11/16/07 Pest find in Canada creates potato industry challenge

Farm and Ranch November 16, 2007 The recent find of a golden nematode in an Alberta, Canada seed potato field dominated the discussion at the U.S.-Canada annual potato meeting. Chris Voigt, Executive Director of the Washington State Potato Commission, says that nematode is a quarantine pest and we don't want it here. However; Voigt: "Washington state gets about 30% of its seed potatoes from Alberta. So we are very concerned. We are kind of walking the middle part of a fence here to where we need that seed for us to have an industry here in Washington State. But we also have to have some type of protections in place so that we don't import that pest because if we get that pest here, wherever those fields are that are infected they no longer will ever be able to grow potatoes and our export markets are shutdown over night. But then yet if we don't have the seed from Alberta we are going to lose 30% of our potato production in Washington state. So we are walking a delicate line right now." Protocol to continue Canadian seed imports requires a lot of soil sampling, but fields are starting to freeze in Alberta. So Voigt says the Commission is trying to work out a compromise with USDA. Voigt: "Essentially shutting down certain fields or farms that we know where the pest is at and allowing the other potatoes to come in with some form of sampling that has already been done." Voigt says some type of safety protocol is needed before February when Washington typically begins importing seed potatoes from Alberta. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.