So what could be the hot potato in the industry for 2018?
That’s what farmers and industry representatives were trying to find out last Wednesday afternoon at Brent Kelly Farms in East Delta. More than 200 people were on hand for the annual BC Potato & Vegetable Growers’ Association’s Potato Variety Trial with seed growers from Alberta, PEI as well as Pemberton, Delta and across the Fraser Valley attending.
“This is our demonstration field day where 92 varieties were presented for local growers to observe and look at, decide if it is a variety that can grow here and if they want to try it,” said Heather Meberg with ES Crop Consult. “This is sort of a sneak peek and it gives the growers an idea compared to industry standards how do some of the newer varieties look.”
Meberg said the event is an important one because it gives farmers access to a lot of varieties that are grown in the exact same conditions.
“So they can compare apples to apples, potatoes to potatoes so they can get a good idea and what a lot of the growers will do from here is if there is something that catches their eye, next year they can grow an acre or two and then decide if that is something they want to continue to grow,” said Meberg, adding the annual trial is the largest potato event in B.C.
“In the first year we did this we maybe had 10 growers, but now it is a great turnout and a lot of the growers rely on it for information.”
Meberg said it was too early to say what variety presented was the top pick, but she did say she was hearing positive talk about some reds, yellows and some Russets.
Bill Zylmans from W&A Farms said the event brings the farming, industry and government sectors together in one information-gathering session that is vitally important.
“With something like this is shows the direction that maybe the industry wants to go in the future, new varieties, new incentives, new ideas so we don’t become a stagnant industry,” Zylmans said. “You have to be progressive, you have to be ahead of the curve, so whether it is a blue potato, a pink potato or a green potato, we have to be there before the consumer demands it.”
He said in his travels the Delta event is unique because it is incorporated into an existing operation, an existing field and none of the potatoes are given any special treatment.
“What happens to the bigger field is what happens to the tests, so it shows your strengths and your weaknesses in a normal setting. We all know if you use the right fertilizers and the right chemicals you’re going to make something beautiful, but that’s not here,” he said. “The amount of varieties is very impressive and it’s impressive where they have come from — different parts of Canada and the U.S. This is a year that is second-to-none in terms of drought so the crops that shine this year can weather anything.”
Zylmans said for Delta, specifically, they need the drying trend to continue.
“The growing is done now. Mother Nature has given us the heat wave, so now we need a warm season to get the harvest in,” he said. “If these fields flood, the loss is phenomenal. Delta is known for its potatoes, so it certainly is still a crapshoot.”
