SURPLUS PEI POTATOES MUST BE DISPOSED BY FEB 28

Feb 16, 2022

On February 14, there’s little heart for disposing PEI potatoes that have no home due to the ongoing export ban to the United States. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered the ban on November 21, 2022 after confirming potato wart in two fields.

In order for growers to qualify for federal compensation of up to 8.5 cents/lb, the surplus must be chopped by snowblowers onto frozen ground. The deadline is February 28.

“Eighty-seven per cent of the island’s potato growers have crop insurance,” explains Greg Donald, general manager, PEI Potato Board. “Crop insurance adjusters will measure bins and audit the disposal. These are public funds and there must be a paper trail.”

Growers have applied to dispose up to 300 million pounds, but growers are still weighing whether to wait on the slim chance that the U.S. mainland market might open. They are encouraged that potatoes are now allowed into Puerto Rico. The first shipload left Halifax harbour on February 14, after growers met labelling requirements that the potatoes are for local consumption. It was a huge effort to affix stickers on every three- or five-pound polybag.

Stateside, the National Potato Council is digging in on its position as the Puerto Rico market opens. It is waiting for ag minister Marie-Claude Bibeau to report on progress of testing 35,000 soil samples before the mainland opens for trade with PEI.

The PEI Potato Board’s Greg Donald sats that the long-term potato wart management plan is working and that potato fields are not “infested’ as the CFIA originally communicated to its American counterparts. Donald authored an opinion editorial that was published in the Toronto Star on February 9. Titled “PEI potatoes in the eye of an unfair trade war with U.S., he recommended that the Canadian government consider:

- Immediately rescinding the ministerial order of November 21 or at least restrict it to the regulated fields where the crop pest was discovered and contained. Correct the original error.

- Removing all restrictions on the shipment of PEI potatoes within Canada. Leaving them in place simply gives the U.S. government something to point at.

- Holding U.S. secretary of agriculture Tom Vilsack to his commitment of a determination, by early March, on the admissibility of PEI potatoes in light of scientific data. If the ban remains in force, it will be utterly clear it is nothing more than an unfair advantage for American potato producers.

Source : PEI Potato

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.