Gary Linkletter, president of Linkletter Farms Ltd., a potato grower and shipper in Summerside, says the potato crop they have in storage right now is looking good. “The size profile is a little larger than normal, so we’ve got a very, very good crop.” Though pricing is not quite as high as he would like, “We’re hoping with the size profile we won’t have a big surplus,” he says, “but the market is trying to find its level.”
Linkletter says a drought last summer knocked back the set, resulting in the larger size of the region’s potatoes. “The growing season started off very cold,” he says, then the temperatures will even out for the summer. “In the fall, we had good harvest until late October when most people were just wrapping up, but then it started raining.” Although most of the harvest was already complete, “the last 10 percent or so got quite wet. But the quality of the storage looks really good.”
Looking Ahead
Canadian produce growers face a number of unique obstacles, from wildly unpredictable weather to a tough economy and fluctuating dollar. Yet the country’s growers continue to adapt and diversify, trying new fruit or vegetable varieties, building more greenhouses, and implementing cutting-edge growing techniques.
Although no one can predict precisely what the future holds for Canada’s produce growers, one thing is certain: the True North will continue to serve up a diverse bounty of fresh produce to consumers across the globe.
Images: Shutterstock/©iStock.com, Nicolas Nault
