Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32M A R C H 2 0 1 7 28 POTATO GROWER Minnesota Certified Seed Potato Report and Winter Test By Jeff Miller, Certified Seed Potato Specialist For the 2016 crop year, 32 growers entered 6,623 acres for certification, an increase of 2.25% over the previous year, of these, 5,889 acres passed summer cer- tification. Minnesota seed growers experienced a variety of challenges this year, however rain had the most dramatic effect. Spring planting got off to a mild and dry start, but in mid-June the rain began. The excess precipitation affected the northern reaches of the state, from East Grand Forks northward to the Canadian border, as well as the area close to the Iowa border where there are two grow- ing operations. Rain amounts often exceeded four to five inches, and occa- sionally reached eight and nine inches in a single event. With the extremely wet conditions most Minnesota growers faced throughout this year, only 8 acres of seed potatoes were lost due to drown out. Harvest was a challenge in the areas with excessive moisture. This included equipment getting stuck, potatoes being extremely wet, delayed harvest, and soft rot issues in the fields. Late Blight was found in both Manitoba and North Dakota, so it was not surprising to see it in wet fields in Minnesota, though to a 2017 PHWT plot; North Shore, Waialua, Oahu, Hawaii. Winter Test Crop Year 2016 By Acreage