b'ROUNDTABLE Prepping Your Fields for PlantingPrepping your potato fields for planting in the fall can save you time and money come springtime. BY: ASHLEY ROBINSONJEFF MILLER Editors note: This interview has beenthat we get the residue incorporated. edited for length and clarity. Oftentimes, fertilizer will also be applied at president and CEO ofthis timeand this varies, I wouldnt say Miller ResearchSpud Smart (SS): When shouldtheres one standard practice. potato field preparation start? Many times, growers are not adding Jeff Miller (JM): I do think that whenfertilizer just in case things change, and youre going to plant potatoes thethey decide not to use a certain field MANPHOOL FAGERIA following year, it really does start quitefor potatoes. The level of uncertainty early. We have to think about this whensometimes will prevent fall fertilizer senior scientist andwere growing the previous crop andapplications. But there is some that is made.manager of the McCain Farm of the Future before weve actually even harvested it. We also will do cultivation to break up I was planning to plant potatoes nextany compacted soil layers. This will vary year in a wheat field. Prior to dryingdepending on the crop that was grown down the wheat, we want to sample forbefore. But we also want to improve water nematodes while the crop is still growinginfiltration.and still healthy, and before the soilWe also want to mark out the rows dries out. Thats going to give me a sensein the fall. This allows any freezing and for what nematodes might be there thethawing that will occur through the winter following year.to help loosen up that soil. Fall mark After Ive done that, therell be all kindsout also allows you to plant it as soon as of different things needed and to followpossible, eliminating a spring cultivation. the groundwork to prepare, I also need to think about the residuethe previousManphool Fageria (MF): Spring is very crop If that isnt dealt with or managedbusy time for the year for a grower, it some way that will cause really poorcan be a big relief for them if they can potato growth the following year, so wecomplete the field preparation work in the have to do things to manage the residue.fall. This way the growers will be more To do this we have to use water. Weefficient in timely planting of not only want to sprout any remaining seed. Inpotatoes, but grains as well in the spring. some cases, we may have salt buildup inWe noticed that hills prepared in fall the soil that we want to leach down anddry faster than smooth ground or recently get it out of the root zone. But we dontprepared ground. We have also learned always have access to that water wherethat if we can plant our potatoes timely were at So here, when Im in Augustand earlier in the season, especially long and September, when Im trying to get theseason varieties like Russett Burbank, we ground ready to go into winter, sometimescan harvest five to 10 per cent more yield. I have to apply a fair amount of irrigation. Therefore, timely and early planting is There are multiple cultivations that wevery important for us to get higher yield may do to take care of the residue. Wefor longer season potato varieties.may also fumigate, then well also want to ROUNDTABLE SUPPORTED BY: mark out the rows in the fall, so that theSS: How should fields with cover field is ready to plant as soon as possiblecrops be prepared?the following spring. MF: Before preparing the field, we need to terminate our existing crop. So, how we SS: Why is it worth doing fall tillageterminate our crop and how we prepare work? the field at the Farm the Future is we JM: With the fall tillage, its really importantterminate our existing crop by using a 48SPUDSMART.COM Fall 2022'