News on The Potato Supply Chain from Canada

March 09, 2012

Nationwide survey finds no potato cyst nematode in Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has completed all potato cyst nematode(PCN) soil sampling and testing for the 2011 seed potato crop, and PCN was not detected.

March 07, 2012

Canada: Prince Edward Island can export more spuds, says potato supplier

Prince Edward Island needs to be more competitive in the global market for Island potatoes.

February 29, 2012

Simplot, McCain adapt to cope with Manitoba potato shortage

SOME employees at the Simplot potato- processing plant in Portage la Prairie will see their hours cut in coming months due to a looming shortage of locally grown processing potatoes, industry officials say. Simplot spokesman David Cuoio said the Idaho...

February 26, 2012

PEI Potato industry worth $1B, says study

The potato industry generates more than $1 billion for the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island (PEI), says an economic impact study released Friday. The study, put out by the P.E.I. Potato Board, also shows the sector creates more than $245 mill...

February 22, 2012

International Potato Technology Expo 2012 in Charlottetown starts friday

The International Potato Technology Expo returns to the Charlottetown Civic Centre February 24-25, 2012. This popular event has been running in Charlottetown every two years since 1992. Over the years, this has become a must-attend industry event for...

February 15, 2012

Canada: Potato shortage on Prince Edward Island could lead to better prices

A potato shortage on the Island could help farmers get paid more for their product, says a spokesman for the P.E.I. Potato Board.

January 30, 2012

Potato shortage in Manitoba results in production cuts and potato imports from the US

A shortage of locally grown processing potatoes is threatening to make the Canadian province of Manitoba an importer of spuds for the first time in more than two decades and will lead to production cuts in at least one local processing plant.

December 21, 2011

Canadian spud farmer stuck in Lebanese jail for Christmas

Two senators who recently visited a New Brunswick man held in a Lebanese prison since March say his health is quickly deteriorating and could only get worse.

December 13, 2011

Potato farmer Tepper out of jail if Canada asks Lebanon, suggests lawyer

The lawyer for a New Brunswick potato farmer who has been jailed in Lebanon for the past nine months says that a letter from Ottawa (Canadian Government) is all that's needed to free his client. Henk Tepper, 44, has been held in a Beirut prison since ...

December 05, 2011

Maureen Storey wants potato facts, not opinions

Maureen Storey wants doctors, dieticians and nutritionists singing the praises of potatoes. Storey heads the Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE) that was formed about one year ago in the US to combat the decline in potato consumption.

December 02, 2011

PEI Potato growers positive about prices

Growers at the P.E.I. Potato Board's annual meeting Friday December 2 said they are feeling optimistic about the prices they will get for their potatoes this year. The prices so far are reasonable, but not high yet, said Gary Linkletter, the board's c...

November 28, 2011

PEI Potato Board Annual General Meeting held December 2

The theme for the Prince Edward Island Potato Board's 2011 annual general meeting is "Connecting with the consumer". Scheduled for Dec. 2, 2011, all are invited to attend to understand the business of Prince Edward Island Potatoes. The one d...

November 28, 2011

New Brunswick protesters rally to bring detained Canadian farmer home from Lebanon

Chanting “Free Henk now” and “Mr. Harper, make the call,” about 100 protesters joined family and friends in a small New Brunswick community Sunday to support ongoing efforts to bring imprisoned potato farmer Henk Tepper home in time for the holidays. ...

November 24, 2011

Canadian researchers looking for new ways to combat wireworm

Researchers on P.E.I. and in Alberta are looking for new ways to kill wireworms before the larvae destroy farmer's crops. Christine Norohna from Agriculture Canada has already done some research using buckwheat and brown mustard as rotation crops. She...

November 24, 2011

McCain Foods Canada names top growers Portage la Prairie

McCain Foods (Canada) honoured it's Central Plains potato producers at a dinner November 23 in Portage la Prairie. During the annual Growers Banquet, the Top 10 growers for the year were named. Anton Wiebe Ltd. was named the 2011 McCain champion pota...

November 20, 2011

Potato production Canada harvest 2011 down 4%

Statistics Canada has published the preliminary production estimates for the 2011 potato crop in Canada. The Canadian potato production is estimated at 92,653,000 hundredweight (4 202 740 tonnes). This is down 4% from last year’s revised production. T...

November 19, 2011

Manitoba: Higher prices let farmers weather low potato yield

Extreme weather carved a chunk out of Manitoba's potato production this year, but high prices are helping to ease the pain for local producers. Manitoba farmers harvested 38,102 fewer tonnes of potatoes this year -- 825,552 versus 863,654 in 2010, for...

November 14, 2011

Functional Technologies Announces Next Generation Acrylamide-Preventing Yeast Technology

Functional Technologies Corp. is pleased to report the development of a third (3rd) generation of its proprietary acrylamide-preventing (AP) yeast platform, wherein various improvements made to the Company's original underlying AP technology have enabl...