Potato News

GRIMME presents two new store loaders

For the 2022 season, GRIMME presents the completely newly developed store loaders of the SL 900 and SL 700 series, which combine the highest throughput rates with optimum crop protection and user-friendly operation. The store loaders can be used to store potatoes, onions, red beet, celery and other bulk goods, among other things. The new generation of store loaders immediately catches the eye with its open and slim machine design with the counterweights arranged on the sides of the chassis.
12/10/2021

Potatoes USA receives increased export promotion funding from USDA

Due to the success of implementing and reporting on marketing activities in previous years, Potatoes USA’s Market Access Program (MAP) funding from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) increased for the 2022-2023 marketing year. According to a study in 2016, MAP provides $28 in export gains per $1 spent by the government and industry on international market development.
12/10/2021

Restrain on winning streak during British Potato 2021

With an innovation award under its belt and an esteemed new technical expert on the payroll, sprout inhibition developer Restrain was one of the most talked about participants at the 2021 British Potato Industry Event in Harrogate. Once every two years the whole of the potato industry comes together for the British Potato Industry Event for networking and discussing business opportunities. This year, a lot of the buzz was about sprout inhibition developer Restrain.
12/9/2021

Potato wart crisis in North America: Opposing opinions and viewpoints from U.S. and Canadian industry bodies

The recent discovery of potato wart disease on Prince Edward Island in Canada made industry headline news the past couple of weeks. On Dec 2, The Packer magazine published an opinion article about the situation authored by the CEO of the National Potato Council (U.S.). On Dec 6, The Packer published a letter it received from the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) and the Canadian Potato Council – in which the industry bodies responded to Mr Quarles’ article.
12/8/2021

National Potato Awards: Chippy Chat and Isle of Ely Produce win Marketing Award

Chippy Chat and Isle of Ely Produce, both based in Ely Cambs in the UK, won big at the recent National Potato Awards 2021, presented at a celebratory dinner on the first night of the British Potato 2021 event. They won the marketing award for work linking fish and chip shop owners and growers in the UK, and was collected by Austen Dack, Managing Editor of Chippy Chat, and Oliver Boutwood, Isle of Ely Produce Director.
12/8/2021

Canadian growers harvest record potato crop

Canadian growers harvested a record potato crop in 2021, as production rose 18.2% year over year to 123.1 million hundredweight, on account of increases in both seeded area and yield, according to a report released by Statistics Canada today. Alberta reported the highest average yield across Canada, followed by New Brunswick (+47.4% to 350.0 hundredweight per acre) and Prince Edward Island (+33.0% to 334.4 hundredweight per acre).
12/8/2021

WPC webinar: ‘Little potatoes and TPS – Good things come in small packages’

The World Potato Congress is delighted to announce its December 2021 webinar featuring Joel VanderSchaaf, General Manager of Tuberosum Technologies Inc. on December 14, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard time (USA/Canada). Little potatoes are the fastest growing market segment for fresh potatoes in North America and are gaining interest around the world. True Potato Seed (TPS) is a burgeoning technology that has gained significant momentum amongst the potato research community.
12/8/2021

‘Home compostable’ packaging introduced by Finnish potato supplier

Finnish potato processing company Tuorekartano Oy has announced that its premium La Ratte potatoes will now be available in what it claims is recyclable and biodegradable paperboard packaging. According to an article by Packaging Europe, the paperboard packaging was developed for Tuorekartano Oy by Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group. It is reportedly made of fresh fibres to produce a lightweight paperboard that is “easily” recycled and suitable for home composting, suitable for direct food contact.
12/8/2021

Pulsed electric field technology promises easier processing

From easier cutting and acrylamide mitigation to lower oil uptake and crunchier crisps, pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment delivers a diverse range of benefits. Says Mark de Boevere, MD of Pulsemaster, “The market for our PEF-systems expands rapidly. Today PEF systems are widely used in the potato industry to make crisps, French fries and potato specialities such as hash browns or tator tots. The rise in better-for-you products definitely contributes to increasing sales of our Pulsemaster PEF-systems.”
12/7/2021

