Potato alternatives: Crop rotation studies aim to help potato growers boost profits

Most potato growers understand the value of rotating spuds with other crops in a rotation spanning three years or longer, as a vital tool for fighting potato diseases and pests. Some farmers, facing shrinking margins and other factors such as a declining agricultural land base and high costs for adding fields, are tempted to grow potatoes one in every two years, despite the deleterious effects of shorter crop rotations. Potatoes are a high-value crop, so the profitability of alternative crops in non-potato years in the rotation is another important consideration. Research is showing that canola is poised in some areas of Canada to become the crop with possibly the highest profit potential next to potatoes. Here’s a look at what producers are planting in non-potato years in some areas of the country — and why. More