trade with this important industry partner.
12/14/2021

Key Technology: How to help ensure food safety during processing

Specialists at leading global food processing machinery manufacturer, Key Technology point out that two hundred illnesses and diseases can be attributed to parasites and bacteria. These and other pathogens can sometimes find their way into food products if those goods are handled improperly at any point throughout production. In an industry that feeds a country of 325 million people, maintaining food safety is everyone’s responsibility.
12/14/2021

Potato wart crisis: Govt of Canada says it ‘stands firm in the interests of Prince Edward Island potato farmers’

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says in a press release that the Government of Canada “is standing firm in the interests of Prince Edward Island (PEI) potato farmers in discussions with the United States and is working with the PEI Government on all possible ways to resume trade and minimize the impact on affected potato farmers.”
12/14/2021

Going digital: South African potato farmers set to benefit from mobile data sharing app

The potato industry in South Africa is investing in various technologies to improve its sustainability, and is currently in the process of developing a mobile app to improve communication with members. Willie Jacobs, CEO of Potatoes SA the app will allow farmers to identify problem spots and compare production from different areas on their farms, and over time, [and] also [to] compare production with what has been achieved in previous seasons.
12/13/2021

New report published on U.S. frozen potato market trends

IndexBox has just published a new report on the U.S. frozen potato market. American preserved frozen potato imports increased from 695K tonnes in 2010 to 1.1M tonnes in 2020. In value terms, imports expanded from $653M to $1.1B over this period. Canada supplies 85% of the total volume of imports. In 2020, Belgium emerged as the fastest-growing supplier of frozen potatoes to the U.S., reaching a 10% share of the total imports.
12/13/2021

BASF has several new crop protection products in the pipeline for British potato growers

New, independently-run market research has revealed that growers are committed to growing potatoes in the future, despite the identified challenges of crop protection losses and increased disease and pest pressures. In addition to fungicides and tuber treatments, BASF will be bringing to market a pre-emergence herbicide and a biological for wireworm damage.
12/12/2021

Practical guide on monitoring soil carbon launched

A new practical guide to assessing soil carbon promises to answer British farmers’ key questions at a time when many are looking to understand their soil health. The guide lists and answers key questions for robust on-farm monitoring of soil carbon and associated indicators of soil health.
12/12/2021

Potato wart ban expected to ‘last into new year’, fears of potatoes being destroyed

Prince Edward Island’s agriculture minister says he is still hopeful potatoes in limbo won’t have to be destroyed, but indications suggest restrictions on Island spuds will last into the new year. The P.E.I. Potato Board has said the ban could lead to millions of kilograms of potatoes being destroyed, and that it’s already too late for producers to recoup lost sales.
12/11/2021

Potato Expo set for big networking and education opportunities

The in-person Potato Expo 2022 is set for Jan. 5-6 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif. The event, organized by the National Potato Council, is the largest annual potato industry conference and trade show held in North America, according to event organizers. “We’re really looking forward to having everybody back together,” said Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council.
12/11/2021

Financial support for Prince Edward Island farmers, exporters impacted by potato wart trade issue

Potato farmers in Prince Edward Island are getting financial assistance from the province nearly three weeks after shipments to the United States were suspended after the discovery of fungal potato wart. Agriculture Minister Bloyce Thompson says it doesn’t seem likely the ban on exports will be lifted any time soon.
12/11/2021

McCain Foods and Strong Roots partner to grow plant-based product range globally

McCain Foods and Strong Roots announced a strategic partnership this week, with McCain Foods investing $55 million USD in Strong Roots to take a minority stake in the business. The partnership enables Strong Roots and McCain Foods to continue meeting the rising consumer demand for healthy and natural food globally.
12/11/2021

Fera to continue aphid monitoring of British seed potato crops

Fera Science Ltd in the UK announced that following consultation with existing customers and stakeholders, they are pleased to confirm that Fera will be providing its industry-critical aphid monitoring programme for the 2022 season, utilising the same reporting and alert platform as previous years. Fera has been working with AHDB to coordinate a smooth transition into the forthcoming season.
12/10/2021