Potatoes NZ building a ‘secure and sustainable industry’: 2021 in summary

The New Zealand potato industry saw supply chain disruptions, changing protocols for health and safety and a polarization of political and health ideologies in the last 21 months of the pandemic response, the industry body says in a recent newsletter. NZ potato growers across the country have been under immense pressure during 2021, but shows continued value growth.
12/6/2021

U.S. chipping potatoes showcased in China for the first time

For the first time ever, a sample of fresh U.S. chipping potatoes arrived in China and was displayed at the Food & Hospitality China Shanghai Global Food Trade Show in early November. This historic event, which is helping to pave the way for commercial shipments of U.S. chip-stock to China, was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and speeches by U.S. government officials and representatives from Potatoes USA.
12/6/2021

New roles for former UK potato storage specialists

Two key members of the Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research team chose British Potato 2021 show to announce their new ventures in the wake of AHDB Potatoes disbanding. As Potato Review magazine reports, specialist in potato store management, Adrian Cunnington, has started his own consultancy entitled Potato Storage Insight Ltd (PSI). Crop Storage senior scientist Adrian Briddon has taken on a new role with Restrain as its Technical Manager, which officially starts on January 10th.
12/6/2021

Border closure shocks Prince Edward Island potato industry

Karla Veinot is one of many farmhands across Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) on the east coast of Canada who were rocked by news of the US border closing to fresh potato exports from the Island. The single mom of two children has been working for Power Farms in Elliotvale for about eight years, and now her job is anything but secure. Ms Veinot, who lives in Savage Harbour, said she was “shocked and angry” upon hearing the news November 22.
12/6/2021

Prince Edward Island Potato Board on U.S. border closure: ‘Let our potatoes go’

The Prince Edward Island Potato Board urges all Canadians in a press release to work together to protect potato farmers in the wake of the decision last week by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to suspend potato exports from the Island to its longstanding U.S. customers and partners. The Board warns that potato farmers on the Island will face dire consequences of U.S. border closure decision.
12/6/2021

Renton Farm Services joins Bauer irrigation equipment dealer network in Scotland

A new sales, service and parts dealer for Bauer irrigation equipment is offering potential customers a ‘try before you buy’ demonstration of the Rainstar irrigation reel’s features and performance. Renton Farm Services has taken on the Bauer franchise at farm-based premises near Dunbar to support potato and field-scale vegetable growers throughout East Lothian.
12/6/2021

BP2021: Scottish agronomist warns of early tuber dormancy break threat this year

Speaking at BP2021, Eric Anderson, of Scottish Agronomy, warned growers in the Scottish seed potato sector about the challenges presented in 2021 – emphasising that minimising the handling and damage of the seed in grading pre-treatment is always important.
12/6/2021

Dutch industry body concerned about rise in potato production cost, ‘approaching 10,000 Euros per ha’

The cost price for the cultivation of ware potatoes has risen explosively, so contract prices have to rise sharply. The costs are approaching 10,000 euros per hectare, according to a report by Fenneke Wiepkema for the Dutch publication Akkerwijzer. Contract prices must therefore rise by at least 5 cents per kg in order to be of interest for growers, says the Dutch Arable Farming Union (NAV).
11/29/2021

APHIS commends CFIA for voluntarily prohibiting export of seed and fresh potatoes from Prince Edward Island

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) commended the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for voluntarily prohibiting export of seed and fresh potatoes from Canada’s Prince Edward Island (PEI) into the United States due to the confirmed presence of Synchytrium endobioticum in that country.
11/29/2021

Global fertiliser shortage driving up food prices, poorer countries facing crisis, says Yara CEO

A global shortage of fertilisers is driving up food prices and leaving poorer countries facing crisis, says the boss of a major fertiliser firm. Svein Tore Holsether, chief executive of Yara International, told the BBC higher gas prices were pushing up fertiliser costs and affecting food prices worldwide.
11/29/2021

