No-nonsense, no-frills potato news stories from around the world
NextGen Potatoes explores the future of the global potato industry through cutting-edge breeding, smart technologies, grower adaptation, and sustainable practices. This section features in-depth articles, interviews, and insights highlighting innovation, resilience, and the next generation of solutions shaping potato production worldwide.
Potatoes New Zealand has partnered with Garden to Table to promote food education on the International Day of Potato. This collaboration aims to connect young New Zealanders to their food’s origins, emphasizing the versatility and nutrition of potatoes. Through hands-on programs in schools, the initiative teaches children about growing and preparing food, fostering a genuine appreciation for food and local growers while instilling lifelong skills and confidence.
As The Transfarmation Project helps livestock and poultry farmers explore plant-focused futures, potatoes may offer one practical pathway for some farms seeking to transition out of intensive animal agriculture. While potatoes are not an easy crop and require serious agronomic, storage and market expertise, the potato sector could play a constructive role by offering mentorship, technical guidance and market insight to farmers seeking a dignified new beginning.
A new book by Potato News Today editor and publisher Lukie Pieterse examines the global potato industry at a critical turning point. Potatoes at the Crossroads: People, Climate and the Future of a Quietly Powerful Crop explores food security, climate change, water risk, disease pressure, storage, technology, markets, sustainability, and the human realities behind potato production. The book is now available as a softcover and eBook through Amazon.
The frozen potato market is undergoing significant changes as growth persists amidst price, margin, and demand pressures. A recent report outlines shifting consumer behavior and regional economic impacts, revealing reduced market value despite a volume increase. Geographic disparities in demand and rising costs complicate the landscape. Future growth remains expected but at a slower rate, highlighting the need for processors to adapt and focus on genuine consumption trends for informed strategies.
David Douches, a distinguished professor at Michigan State University, highlights his commitment to plant breeding, particularly for potatoes, which are vital for farmers and consumers. His work includes developing the resilient “Manistee” variety that extends storage time for Michigan growers and reduces chemical usage through genetic resistance. Douches also pioneers diploid breeding for improved efficiency and has created the nutritious “Blackberry” potato, showcasing successful collaborations that benefit agriculture and health.
The transition in potato crop protection is evolving towards an integrated model combining biologicals, chemistry, genetics, and AgTech. Expert Dr. Claude Flueckiger emphasizes that adoption of new solutions hinges on their proven reliability and effectiveness in real-world conditions. While early gains are visible, particularly in seed treatments, broader integration and reliance on biologicals will depend on demonstrated value amidst economic pressures faced by growers.
This article examines where value is truly created and retained in the potato sector. It argues that profitability depends not only on growing potatoes efficiently, but on capturing more value through storage, processing, logistics, premium fresh categories, ingredient functionality, and stronger market alignment. Using Canada and broader industry trends as context, it shows that the future of the potato economy will be shaped by strategy, differentiation, and value chain discipline.
Potatoes have long been valued as a dependable global food crop, but their future may reach far beyond traditional fresh and processed markets. As consumer expectations, climate pressures, and new technologies reshape agriculture, the crop is increasingly seen as a versatile biological resource with potential in value-added processing, ingredient systems, climate resilience, and selected industrial applications. Realizing that future will depend on more purposeful breeding, stronger market alignment, and better whole-chain integration.
The agricultural sector is shifting from chemical reliance to biological solutions enhanced by AgTech, amidst significant restructuring among major chemical companies. Biological crop-protection solutions are gaining traction, promoting regenerative farming. The transition is uneven due to grower hesitancy and market dynamics. Companies that innovate quickly will find opportunities in this emerging market, as chemical dependence declines and biological solutions promise enhanced resilience and productivity in farming systems.
As the potato sector faces tighter margins, climate pressure, and stricter quality demands, the strongest return from ag technology may increasingly come from efficiency rather than yield alone. Precision irrigation, better nitrogen management, improved sensing, stronger disease prevention, and smarter storage systems can all reduce waste and protect marketable output. In potatoes, the next big ROI may lie in producing each saleable tonne with fewer inputs and fewer hidden losses.
Researchers at Oregon State University have demonstrated that potatoes can grow in lunar regolith, with minimal compost required for decent harvests. While pure moon dirt severely stunted growth, adding just 5% compost yielded relatively healthy plants. The overall nutrition of moon-grown potatoes was comparable to those grown on Earth. This research suggests the potential for cultivating food on the moon, although environmental factors remain a challenge.
Effective potato handling requires meticulous system design and operating practices to minimize mechanical injuries. By adopting strategies from grain handling, such as controlled drop heights, gentle conveying, and adequate storage conditions, the industry can significantly reduce bruising. Understanding damage mechanisms and implementing thorough monitoring practices are essential for preserving quality and customer confidence.
