News on The Potato Supply Chain from Canada

October 02, 2008

P.E.I. potato growers up for AgriRecovery aid

Potato growers on Prince Edward Island affected by "extreme wet weather"can now share up to $12.4 million in federal/provincial aid through the AgriRecovery program.AgriRecovery, one of the programs under the federal government's Growing Forw...

September 18, 2008

PEI Potato Board works with farmers to improve returns

The Prince Edward Island Potato Board held a news conference today to outline the initiatives it has taken to improve financial returns for potato farmers. Potato farmers have experienced severe financial losses over the past few years due to low price...

September 16, 2008

PEI Potato Board defends itself against allegations

The P.E.I. Potato Board came flying to its own defence and to the defence of big french fry companies Monday after a well-known Island farmer and agriculture activist accused the companies last week of undercutting potato prices and the board of being ...

September 12, 2008

P.E.I. potato growers accuse french fry companies of flooding market with cheap spuds

Big french fry companies are undercutting P.E.I. potato prices by flooding the open market with cheap potatoes, says an sland potato farmer and a potato marketer.Jim Read, of J.B. Read Marketing Inc., and Danny Henricken, whose family has been growing ...

August 14, 2008

Seed potatoes now part of Canada's Dispute Resolution Corporation

The Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) can now handle disputes involving seed potatoes. The by-law change approved by members at the 2008 Annual Meeting took effect once approved by the Canadian Government which happened recently. Seed potatoes are...

August 01, 2008

Potato growers accept McCain contract

P.E.I. farmers who sell potatoes for processing to McCain Foods voted in favour of a new contract at a meeting Thursday night. Unlike those growing for Cavendish Farms, who rejected three contracts before signing, the McCain growers accepted the first...

July 30, 2008

Albert T. Wada, new World Potato Congress Inc. Director

Allan Parker, President &CEO, World Potato Congress Inc. today announced the appointment of Albert T. Wada as a member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Wada is the Chairman and CEO of Wada Farms Inc., an irrigated farming enterprise in eastern Idaho ...

July 24, 2008

Cavendish Farms Potato suppliers accept new contract

Cavendish Farms producers voted “overwhelmingly yes’’ Wednesday (July 23) to accept the latest offer from the Irving-owned company, but many look to the future with concern. It was the fourth meeting for the approximately 180 growers on Prince Edward ...

July 20, 2008

P.E.I. potato farmers come closer to settling contract dispute with Cavendish Farms

Prince Edward Island potato growers may be one step closer to settling a contract dispute with Cavendish Farms. But they’ll have to wait until Wednesday to find out how close they’ve come.After nearly two weeks away from the table, the potato growers ...

July 17, 2008

Prince Edward Island: Mandatory crop rotation winning farmers' applause

A mandatory three-year crop rotation could be a real hot potato if the provincial (Prince Edward Island) government attempts to legislate it this fall, suggest some farmers who applaud the Commission on Nitrates in Groundwater report. The report was ma...

July 11, 2008

Less potatoes planted in Manitoba in 2008

Potato production is down in Manitoba this year, a result of input costs, market value and a decrease in demand. Labour shortage issues, rising production costs and higher returns in other crops, as well as economic factors, have contributed to less ...

July 03, 2008

PEI Potato growers reject Cavendish Farms contract a third time

For the third time, P.E.I. potato farmers growing on contract with Cavendish Farms have rejected an offer from the company. The farmers, growing potatoes specially suited for french fries, would normally have a contract to sell their crop to the comp...

June 17, 2008

Vote on Cavendish Farms potato processing contract delayed

A hoped-for vote on a new purchasing contract between P.E.I. potato growers and french fry maker Cavendish Farms has been delayed. Potato growers have already rejected two previous offers from the company.

June 16, 2008

Cavendish Farms contract offer divides Prince Edward Island Potato growers

The latest contract offer to P.E.I. process potato growers appears to be creating more bruises than benevolence for Cavendish Farms, especially when the company offered more for potatoes in New Brunswick and Maine.A meeting to vote on the latest P.E.I....

May 08, 2008

P.E.I. donates spuds to Boston food bank despite hard times

The Prince Edward Island Potato Board is donating 18,000 kilogram of top-quality spuds to the Greater Boston Food Bank. The donation is part of International Year of the Potato. Ivan Noonan, a board spokesman, says Boston is a very important market f...

April 11, 2008

New Brunswick lost a prominent agricultural voice with the death of Ron Piper.

Piper's love of potato farming was known to all in the industry, and it led him to work with Potatoes New Brunswick. Executive director Robert Gareau said Piper spent six years with Potatoes NB, five of which he served on the executive as treasurer, v...

Bulk potato storage for processing potatoes in the United Kingdom

March 05, 2008

Quality of Potatoes for Processing and the effect of Potato Storage; Some Basics

The amount of reducing sugars in the potato are responsible for the colour formation of fried products. So if potatoes are too high in reducing sugars, they are not suitable for processing.

February 21, 2008

Agriculture Canada unveils 15 new experimental potato varieties in Fredericton

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has unveiled a new crop of experimental potato varieties, but it will be years before any find their way to your supper table. The new varieties were actually created six years ago, but only now have they gone through e...