NPC: Positive steps taken to reopen Mexico for U.S. fresh potatoes

The National Potato Council (NPC) in the U.S. says in its latest industry newsletter that Mexico’s National Service for Agricultural Health, Food Safety, and Agri-Quality (SENASICA) published the Phytosanitary Requirement Sheet for U.S. potato imports to the entirety of Mexico. NPC CEO Kam Quarles told The Packer he is “cautiously optimistic” about progress.
11/29/2021

Metos UK unveils new potato tech

A blue, potato-shaped sensor for in-store monitoring of potato crops and an app that estimates your potential crop yield from a photo and a blue mat have been launched by Metos UK at the recent British Potato event. Inside the blue tuber-shaped SolAntenna are sensors to measure and track temperature, humidity and CO2 levels in store.
11/29/2021

Albert Bartlett launches ‘Make It Extraordinary’ ad campaign

Albert Bartlett launched a new national advertising campaign capturing its brand-new theme ‘Make It Extraordinary’. As Fiona Briggs reports for Retails Times, the advert includes a fantastical representation of the potato picking line and features world-class acrobats to demonstrate the five-star treatment that every one of Albert Bartlett’s potatoes receives.
11/29/2021

Prince Edward Island potato industry in limbo as Canada suspends shipments to U.S.

Millions of pounds of potatoes are effectively “not going anywhere” for one Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) farmer following a recent decision by the federal government to suspend shipments of all fresh potatoes from the province to the United States. Like many in the province, Ray Keenan, co-owner of Rollo Bay Holdings Ltd., is trying to understand the rationale behind the suspension, which was made in response to the October discovery of potato wart.
11/24/2021

Prince Edward Island potato growers seek ‘quick’ answers to resolve trade issue with U.S.

The group representing potato farmers on Prince Edward Island says its members need answers quickly from Ottawa on the decision to suspend all shipments of fresh potatoes from the Island to the United States or the industry will face huge financial losses. Prince Edward Island Potato Board general manager Greg Donald says farmers were shocked to learn Monday that Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau had ordered the trade restriction after the recent discovery of potato wart in two P.E.I. fields.
11/24/2021

Irish potato industry could be mashed by Brexit seed ban, Minister told

Irish farmers’ ability to grow their potato crops could be affected by the post-Brexit ban on importing seed potatoes from Britain, the Government has been warned. In a letter to Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue, Scottish seed potato producer John K Lind asked if politicians have “forgotten” the Famine as he outlined the devastation that diseases can cause to a crop.
11/24/2021

Kiremko not in attendance at Interpom event, announces first sale of new CORDA Invicta fryer

Kiremko announced earlier today that the company has decided not to attend the Interpom 2021 event to be hosted in Kortrijk, Belgium from 28 to 30 November due to the current COVID-19 situation. Kiremko is excited to announce that the first of its new Corda Invicta specialist fryers has recently been sold. Kiremko launched the new fryer earlier this year.
11/24/2021

Prince Edward Island vows to fight federal decision to halt potato exports to U.S. over potato wart

Premier Dennis King said the Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) government will consider all options at its disposal, including legal, to fight the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s suspension of fresh potato exports from the province to the U.S. King said the federal government’s decision was “extremely disappointing” and will immensely hurt the Island’s economy.
11/23/2021

Dewulf Enduro to be showcased in-person for the first time at Interpom ’21

Dewulf, full-liner in agricultural machines for the cultivation of potatoes and root crops, will present its Enduro harvester at the Interpom 2021 event on 28 – 30 November. The new 4-row self-propelled harvester was first unveiled to the public during an online event last year. Dewulf is proud to introduce the new Enduro for the first time in person at the international trade fair for the potato sector in Kortrijk (BE).
11/23/2021

Heat takes toll on Columbia Basin spud harvest

While potato farmers in the Columbia Basin could call on all the water they needed during this year’s drought, the heat still posed risks and has left its mark on this year’s potato crop. “Yield is down, and quality is also down,” said Adam Weber of Weber Farms near Quincy. He said the heat was to blame for the drop in yields and quality. “It’s 10% down, though it varies with varieties,” he said.
11/23/2021

