News on Potato Cultivation from Northern America

Bayer CropScience announced at the National Potato Expo (NPE) in Orlando, Fla., the launch of Good Growing Link, a Web-based tracking tool powered by food safety and traceability technology leader FoodLogiQ, Inc.

An independent researcher in a presentation at a meeting in Oregon, Nov. 30 challenged potato growers to stop relying on neonicotinoid and pyrethroid insecticides.

Two people were sickened this morning by a pesticide being used at a potato farm off Route 5 in the Town of Batavia, Genesee County officials said. Shortly before 8 a.m., a truck driver delivering materials to a business at 2975 Route 5 began sufferin...

Pennsylvania State officials headed to a farm Wednesday for a look at the damage done by the flood.  Entire crops have been wiped out, leaving farmers looking for help which may be available through FEMA.  Devastation pretty much sums up the potato cr...

Research conducted in part at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed that in some production systems, planting potatoes in flat beds can increase irrigation water use efficiency. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) agricultural engine...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will soon begin contacting potato producers to learn about their production practices during the 2010 growing season.

The following update on the New Brunswick potato crop was provided by Agriculture and Aquaculture New Brunswick on September 20:

EPA and Bayer CropScience, the manufacturer, have reached an agreement to end use of the pesticide aldicarb in the United States.

On Thursday, May 10th the EPA announced that it would begin phasing out all uses of the organochlorine pesticide endosulfan. According to the Agency the pesticide is particularly harmful to both workers and the environment.

The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit focused on public health, scoured nearly 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine what fruits and vegetables we eat hav...

Farmers who grow potatoes that end up as french fries at McDonald's and other fast food restaurants have begun taking surveys about how they produce the crop.About a year ago, McDonald's bowed to pressure from activist shareholders and agreed to make a...

The nation's top spud state will play host to its 42nd annual potato conference this month under the theme, "Putting Sustainability into Practice." The Idaho Potato Conference is scheduled for Jan. 20-21 at Idaho State University in Pocatel...

It's unusual to see farm equipment working in Manitoba fields in late November -- but that's exactly what happened this year. Cool, wet weather dominated Manitoba's growing season, bringing fears that most crops would see a drastic drop in yields. But...

Prince Edward Island potato growers are being hampered by the elements as they try to harvest the most expensive crop ever planted.Usually, harvest is half done by Oct. 15, with Oct. 31 being the typical deadline to avoid the risk of frost damage. But ...

McDonald's Corp, el mayor comprador de la papa en los Estados Unidos, ha acordado adoptar los primeros pasos para reducir el uso de plaguicidas en las explotaciones de sus proveedores nacionales, dijo el martes un grupo de accionistas . Tras el acuer...

McDonald's Corp, the largest purchaser of potatoes in the United States, has agreed to take preliminary steps to reduce pesticide use in its domestic potato supply, shareholder groups said on Tuesday. Following the agreement, the Bard College Endowme...

In sharp contrast to most other sectors, agricultural machinery manufacturers remain positive about 2009. Already, farm debt-to-asset ratios are at an all-time low while farms continue to invest in equipment. Everyone has been cutting back on expen...