No-nonsense, no-frills potato news stories from around the world
TOMRA Food has launched the TOMRA 4A, an AI-powered optical sorter designed for high-volume potato handling. Processing up to 100 tonnes per hour, it uses advanced inspection and three-way sorting to separate quality potatoes, out-of-spec produce, and foreign materials. With 92% foreign-material detection accuracy, machine learning, and intuitive controls, the system helps reduce waste, protect stored crops, address labour challenges, and maximize harvest value. Onion sorting is planned next.
NAPSO and Spud Smart will host a November 19 webinar connecting russet potato disease management with storage economics. Jeff Miller will examine varietal susceptibility and disease management strategies, while Patrick Hatzenbuehler will explore treatment costs, shrinkage, market prices, and potential returns. The session launches NAPSO’s Storage Economics initiative and aims to help growers and storage teams make informed decisions about protecting crop quality and financial returns throughout the storage season.
Scotts Precision Manufacturing will exhibit at three industry events across the UK and Belgium in November and early December 2026. The Lincolnshire manufacturer’s programme includes the inaugural British Potato Confex, its first appearance at the Onion & Carrot Conference, and INTERPOM. Visitors can meet the company at Lincolnshire Showground, Leicester Tigers Conference Centre and Kortrijk Xpo to discuss its potato and vegetable harvesting, cleaning and handling equipment with company representatives.
Syngenta Canada president Shaun Vey has highlighted Canada’s potato sector as an example of agriculture’s potential to drive economic growth. In an opinion article published by The Hill Times, he points to the importance of innovation, investment, processing capacity and export access. His message calls for predictable regulation, effective investment and infrastructure that help farmers and agricultural businesses strengthen competitiveness, create value and contribute more to Canada’s long-term economic prosperity.
Six recent YouTube uploads provide perspectives on potato harvesting, storage, machinery and breeding. Potato News Today’s selection brings together updates from Bells Farming and Rocky Mountain Farmer, an APH Group harvesting demonstration, Trekkerweb’s PotatoEurope coverage and a Root2Res discussion featuring Teagasc researchers. Published between September and November 2026, the videos connect seasonal farm operations with equipment developments and the longer-term work of developing potato varieties for different production environments worldwide.
Europatat’s September–October 2026 newsletter highlights water resilience, post-harvest disease protection and closer cooperation across Europe’s potato sector. Developments include a water workshop, PATAFEST research on Fusarium dry rot susceptibility, and a new POMATO platform for sharing bacterial disease knowledge. The issue also reviews Madrid’s International Potato Symposium, welcomes new members from Greece and Spain, and looks ahead to Europatat’s 75th anniversary congress in Lisbon, Portugal, scheduled for June next year.
This edition of Potato News Today’s ‘Words Behind the Headlines’ series explores the gap between growing potatoes and earning a dependable living. Six selections highlight Ireland’s rising costs, Bangladesh’s storage losses, an Idaho grower’s interest in artificial intelligence, African efforts to strengthen seed delivery and late blight management, and Canadian food redistribution. Together, they show why innovation, market access and shared responsibility matter for growers and the communities that depend on their continued success.
