Developing a Potato Crop

Developing a Potato CropIndividual Research base onPotatoesDarryl WiebeGarret Sawatzky Devon PouteauProductionSeedingThe ideal timing for seeding potatoes is late April until mid May. The average temperature highs ar amid 10 19 degrees Celsius and the average temperature lows are between -2 4 degrees Celsius. (Environment Canada) Cooler temperatures are great for avoiding early sprouting and damaging of potato seed before and after its in the ground.Seed tempo should be approximately 17 CWT (1700 lbs) per acre. The seed depth should be around 5 -6 Inches below the surface of the top of your hill. The target seed spacing is 15 inches from seed to seed. An approximate average spacing between rows is 34 inches.Some conventional potato farmers will apply a fungicide, such as behemoth or Emesto, during the cutting process of the seed. This will protect open cut seed from diseases.FertilizationThe following is a Fertilizer program from Beaver creek give rises located in south cen tral Manitoba. Other farms in Manitoba may do it a variety of ways but this is a fairly greens practice among Manitoba potato growers.In fall, the year prior to seeding, broadcast a potash bl blockade of 0-0-60 at a rate of 300 lbs/ac. Work it into the stigma using a coulter disc, or other implement, to avoid nutrient loss during the freeze thaw seasons.During planting a liquid blend of 10-34-0, 15-0-0-20 and 28-0-0 is employ in furrow at a rate between 8 20 U.S. gal/ac, depending on the field nutrient requirement.28-0-0 is banded during row line up cultivation/hilling at 18 U.S. gal/acUsing a technique called Fertigation 28-0-0 is applied twice is applied twice in July at a rate of 20 U.S. gal/ac. This is done by mixing 28-0-0 with the water supply and spreading it on the crops using the irrigation pivots.All these techniques add up to a total nutrient application of 180-80-200-26.Crop ProtectionTo protect against early disease, Quadris is applied in furrow while planting at a n approximate rate of 0.2 L/ac. Just Prior to emergence, Glyphosate is broadcast at a rate of 0.7 L/ac to kill weeds to give a competitive pungency to the near sprouting potatoes. One calendar week after potato emergence Centurion is applied at 0.75 L/ac to kill grassy weeds. A week after the Centurion a mix of Prism, at 24 g/ac, and Sencor, at 150 ml/ac, is applied more weed protection. Starting at the end of July a fungicide like Dithane or Pencozeb is applied every 7 days until harvest at a rate of 0.9 kg/ac.HarvestThe best time for harvest is from mid to late September. The ideal size of potato, for food production, is from 4 16 oz. An approximate yield goal is around 350 CWT/ac or 35000 lbs/ac. Depending on selling contracts or storage availability some farms may haul potatoes directly to the production plant from the field. (Wiebe, 2016)MarketingEnd social occasion/MarketThe end food market is for food. Chips, wedges, French fries, mashed or baked, there are plenty of di fferent ways to prepare a potato. The Russet Burbank variety is the pet potato for McCain food products as well as McDonalds french fries. Potatoes make up 52% of all fresh vegetables consumed in Canada (www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca)Price Trends Supply and collectThe average price per CWT in the last few years has stayed around $11.00. The estimated price per CWT for the next growing season is approximately $11.10. (Roy Arnott MAFRID bring about Management, 2016)The global potato production has grown steadily from 267 million metric tons in 1990 to 385.07 million metric tons in 2014. China, Russia, India, the linked States and Ukraine are the largest producers of potatoes. China and India are emerging as the clear world leaders. During 2015, export sales of potatoes and potato products were 12 billion USD. The Netherlands, France, Germany, China, Egypt, U.S.A., Canada, Belgium, United Kingdom and Spain were the top ten exporting countries accounting for 77.2% of potato expo rts in 2015. (www.fao.org)The global trend in potato consumption is increasing, mostly in Asia and South America. However, the huge demand for potatoes comes from the United States and Belgium for processing purposes. (Statistics Canada)The increased demand for processed potato products will drive the demand for potatoes and will also affect potato prices in the future. During 2016-2021, the fastest market growth is expected to be in the Middle East, Brazil and East Asia. (Mordor Intelligence)References (n.d.). Retrieved from www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/potato/(n.d.). Retrieved from www.fao.org www.fao.org/potato-2008/en/world/Environment Canada. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.currentresults.com https//www.currentresults.com/weather/canada/manitoba/temperature-may.phpMordor Intelligence. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.mordorintelligence.com www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/potato-marketRoy Arnott MAFRID Farm Management. (2016). Guidel ines for Estimating Potato Production Costs. Manitoba Agriculture .Statistics Canada. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.livingin-canada.com www.livingin-canda.com/food-prices-canada.htmlWiebe, S. (2016). Potato Production. Beaver Creek Farms ltd., Macgregor.