You Say Potato

In Canada, the middle west portion of the country is the potato’s natural home. The province of Manitoba is one of the nation’s richest in potato production, both for fresh and processed uses; over 80,000 acres, most of them irrigated, are devoted to growing the crop and 40,000 more are currently being planned.

Manitoba accounts for half of Canada’s production of French fry potatoes, and a fifth of its overall yield; the province is also a leading center of potato processing, with Simplot, Midwest Food Products, Naleway Foods, and McCain Foods all maintaining large presences in the area for the production and export of everything from potato chips to pierogies.

The Northeast
Prince Edward Island is to Canada what Idaho is to the United States in terms of potatoes. Spuds are a major source of revenue on this little island of the Maritime Provinces, and their annual production accounts for a quarter of the country’s potatoes.

A full range of varieties—including reds, whites, yellows, and blues—as well as fingerlings and ‘new’ potatoes are harvested during Prince Edward Island’s July-to-September shipping season. The province exports to places far and near, including the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia, despite somewhat higher shipping, labor, and fuel costs.

Nearly two-thirds of Prince Edward Island’s crop is used in processed products, with 30 percent going to fresh markets and the remainder used as feed and seed. It’s even infused the culture of the small province; just like Idaho has its famed spuds, Prince Edward Island’s potatoes have been immortalized in several songs by Canadian country music legend Stompin’ Tom Connors. The “bright red mud” praised in the song “Bud the Spud” is full of volcanic ash and rich mineral content, which, according to Bill Enserink of Red Isle Produce Company, Ltd., accounts for the soil’s ability to sustain and nurture a number of varieties that don’t often thrive elsewhere.

Thanks to its proximity to the Maritimes, Maine is the leading U.S. producer of fall potatoes in the northeast, with over 58,000 acres and an annual yield worth $125 million. Both Pennsylvania and New York grow fall potatoes and have grower associations and established state branding programs to promote and sell their spuds. Another East Coast player is New Jersey, which grows potatoes in the summer along with Maryland and Delaware.

According to Ron Budd, vice president of Gloucester County Packing Company, “The New Jersey Department of Agriculture does an excellent job promoting New Jersey-grown produce; it’s amazing how powerful the Jersey Fresh brand is.” He also draws attention to a number of new varieties coming out of Cornell University: “Although they have been around for awhile, the ‘Reba’ and ‘Eva’ round white varieties have performed very well. Growers like the yields they produce, and the flavor is well-liked by consumers, as is the thin skin and bright appearance.”