read more - Potato Growers of Alberta

Potato Growers of AlbertaPotato MinuteAugust 31, 2012Inside this issue:Board Chairman’s MessageCornfest a Success 2North Area Field Day Recap 3This message today hopefullybrings me closer to anend of my “extra” duties asChairman of the PGA. TheExecutive Director desk hasbeen vacant for 6 weeks butwill be filled again onTuesday, Sept 4th with ournew hire. My thanks to allthe Board for the extrawork that was put in. Thelast few months have beeninteresting to say the least,and further strengthen mybelief that there is never adull moment in the potatoi n d u s t r y . W e ’ v eencountered Late Blight aswell as some less familiarinsect pests that we arenow more aware of due tothe increased scouting andreporting. We hope that wehave been able to managethe risks and still put ahealthy crop in the bin.The board of the PGA ispleased to announce thehiring of Helmut Leili asExecutive Director. Asmentioned, Helmut will joinus in Taber on Tuesday,Sept 4th. Helmut mostrecently ran a fresh produceconsulting company out ofKingsville, ON specializing inbrand development, marketanalysis and packaging. Healso had a lengthy careerwith HJ Heinz Co. We wouldlike to welcome him andlook forward to applying hisknowledge to our industry.As well as familiarizinghimself with the new job,Helmut will be visiting somefarms to meet some of youbefore the Fall meetingsarrive. Also, feel free tostop in the office to sayhello.As many of you have heard,our industry underwent amedia attack last week froman MLA (Lib) who wascalling for PepsiCo/Frito-Layto boycott AB potatoes dueto unreg ula te d workconditions on Alberta farms.PepsiCo has responded thatthey will not boycott theirAB growers and stated inpart that:These growers all have atrack record of deliveringtop quality potatoes andm a i n t a i n i n g s a f eworkplaces.As the PGA, we will notfight a media battle on thisissue, but will work asalways with facts andcommon sense in a properenvironment. Here is ourprinted media response:The Potato Growers ofAlberta (PGA) prides itselfon being a growerorganization that has led theway in Alberta with On FarmFood Safety (CanadaGAP)protocols as well as manyother initiatives in an effortto be responsive to ourcustomer's concerns. ThePGA has been involved indiscussions with the ABgovernment concerningworker safety and supportincreased worker safetytraining for our industry. Welook forward to leading theway in this initiative as well.On that note, I wisheveryone a safe harvest,for all the right reasons.Sincerely,Rob Van Roessel.Chair, PGAAPRE receives new funding 3Bugs.R.Us 4Management of Post HarvestlossesReminders/ Conference Update 4BC Potato Crop Theft 4South Area Field Day Recap 5Late Blight + Storage 5Upcoming Events September 4thHELMUT LEILI’s first dayat the PGA! Oct 15 - 18thNAPPO Meeting ~Louisville, KentuckyRegister with Deb bySeptember 10th October 11thSouth AreaMeeting October 16thNorth AreaMeeting November 13 - 15thAlberta PotatoConference & TradeShow,Sheraton Red Deer(Formally the CapriCentre)4

P a g e 2Potato Stand at Cornfest a HUGE Success!Alberta Potatoes were a big hit at Cornfest this past weekend for a number of reasons...We had a prime location, right at the entrance to food alley!We offered quick, and friendly service thanks to our many, many volunteers!We offered huge servings, and affordable prices thanks to our Sponsors!Our product tasted AMAZING and kept people coming back for more!OUR SPONSORSwho together donated over30 cases of fries!who donated 500 bags each of potato chips!who donated 6 x 16L each ofCanola Oil for our double duty deep fryer110 Litres of homemade gravy for our PGA Poutine wasproduced by Chef Dean Arnold (Wendy’s Husband)16 litres of homemade gravy was donated byCountry Kitchen Caterers in Lethbridge.Your Association provided the remaining supplies andhours and hours of manpower planning the event, set up,clean up, and volunteering in the booth.In the end we raised $1550 more than last year, for a total of $4450! The majority of the proceeds willbenefit the Safe Haven Women’s Shelter in Taber. The PGA will also be donating to St. Mary’s High SchoolGirl’s Basketball Team, for all the shifts the players, coaches, and parents worked in our booth, as part oftheir fundraising efforts to host the Senior Girl’s Basketball Provincial’s this coming school year!A special THANK YOU to the Growers & friends, the Board & their Spouses, IndustryAssociates, and Staff & their Spouses for all their hard work in our Booth at Cornfest!Michel Camps (CP Farms), Ben Koersen (ATB Financial), Tamara, Skylar & Tea Miyanaga (Triple M Farms),John & Alice Bareman (Bareman Farms), Frederique Woordman (Woordman Farms), Willy Stiekema(Stiekema Farms), Bill & Marion Tamminga (Tamminga Farms), Rob & Leslie Oudman (North PaddockFarms) for working both days, Amy, Ken, Bob & Lorraine (Board & Staff from Safe Haven Women’sShelter), Peter Mitchell (CPS Canada), Bill & Elly Torsius (Torsius Tater Farms), Louis Ypma (SLM SpudFarms), Raymond Johnson (Servus Credit Union - Edmonton), Greg & Maureen Nakamura (NakamuraFarms) and their fun troop Toni, Laura, Jaina, & Connie, Lynnette Hochstein (YPM), Bruce Fletcher(CPS Canada), and Terence Hochstein, Cindy Fletcher & Wendy Arnold (PGA Staff).It was a lot of work...but well worth it to represent the Alberta Potato Industry!We plan to continue making this an annual event, with the outcome benefiting local charities andyouth groups! We hope we can call on you next time to help out and enjoy the fun at Cornfest!

