“I recently visited a state-of-the-art potato storage in western Manitoba, a very large building with all the bells and whistles,” writes Peter Alder, Appraiser at FFC in this technical article. “I could feel the excitement and pride shared by the owner of this large facility as it promises to deliver everything a pile of potatoes would ever need to make it through the storage season in great condition and deliver a great quality product just-in-time to the processing plant.”
“Just-in-time” delivery is not new, but necessary to adapt to new expectations of agricultural systems that will address topics like climate change, environmental impacts, sustainability, and export bans – all while improving quality and reducing costs in an ever-changing environment.
Is the considerable investment in such a facility justified? The answer to this question is “precision ag 24/7”. Agriculture has evolved and always adapted to new market trends, with producers having to deliver at the right place and time. This is as old as farming itself.
Over the last decade, an increasing level of potato production has been driven mainly by the frozen processing industry to maintain a year-round supply of high-quality tubers. Storage capacity overall has increased, as is the proportion of good storage facilities with improved environmental control.
Tuber losses are inevitable when potatoes are not stored properly and can significantly impact the farm’s revenue. To prevent this, a good storage facility becomes a valuable farm asset worth the investment.
Source: FFC. Read the full article here
Photo: Credit FFC
