In this episode of SpudChat, Ryan Barrett chats with Kelvin Montagu of Applied Horticultural Research in Australia about regenerative agriculture at the World Potato Congress, held in late June in Adelaide, Australia. This recording was done by the folks at PotatoLink, the Australian potato industry extension project. You can find out more about PotatoLink at https://potatolink.com.au, and you can check out their podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2022082.
Jul 17, 2024•30 min•Season 4Ep. 6
In this episode, Ryan talks with Dr. Aitazaz Farooque, Professor of Precision Agriculture with the University of Prince Edward Island. Aitazaz has been a frequent collaborator on research projects with the PEI potato industry, including research into the use of soil electroconductivity (EC) for creating management zones, uses those zones for variable rate fertility or seed spacing, investigating compaction, and now working on using AI and machine learning to identify PVY in the field. We discuss...
Apr 16, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 5
In this episode of Spudchat, we talk to Dr. Ian Scott of AAFC in London, Ontario about insecticide resistance in Colorado potato beetles. Ian was part of a team that worked for the last five years to test potato beetles from across Canada for resistance to commonly used insecticides, uncovering some very interesting results. We talk about those results and the next steps in managing these persistent pests.
Apr 09, 2024•28 min•Season 4Ep. 4
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Tyler MacKenzie of Agricultural Certification Services in Fredericton, NB to talk about the work that their team is doing on PVY, including some research into aphicide resistance that they did for us here in PEI last year. Tyler also talks about using new lab techniques to identify Verticillium and nematodes, which cause potato early dying.
Apr 02, 2024•36 min•Season 4Ep. 3
In this episode of Spudchat, we head "across the pond" again to speak with Martyn Cox, an independent agronomist in England who has been working hard to figure out how to manage wireworm, which has become more of an issue in recent years. Martyn has been collaborating with folks in PEI for the last few years to inform how they improve their IPM strategies back in the UK. Martyn updates us on the challenges they face with wireworm and how they are making headway in reducing losses from this pest....
Mar 26, 2024•49 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Spudchat is back! Apologies for the hiatus, but looking forward to bringing you more potato chat this year. In this episode, Ryan talks with Dr. Mark Stalham of Mark Stalham Potato Consultancy in the United Kingdom. Mark worked for many years at Cambridge University Farm and then NIAB CUF before starting his own private agronomy consulting firm. Mark has presented in PEI before and has a great knowledge of potatoes, especially irrigation, compaction, and soil health. In this podcast, we dig into...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In this episode of SpudChat, Ryan talks with Dr. Mario Tenuta from the University of Manitoba about Potato Early Dying complex (PED). Mario was the lead for Canadian Potato Early Dying Network (CanPEDNet) project as part of the FVGC National Cluster for the last five year, and included research happening here in PEI. They talk about some of the key findings from the research project, as well as where we go from here in terms of managing the disease.
Mar 20, 2023•52 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In this episode of SpudChat, we hear from Greg Donald, General Manager of the PEI Potato Board from a presentation Greg made at the 2023 PEI Potato Conference. Greg provides an update on the ongoing potato wart investigation, the results of the International Panel report on potato wart in PEI, and how this informs the path forward toward resuming seed shipments from the Island to the rest of Canada and beyond.
Mar 16, 2023•24 min•Season 3Ep. 5
This episode features another of our presenters from the 2023 PEI Potato Conference in Summerside on February 13th. Today, we hear from Anne Verhallen of OMAFRA in Ridgetown, Ontario, talking about practical approaches to soil health. Anne is a well-renowned expert on cover cropping and soil health improvement, working primarily with horticulture crop producers in South-Western Ontario. Anne discusses some of the results of trials that indicate how producers can prioritize soil health in a numbe...
Mar 13, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 4
On this bonus episode of SpudChat, we're pleased to share an episode of the Tuber Talk podcast from Potatoes in Canada that was recorded in late 2022. In this episode, Ryan Barrett talks about research and extension projects on cover crops and improving soil health in potato rotations with Bree Rhody. You can find Tuber Talk at https://www.potatoesincanada.com/podcast-category/tuber-talk/ or in your normal podcast platform.
Mar 09, 2023•27 min•Season 3Ep. 3
This week on SpudChat, we bring you the audio from another of our presentations at the PEI Potato Conference in Summerside on February 13th, 2023. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Claudia Goyer of AAFC in Fredericton, NB. Claudia has been leading a national research project into common scab for the past five years, investigating both the populations of the bacteria that cause common scab as well as potential treatment options for potatoes.
Mar 06, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 2
SpudChat is back! Over the next couple of weeks, we're sharing some of the presentations from the 2023 PEI Potato Conference, held in Summerside on February 13th. First up is Dr. Mathuresh Singh of Agricultural Certification Services in Fredericton, NB to talk about PVY and why it was such a problem in 2022. Mathuresh covers a number of reasons why PVY levels might be so elevated from last season, including the appearance of green peach aphids, changes in varieties, changes in grower demographic...
Feb 27, 2023•41 min•Season 3Ep. 1
This week, Ryan talks with Dr. Andrew McKenzie-Gopsill, Weed Scientist with AAFC Charlottetown about a range of weed-related topics, including herbicide rotation and efficacy, herbicide timing, and some of the interesting cultural and mechanical weed seed destruction research that Andrew is working on.