Although potatoes are not part of animal agriculture, the potato industry increasingly operates within the same food-system frameworks shaped by animal welfare, sustainability, and responsible sourcing. Companies such as McDonald’s, PepsiCo, and McCain now discuss these issues in connected terms, while organizations such as Mercy For Animals are promoting crop-based alternatives through farm-transition initiatives. The result is a broader shift that potato growers and processors can no longer afford to ignore.
A viral image shared widely online does indeed appear to show a purple potato grown aboard the International Space Station by NASA astronaut Don Pettit. The strongest confirmation comes from Pettit’s own remarks, reported by Fox Weather, indicating the potato was part of his off-duty “space garden” during Expedition 72. The story is real, but current evidence suggests it was a personal orbit-growing effort rather than a formal NASA flagship potato experiment.
The Global Potato Industry Dictionary is now available in softcover / ebook as a new specialist reference for the global potato sector. Compiled by Potato News Today editor Lukie Pieterse, the 696-page volume offers plain-language guidance across production, storage, processing, trade, sustainability, technology, seed, breeding, and more. Designed for professionals, students, and industry stakeholders, the book aims to strengthen practical understanding across the international potato value chain.
As the world marked International Women’s Day on March 8, the potato industry has strong reason to pause and recognize the vast contribution women have made – and continue to make – across every part of the sector. From conserving native potato diversity in the Andes to supporting science, farming, storage, processing, trade, and leadership worldwide, women have long helped shape the global potato industry’s resilience, continuity, and future direction.
Dutch hybrid potato breeder Solynta has secured major growth funding, with a majority stake acquisition by EW Group. This partnership aims to double global potato yields while reducing land use and crop protection needs. The funding will enhance Solynta’s hybrid potato breeding platform and accelerate technology adoption. Both companies emphasize the importance of innovation to address agricultural challenges and improve global food security.
A pioneering low carbon concept farm in Lincolnshire has grown its first crop of sustainable Georgina potatoes, set to hit Tesco stores this week, in collaboration with Branston. Utilizing innovative techniques like circular economy fertilisers and HVO fuel, the farm achieves over 50% lower carbon emissions while maintaining quality. The initiative aims to advance net-zero farming practices and will explore further innovations for future crops to enhance sustainability.
Agriculture is evolving with advanced technology, particularly in the potato industry, where precision is crucial due to crop sensitivity. AI-driven robotics enhance harvesting by adapting to real-time conditions, thereby reducing bruising. IoT sensors optimize soil health and resource usage, informing targeted irrigation and fertilization. These innovations lead to reduced waste and improved sustainability performance.
A-Insights is hosting a webinar for food manufacturers on February 19, 2026, focusing on five critical trends impacting growth and strategy ahead of 2026. Presenters Shaun Wilken and Eralp Calhan will guide discussions on issues like weight-loss drugs, trade wars, and regulatory pressures. Attendees will gain insights on market signals, risk management, and growth opportunities, making it crucial for industry stakeholders, including the potato value chain. Registration is open online.
This feature reframes potato as a solar-biomass platform and argues that yield alone is no longer enough to define performance. It shows how canopy development, stress resilience, biomass partitioning, storage retention, and utilization of side streams shape true value per hectare. With climate volatility and tighter margins, the article calls for integrated decision-making across growers, processors, and planners, supported by measurable KPIs and a practical five-year implementation pathway for resilient profitability.
Late-winter shipping is where months of careful storage can be lost in minutes. This Storage Season Essentials installment outlines a practical handling playbook – choose stable pile zones, check pulp temperature, temper without triggering condensation, slow conveyors, reduce drop heights, and log decisions. It explains why cold, drier tubers bruise more easily and how winter pacing prevents blackspot, shatter bruising, skinning, and often costly claims before trucks leave the yard.
Potato processors already drive on-farm change through contracts and incentives – yet animal-welfare-linked outcomes remain largely outside potato procurement. This article proposes a practical solution: a paid, optional “Humane Addendum” added to existing grower programs, built around 3–5 measurable practices such as predator-safe rodent control, wildlife-aware field operations, durable habitat features, amendment sourcing integrity, and byproduct protocols. Success depends on clear payment triggers, lightweight verification, grower-led governance, and transparent reporting.
A University of Idaho team is innovating agricultural fungicide development through computer molecular modeling. With a focus on potato diseases, they have screened under 60 compounds and identified 15 effective candidates, aiming to introduce novel fungicide classes targeting specific fungal proteins. The project, supported by state and federal grants, could offer growers new crop protection solutions and generate substantial royalties for the university.
Uneven airflow creates microclimates that drive late-season storage problems – persistent warm spots, localized condensation, CO₂ pockets, and eventual breakdown. This fourth Storage Season Essentials article explains what dead zones look like, why they become rot zones, and how short-circuiting, leaks, and changing resistance weaken distribution mid-season. It provides a practical weekly airflow audit, a print-friendly checklist table, and common myths that lead to costly over-ventilation and missed warning signs.
