After heavy rainfall, Canadian arable farmers now have to deal with snow and frost. This is not only a problem for the cereal crops, but also for the potato harvest. It is by no means complete yet.
Potato harvesters driving around in circles snowy plots. It is a special image, but it is common in Canada. This year, however, the situation is worrying. In the beginning, the snow insulates the potato ridges, allowing harvesting to continue. The rule of thumb is that the potatoes should not be colder than 2 degrees.
Grain harvest stopped
Prior to the winter weather, a lot of precipitation fell during the month of September. In the province of Manitoba even 115 millimeters of rain fell, which is the same amount as in the 3 months before. Arable farmers are in the middle of the wheat, barley and rapeseed harvest and the rain makes that difficult. It is estimated that approximately 40% of the harvest is still on the land, covering 1,6 million hectares. 3 weeks of good weather is required to harvest everything. Farmers are waiting for the weather to clear. "You can also thresh in nice, frosty winter weather," is their opinion.
This is slightly different for the potato harvest. The potatoes need to be removed when it freezes more than a few degrees. The temperature currently still exceeds 0 degrees during the day, but the weather forecast predicts that this will no longer be the case next week. Many potatoes still have to be harvested in the province of Alberta, while the landscape has turned into a winter wonderland, writes grower organization Alberta Potatoes. The growing season has not been without problems, because the summer was very dry.
Acreage is increasing
Most potatoes are grown on Prince Edward Island. Manitoba is in 2nd place, followed by Alberta and New Brunswick. These provinces together grow 75% of all Canadian potatoes; especially in Alberta, cultivation has grown over the last 20 years and the area has doubled. In Manitoba the growth is 35%. On PEI, the area has actually decreased by 20% over the last 20 years. In Alberta the area fluctuates around 22.500 hectares, part of which is seed potatoes.
All Canadian provinces experience snow, but it is especially wintery in the western provinces. That's a big problem for Alberta. The potato growers who have harvested the harvest themselves help colleagues. According to an insider, there are many large companies that still have between 80 and 120 hectares to clear. The longer the harvesting season lasts, the greater the chance of frost. Moreover, the harvesting rate is considerably lower in these conditions.
Revenue equal to 2017
The yield figures of the Canadian potato growers' organization UPGC are approximately the same as last year. In Alberta, an average of 49 tonnes per hectare was harvested last year. The result for this year is estimated at the same level or slightly lower. Very little regrowth has occurred in the Russet Burbanks, partly due to drought and problems with forest fires in Western Canada.
The yield for Manitoba is estimated at 40 tons per hectare, compared to 44 tons per hectare last year. On PEI, that yield is 36 tons per hectare, which is approximately the same as in 2017.