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Alberta potato growers “very happy” with 2022 crop progress

“Although seed acres remain generally flat, growers have expressed that the expense of this year’s crops has led to carefully planned planting decisions,” Bajema wrote. She added that the three major concerns are what she has deemed the “three F’s” – freight, fertilizer and fuel. “Seed sales in Alberta are always dependant on that ability to move product as our seed industry in Alberta supplies commercial operations across North America. We experienced a dramatic change to the cost of freight this past spring and it’s likely that we will see the same increased costs heading into this upcoming season. We generally could overcome challenges to availability of trucks, but it came at a cost. While fertilizer has been an ongoing topic of concern for the PGA board and our partners at Team Alberta, there have been more questions lately from producers about access to fertilizers and concerns about possible regulated use.”

As of the week ending Aug. 9, 66.8 per cent of potatoes in Alberta are rated as “good” to “excellent” according to the province’s biweekly crop reports.