b'Potatoes being loaded into storage on North Paddock Farms near Taber, Alta.PHOTO: NORTH PADDOCK FARMSFresh Potato Growers Rely on ThemselvesTheyve been trying their best to negotiate with their When it comes down to fresh potato shipping, growers in Newcustomers, but in some cases, theyve had to absorb the Brunswick typically handle the supply chain themselves.difference, he says. Growers are doing their best to get the most For the majority of our fresh acreage, New Brunswick growers/ out of every litre of gas as well.packers would do their own marketing and deal directly with theParticularly, when it comes to shipping further south buyers themselves, says Brian DuPlessis, manager of the NewDuPlessis mentions sale destinations can be as far south as Brunswick Potato Shippers Association, in a phone interview.Florida, Virginia and New York in the U.S.negotiating in When it comes to marketing potatoes, DuPlessis says growersfreight costs is paramount.in New Brunswick for the most part, still take the task onThat would be in the deal with the customertransportation themselvestypically, in a combination of owning the truckswould be included, he says.for transport and hiring the trucking. Potato shipping hasntHowever, the current situation with gas prices isnt one that changed much over the years. can last with DuPlessis saying fuel prices arent sustainable.The biggest change is that there are fewer brokers involved,Particularly, he sees a challenge in staying competitive in the DuPlessis explains, adding its becoming more difficult as wellpotato market, especially with the U.S. nearby. because fresh potatoes are now more of a specialty crop to ship.They are a major market and competition, DuPlessis says. But the next biggest challenge comes down to the cost ofIf were not competitive with the U.S., then were going to lose shipping. As it rises, the burden to bear on the potato growers ismarket share. The price of fuel must come down in order for us becoming more difficult.to survive. DuPlessis notes the negative impact due to rising costs has been enormous on growers/packersfuel prices have nearlySeed Potatoes Hold Out Hope for Springdoubled in many cases. Freight costs in the fresh potato marketThe world of seed potatoes looks a little different from fresh account for approximately 30 per cent of the increase DuPlessispotatoes, according to Jake Hoogland, a seed potato grower with has saw in recent months, especially in delivery costs to majorHoogland Farms in Millet, Alta. clients such as Loblaws, Costco, Wal-Mart and Sobeys.Hooglands seed potatoes travel far across the U.S. and Canada To mitigate the increased cost of freight, negotiation has been he notes they typically start the shipping season sending seed key.potatoes to the southern tip of Florida, and then into California 8SPUDSMART.COM Fall 2022'