U.S. potato industry supports CFIA action to protect Canada and U.S. against potato wart spread

The National Potato Council (NPC) and grower organizations throughout the United States today welcomed the announcement by Canada’s Acting Chief Plant Health Officer, David Bailey, to prevent the spread of potato wart from Prince Edward Island (PEI) by restricting the movement of PEI potatoes to other Canadian provinces and the U.S.
11/23/2021

‘Nematodes as bio-indicators of Soil Health’ – Fera Science shortlisted for National Potato Industry Award

Fera (Fera Science Ltd) is pleased to announce that it has been named a finalist for the Potato Review’s National Potato Industry Awards under the category of Innovation. This year’s submission focusses on the work that the in-house Nematology team have done to develop a new commercial test that can provide valuable management information on soil health and the wider cropping system.
11/23/2021

CFIA announces ‘Canada’s strongest action against potato wart to date’

In a press release issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the agency says the CFIA Charlottetown Laboratory confirmed the presence of potato wart on two different PEI farms on October 1 and 14, 2021. The two detections showed high levels of potato wart, and made it necessary to take Canada’s strongest action against potato wart to date, CFIA says in the press release.
11/23/2021

NEPG reports an average to good potato harvest, but farmers dealing with increased input costs

After a very wet summer in Europe, slow and difficult harvesting conditions were experienced in Belgium, Holland and Germany during the 2021 cropping season. Depending on countries and sub regions, gross yields were mostly average to good, but net yields will be lower due to a considerable amount of losses in fields and in storage. Production cost have gone up for farmers.
11/23/2021

Restrain company to showcase its ethylene sprout inhibitor system at British Potato 2021

Restrain company, leading provider of ethylene sprout inhibitor systems, will exhibit its products at the upcoming British Potato 2021 event in Harrogate next week, 24 – 25 November. Restrain uses natural ethylene gas which keeps potatoes dormant and controls sprouting. Restrain recently produced two videos based on the experiences of British potato producers who are using its its ethylene sprout inhibitor system.
11/23/2021

IFA: COVID back on the agenda across Europe, potato markets wary of possible restrictions

According to a report by the Irish Farmers Association Association (IFA), Covid is back on the agenda across Europe, despite some very encouraging figures for export of frozen potato product and factory activity back to full production. Markets are wary that restrictions may be enforced again.
11/23/2021

U.S. potato exports continue to improve, strong sales to Mexico

U.S. exports of frozen potato products increased by 30% for the July – September 2021 quarter compared to 2020. These increases were led by a 63% increase to Mexico, continuing exceptionally strong sales to this market throughout 2021. Potatoes USA says in a market update today that exports to Canada and Central America were up 52% and 55%, respectively, with all countries in Central America posting growth.
11/21/2021

Wet weather, rising fertiliser prices put squeeze on Tasmanian potato growers

Wet weather and rising fertiliser prices are forcing farmers to rethink their potato plantings, with tonnages expected to be down significantly in the upcoming season. Former McCain grower representative and seed potato grower Beau Gooch said it was becoming significantly more expensive to grow potatoes. Leigh Elphinstone, Simplot Growers Committee chair and north-west potato grower, said the weather and fertiliser hurdles could result in a potato shortage.
11/21/2021

Why arable farmers in Britain could soon earn from habitat credits

Farmers in Britain could soon earn money creating new habitats on their farms, as developers look to offset the loss of biodiversity resulting from development such as house building and infrastructure projects. This year saw the launch of carbon trading by companies which has seen interest from regenerative farmers. And next year will see some growers start to earn money by improving biodiversity.
11/21/2021

Potato buyers treated to virtual reality tour of Prince Edward Island

The Prince Edward Island Potato Board in Canada is using virtual reality to remind buyers of the reasons to purchase spuds from the Island. As Nancy Russell reports for CBC News, the board has sent a dozen virtual reality kits including high-tech goggles to many large national retailers across Canada, as well as some regional retailers both in Canada and the United States.
11/21/2021

