31 Jan Agronomy Update – Jan 31st
Hi everyone. I hope your week is off to a great start. We’re getting into the full swing of “meeting season,” with lots of worthwhile events in preparation for the next cropping season.
AIM Winter Workshops Next Week:
Seed Potato Production in the UK with Sophie Bambridge, B&C Farming, Norfolk
Feb 6th at 8:30 am: Emerald Community Centre
Feb 6th at 1:30 pm: Riverhouse Inn, Montague
Feb 7th at 8:30 am: Fox Island Seed Farm
For those interested the meeting a Fox Island, we are planning to offer a light lunch and then a tour of the Fox Island facilities if you are interested in attending. Please let us know if you plan to attend this meeting so we can plan for lunch.
Sophie and her father Tony operate B&C Farming, a large seed farm in England who also grow processing potatoes and a range of other crops. Sophie will share how they farm and manage/store/grade seed in the UK and how they approach some of the challenges that they face, many of which should resonate with growers in PEI. After Sophie’s talk, I will share some results of 2023 AIM seed projects. All growers and AIM industry partners are welcome to attend!
Also, please mark for calendars for our final AIM Winter Workshop Series:
Feb 27th and 28th: Reduced Tillage and Practical Sustainability with Chad Berry, Under the Hill Farms, Manitoba
Feb 27th at 8:30 am: Emerald Community Centre
Feb 27th at 1:30 pm: Fox Island Seed Farm
Feb 28th at 8:30 am: Riverhouse Inn, Montague
Potato Expo: Register Today!
Attached to this email is a full agenda for the International Potato Tech Expo, being held Feb 22 and 23 at Red Shores/Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown.
Right now, there is a promo code to register for free (Click Here). Registration at the door is $20, so register today to save a few bucks!
We’ve worked with multiple partners to put together an interesting conference agenda for the two mornings, which also includes a free lunch both days.
We’re also organizing a fun pub night at The Pourhouse (upstairs at the Old Triangle on Great George Street) for the evening of Feb 22nd, where you can come and meet some of the speakers and just chat with fellow growers, industry professionals, and anyone who wants to attend. Doors open at 6:00 pm.
Last Week’s Fertility Workshops:
For anyone who missed last week’s Innovations in Potato Fertility Workshops that would like to watch the video or take a look at the slide presentation, the links are included below:
Video: https://youtu.be/wvp2ais8hxk
We had a lot of discussion at the meetings about calculating nutrients from manure and the value of manure as well as the value/nutrient content of hay/straw. There are calculators for these on the Agronomy Website:
Value of Hay and Straw Calculator (developed by me for AIM)
Manure Nutrient Calculator (developed by PEI Dept of Ag)
Value of Manure Calculator (developed by me for AIM)
Note: I have not updated the fertilizer prices in the two Value calculators since May 2023, but you can add your own values in there if you want. The Value of Manure Calculator allows you to pick a standard manure nutrient analysis or input your own. If you have any questions about using any of these calculators, feel free to send me a note or give me a call and I can walk you though it.
Have a great rest of the week
Ryan