The potato industry is in significantly different shape in the spring of 2011 than it was in the spring of 2010.
Just a year ago, local potato processors were cutting back on volumes, which led to a decrease in acres for southern Alberta potato growers.
“We planted 2,000 acres less in 2010 than we did the year before,” said Edzo Kok, executive director of the Potato Growers of Alberta (PGA).
The cutbacks last year coincided with a general economic slowdown, but Kok added it appears business was not down in 2010 by as much as expected.
As a result, 2011 will be a different story.
“Acreage will be up slightly over last year,” said Kok. “A couple of the processors have indicated they are increasing production.”
Part of that increase for 2011 is weather related. The globe experienced wild swings in weather patterns in 2010, as acres were lost in southern Alberta due to excessive spring rains and cool summer temperatures. The exact opposite took place in Russia, where potato growers there suffered through extreme heat and drought.
“Last year there was an overall shortage of potatoes globally, and I think they are looking to refill the pipeline,” said Kok, who added European potato growers also struggled through a tough 2010, as many of those growers could not fill the market demand as expected.
Just how many acres will be grown in southern Alberta has yet to be determined, however. Kok added there is still some negotiating left to do.
“We are finalizing contracts right now. We usually like to be done that by now, but we’ve only got one left.”
As a result, many growers can’t finalize their volumes yet for 2011, so if contract talks drag on any further, planting schedules could be impacted.
But what could impact that timeline further is a familiar suspect — Mother Nature. Last year, the weather struck hard, as spring floods washed away potatoes, particularly those in low areas. That has left Kok and the rest of those in the industry hopeful 2011 does not feature a repeat of those weather patterns.
“We left things pretty wet last year in the fall, and we’re hoping we don’t get a lot of moisture again this spring. We’d like to see things dry up nicely.”
Some sunny, windy days where the temperature gets well above the plus-10 Celsius range would certainly help, as growers already know irrigation water will be plentiful and there is a healthy amount of moisture already in the soil for early germination.
“The growers are just anxious to get into the fields,” said Kok.
And while the weatherman will be looked to for favourable forecasts to help growers, the PGA is seeking to provide its own boost to local producers through the hiring of a new employee. Lukie Pieterse has been hired on as the PGA’s new technical director. He was to start March 21, and brings with him 14 years of experience as a potato consultant in Prince Edward Island. Pieterse was also an agricultural producer in South Africa.