The ‘wow factor’ and the reality of mobile, automated potato cleaning

Harvesting rock and debris alongside one’s potatoes is a frustrating and expensive reality of production. Until recently, producers haven’t had good post-harvest handling options. Operating a picking line is costly, inefficient and, as fewer and fewer people are willing to take on menial piece-work, increasingly challenging to staff. There is, however, a better way, says the Lockwood Engineering team.
11/21/2021

Trucking shortage hinders movement of record Aroostook potato harvest

Aroostook County in Maine may have pulled a record potato harvest out of the ground this year, but transportation slowdowns and a driver shortage are making it difficult to get the crop to market, reports Paula Brewer for the Bangor Daily News. Nationwide, the trucking industry is short 80,000 drivers, according to American Trucker, a situation exacerbated by the pandemic.
11/20/2021

Soil health and regenerative techniques at the forefront at CropTec event

Soil health and regenerative techniques will be to the fore during this year’s CropTec seminars, writes Ken Fletcher in an article for The Scottish Farmer. With growers in the midst of a tumultuous time in British farming, this year’s programme will examine the building blocks for a sustainable arable farming future.
11/20/2021

How Russian kids improvised to make great potato toys in the 1930’s

According to an article published by the digital magazine Russia Beyond, “We are often surprised how spoiled modern kids are, how many toys they have and don’t appreciate them (and prefer a tablet most of all). Well, Soviet kids didn’t have such a luxurious life in the 1930’s, so they sometimes had to entertain themselves by making toys from the most available materials. In Russia, it was the potato.”
11/20/2021

High-tech potato grading line ups profits for Cornish grower

As Adam Clarke reports in this Farmers Weekly article, potato producers are facing tricky times, with ballooning costs squeezing profits and seasonal staff increasingly difficult to source since the UK left the EU. To make itself more resilient to these issues Cornish producer EW Button & Son recently invested in a state-of-the-art potato-grading line with an optical sorter.
11/20/2021

Carbon farming and the regenerative revolution in food

As Alasdair Lane writes in this article for BBC Future, farmlands cover half of the Earth’s habitable land, and the global food system produces 21-37% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. When fields are worked with heavy machinery, their soils leach trapped carbon back into the air. Carbon farming, on the other hand, seeks to capture them.
11/16/2021

Women potato farmers in India are becoming agents of change

In 2019, PepsiCo partnered with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) initiative to empower women in agriculture and help build a more sustainable food system. This partnership empowers women farmers with new skills and knowledge under PepsiCo’s Sustainable Farming Program in the potato value chain in West Bengal, India.
11/16/2021

‘Tasteful Partners’: A new entity formed by Tasteful Selections and RPE

Tasteful Selections and RPE, its exclusive sales and marketing partner, have formed a new entity: Tasteful Partners. As part of the arrangement, Tasteful Partners is acquiring RPE and closed on the sale last week. The deal creates synergies as well as alignment and integration opportunities across Tasteful Selections and RPE, said Bob Bender, Tasteful Selections chief executive officer.
11/16/2021

European potato growers push for higher prices

According to a report by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), potato consumption has improved slightly in Ireland as colder weather sets in. Input costs for the upcoming season remain a main concern for growers at present. With crops in store, European growers are now pushing for higher prices.
11/16/2021

TOMRA Food to demonstrate standard-setting potato sorting machine at BP2021 event

TOMRA Food, the leading manufacturer of sensor-based sorting machines for the food industry, has announced that it will run machine demonstrations at BP2021, the UK-based potato industry event later this month. Visitors to the two-day biennial exhibition (Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate, November 24th/25th) will be able to see how effectively the TOMRA 3A optical sorter removes foreign materials, soil clods, stones, and ‘greens’ from freshly harvested potatoes.
11/16/2021

British potato growers face legal action over final AHDB levy payment

According to a report by Farmers Weekly’s Philip Clarke, the AHDB is warning potato growers who failed to submit a 2021 potato planting return form and who refuse to pay this year’s levy that they face the prospect of legal action. This has been communicated in a letter to each grower concerned from AHDB finance director Naveen Gupta, still inviting them to submit an official planting return.
11/16/2021