This month I wrote an article for SpudSmart titled: What Global Lessons Have we Learned About the Suppression of Black Dot? Working closely with potato growers around the world, I’ve seen firsthand how much yield and quality can be lost to diseases that go unnoticed or unmanaged. One of the most underestimated culprits is black […]
An excerpt from our latest article published on SpudSmart.com tackles how to supply the demand for a potato processing plant by possibly farming fewer acres. Read on to learn more… One of the biggest challenges in potato production is the sheer amount of land and resources required to meet processor demand. At one processing plant […]
Attention Canadian Potato Growers! I’m excited to invite potato growers across Canada to join a new initiative called the Strike Yield Enhancement Society — or Strike YES. It’s designed to bring growers together in a spirit of friendly competition and shared learning. At its core, Strike YES is a yield contest, but it’s so much […]
Have you seen our new advertisement? It reads: WHO SAID YOU HAVE TO PUT UP WITH BLACK DOT ON YOUR SEED? AS A SEED GROWER, YOU DON’T HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT. Did you know? Seed potatoes are susceptible to many common soil-borne diseases and pathogens that can inhibit tuber growth uniformity and chip away at […]
The first 6 to 8 weeks are especially vital for developing root growth in onions. Strike soil fumigants provide a barrier of protection from soil borne disease, buying time for the developing young plants to yield a healthy and vigorous onion root. Pre-plant soil fumigation treatment with Strike is the first step in a successful […]
It has been a couple months since I last posted, but one of our recent articles on SpudSmart.com is garnering a lot of views. People are curious about soil and soil health. I’m a soil guy myself: I am fascinated by the life that exists below our feet, and how we can promote and support […]
Back in May, Spud Smart published an article I wrote on verticillium management and it has been one of our most read articles so far this year. I hope you find it useful. Trapped in a Circular Discussion on Verticillium Management I just stepped out of a meeting between several university agronomy faculty members and […]
In this second segment of our blog aimed at potato seed growers, let me throw a shocking finding at you: A recent scientific research paper stated that up to 68% of all seed potatoes sold in the Pacific Northwest are infected with verticillium. If you are one of the very lucky few who don’t currently […]
Are you a potato seed farmer? Then this will be of interest to you. We conducted a two-year trial comparing potatoes grown in soil where disease was managed with the soil fumigant Strike (active ingredient: chloropicrin) versus potatoes grown in soil that was not treated with Strike. Based on what we observed in the field […]
During my interview with Joy Youwakim, an agroecology scientist at Biome Makers, she defined some key differences between organic and regenerative agriculture that bears repeating. Joy: “There’s a difference between regenerative and organic agriculture. In organic, there are rules about what you can and what you cannot use. With regenerative ag, there is nuance: there […]