Jul 13, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 10
On this episode of SpudChat, Ryan Barrett provides and update on the crop following the first Crop Update Meeting of the year, hosted by the PEI Dept of Ag. Recorded July 7th, 2022.
Jul 07, 2022•13 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In this episode of SpudChat, Ryan Barrett walks through some of the funding available for farmers under the On Farm Climate Action Fund, administered in PEI by the PEI Federation of Agriculture. Full details available at www.peifa.ca/ofcaf
Jun 29, 2022•14 min•Season 2Ep. 8
SpudChat is back with a new episode, and this week we bring back the grower check-in, where we talk with PEI potato farmers from across the province to hear how things went this planting season, and what's new for this year. This week, Ryan is joined by Jonathan MacLennan from West Cape, Chris MacAulay from Chepstow, and Andrew Lawless from Shamrock.
Jun 22, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In this episode of SpudChat, Ryan talks with Michele Konschuh from the International Potato Tech Expo in Charlottetown about irrigation management following her presentation on March 30th. Michele is an irrigated crop researcher with the University of Lethbridge.
Apr 06, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 6
In this episode SpudChat, Ryan talks with Mark Pavek of Washington State University about his research and extension projects, including variety management projects involving newer varieties like Clearwater Russet and Mountain Gem Russet that were developed in the Columbia Basin but are now finding adoption here in Prince Edward Island.
Mar 10, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In this episode, Ryan talks with Dr. David Burton of the Dalhousie Faculty of Agriculture about nitrogen in potato rotations. Dave has been doing multiple projects looking at better quantifying the nitrogen in PEI soils as well as how producers can better dial-in nitrogen use, including use of enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilizers.
Mar 03, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 4
In this episode of SpudChat, Ryan is joined by David Jones, Programs Manager with Canadian Potato Council in Ottawa. David gives an overview of the things that the CPC does for Canadian potato growers, including responding to continual pesticide reviews by PMRA. This week, we dig into the newly announced proposed decision to cancel uses of chlorothalonil and how PEI growers can have their voices heard as part of the review process.
Feb 24, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In this episode of SpudChat, we talk to Dr. Christine Noronha, a research entomologist with AAFC in Charlottetown. We talk about the great work Christine and other have been doing on wireworm IPM strategies as well as a couple of other insect pests in potato production.
Feb 17, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 2
SpudChat is back, and we're talking about pink rot with Jeff Miller of Miller Research in Rupert, Idaho.
Feb 02, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 1
We cap off our three week focus on cover crops by talking to Dr. Laura Van Eerd, Professor and researcher with the University of Guelph at Ridgetown College in Southwestern Ontario. Ryan talks with Laura about her long-term cover crop research and some of the exciting findings from those trials so far. More on Dr. Van Eerd's research can be found at https://soilsatguelph.ca/ After this week, SpudChat will be taking a short break for a few weeks during the harvest season while we get all of our g...
Sep 29, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 23
On this episode of SpudChat, Ryan talks to Dr. Judith Nyiraneza with Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada in Charlottetown about some of her research projects, including cover cropping, building soil health and fertility through rotation crops, measuring the effect of manure in potato rotations, as well as her recent research into improving phosphorus management in PEI.
Sep 22, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 22
On this episode of SpudChat, Ryan talks with Peter "Wheat Pete" Johnson, an agronomist, farmer and podcaster from Ontario to talk about the agronomy of winter cereals, as growers start ramping up cover cropping this fall. They also chat about some ways to avoid soil compaction as we head into the harvest season. You can listen to Wheat Pete's World every week at RealAgriculture or wherever you get your podcasts.
Sep 15, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 21
On this week's SpudChat, we talk with the king of Canadian ag podcasting, Shaun Haney of RealAgriculture. We talk about how he started his ag media business, how he enjoys reaching out to farmers of all types across Canada, and some of the newer podcasts and features that he and his team are working on. RealAgRadio, the Agronomists, and other podcasts are available wherever you get podcasts!
Sep 08, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 20
On this episode of SpudChat, Ryan provides a quick update on the crop and a look ahead at the two remaining AIM Field Tours coming up on Tuesday, September 7th.
Sep 03, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 19
This week, the Grower Check-In is back for August. Ryan talks with Morgan Smallman of J & J Smallman Farms near O'Leary, Kevin Murray of Murray Farms in Bedeque, and Myles Rose of RA Rose & Sons of North Lake to hear how the crop is looking across the province.
Aug 25, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 18
On this episode, we again have an update on the status of the crop across the province following our bi-weekly scouting meeting. Joining me this week are Lorraine MacKinnon and Eileen Beaton with the PEI Dept of Agriculture & Land and Morgan MacNeil with the PEI Potato Board. Generally, the crop is looking good in PEI and growers are positive, but still a few things to pay attention to as we move into tuber bulking stage.
Aug 18, 2021•13 min•Season 1Ep. 17
In this week's episode of SpudChat, we once again get a review of the bi-weekly scouting meeting with Lorraine MacKinnon of the PEI Department of Agriculture and Land. Thankfully, reports have been very positive with few reports of disease or pest issues. We talk a little bit about dealing with wet spots, thinking about pink rot, and other topics.
Aug 04, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 16