P a g e 3The U.S. Potato Board (USPB) has agreed toquadruple its annual contribution to a year-oldorganization charged with defending the french fry.Effective this crop year, USPB will increase itsInvestment in the Alliance for Potato Research andEducation (APRE) from $250,000 to $1 million.In exchange, USPB has requested threeadditional grower seats on APRE's board to strike aneven balance in representation by growers andprocessors.The APRE board currently includes USPBPresident and CEO Tim O'Connor, NationalPotato Council Executive Vice President and CEOJohn Keeling, representatives from the five majorprocessors and two growers representing the U.S.and Canada.The APRE board is scheduled to amend itsbylaws on Sept. 5 to accommodate theexpansion. O'Connor said his organization will solicitindustry nominations for new board members, andUSPB's Executive Committee will appoint them. Heanticipates they'll be chosen based on geographicdistribution and leadership experience, with anemphasis on processed growers. The APRE websiteoffers interesting ideas for helping kids makehealthy choices. Check it out www.apre.org or findout more on their page on our website under industry.Pieter Hoogland checks out the crop withDad Jake! Raising the next generation ofAlberta Potato Farmers!North Summer Meeting RecapIt was a small turn out at the meeting held atCDCN on August 9th, but the topics providedimportant information regarding the industry.Wendy Arnold, PGA Financial/CommunicationAdministrator:~ Navigating the new PGA website.Terence Hochstein, PGA Technical Director:~Technical updates, Zebra Chip, Late BlightDeb Hart, PGA Seed Co-ordinator:~ Updates on the SPQMP, Yellow Aster, PHTand upcoming eventsScott Meers, ARD: Aphid monitoring programin Southern Alberta and recommended this asa beneficial tool for growers in the North.Dr. Michele Konschuh, ARD: Update on herresearch projects and discussed the varieties inthe national trial.New varieties from Fredericton viewed in field.If you missed the meeting and wantinformation on any of the above presentations,please contact Deb.Thanks to theDirectors from theSouth and the stafffrom Taber whotravelled toEdmonton for themeeting. Andspecial thanks toTerence & Cindy for manning the PGA fryerand cooking up some fries for lunch!

P a g e 5South Area Field Day RecapLate Blight and StorageWe are now entering into one of the last stages of our cropyear. Although everyone is looking forward to a good harvest,we must remember that the next six weeks are probably themost critical in regards to the outcome of your hard work anddiligence throughout the growing season.Following breakfast, a tour of the PGA & McCain Potato PlotsJeff Bronsch from Sunrise Ag along with Chris Perry gave apresentation during breakfast on Variable Rate Irrigation. SteveMyshak of Isis Geomatics then gave a demonstration of how thistechnology works at a Perry Produce field. This small helicopterprovides images of the field to indicate low spots and areasneeding more nutrients. This information is then shared with theirrigation computer program which adjusts to provide an overallbalanced delivery system of moisture and nutrients. The imagesof the crowd below were taken by the device shown above.The event ended with a BBQ & French Fry lunchat the PGA shop. Thank you to all who attended!We hope to see more of you next year!Unfortunately we were faced with the “perfect storm” when itcame to Late Blight this year. Our aggressive monitoring systemand your persistent fungicide programs were able to containthe acres for the most part. Some of you have eliminated theworst acres; others have been top killing their vines. In the end,there were very few acres that succumbed to the pathogen.Both practices have been very beneficial but a diligentmonitoring of the tubers going into storage is now required.Spores from the infected plants can be washed off from therain or irrigation and infect the soil. This, in turn, can infect thetubers below ground. Tubers can also become infected duringharvest if they come into contact with an infected plant.Late Blight infection of tubers is characterized by irregularlyshaped, slightly depressed brown to purplish areas on the skin.These symptoms may be less obvious on russet and redskinnedcultivars. A tan to reddish brown, dry, granular rot isfound under the skin in the discolored area, extending into thetuber usually less than 1/2 inch (Fig. 6). The extent of rottingin a tuber depends on the susceptibility of the cultivar,temperature and length of time after the initial infection. Themargin of diseased tissue is not distinct and is marked bybrown finger-like extensions into the healthy tissue of the tuber.In time, the entire tuber becomes blighted and discolored. LateBlight rot of tubers is often accompanied by soft rot.If you suspect a problem with your stored tubers, send asample into Dr. Kawchuk in Lethbridge for testing. If time is ofthe essence, then give me a call and I can deliver yoursamples for you. I plan on making my rounds to visiteveryone during harvest this fall.Terence Hochstein - PGA Technical DirectorPotato Growers of Alberta6008 46 AvenueTaber, AB T1G 2B1Phone: 403-223-2262Fax: 403-223-2268E-mail:pga@albertapotatoes.caThe PGA assumes no responsibility for any errors in the information provided, nor assumes any liability forany damages incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of thecontents of The Potato Minute. Unless otherwise noted on an individual document, the PGA grants userspermission to reproduce and distribute information in the Potato Minute as long as the contents remainunaltered and as long as it is noted that the contents have been made available by the PGA.