Saskatchewan author and chef dee Hobsbawn-Smith offers a retrospective on the potato’s cultural journey from the Americas to Europe and back, and a recipe for butter-basted baby potatoes with rosemary.
Potatoes
Putting down roots, part 2: Potatoes
First We Eat: It didn’t take long for the versatile potato to become a staple in Europe, especially in Ireland
Alberta Crop Report: Harvest more than three-quarters finished
Alberta’s provincial harvest as of Sept. 23, 2025 was 78 per cent complete, said the province’s weekly crop report.
Evolutionary origins of the potato revealed – and a tomato was involved
Study, which analyzed genomes from cultivated and wild potatoes, may improve future breeding
A new analysis of 450 genomes from cultivated potatoes and 56 genomes of wild potato species has revealed that the potato lineage originated through natural interbreeding between a wild tomato plant and a potato-like species in South America about 9 million years ago.
Alberta Crop Report: Rains in the south, dryness in the north
Rain fell onto the southern half of Alberta last week, while hot and dry conditions persisted in the northern half, according to the province's crop report released on July 18.
Farm goods holding up U.S.-India trade talks
U.S. and India trade negotiators were pushing on Wednesday to finalize a tariff-reducing deal ahead of President Donald Trump's July 9 negotiating deadline, but disagreements over U.S. dairy and agriculture remained unresolved.
Farming Smarter receives financial boost from Alberta government for potato research
Farming Smarter one of 12 research associations getting part of one-time $3.2 million capital grant
Farming Smarter near Lethbridge got a boost to its research equipment, thanks to the Alberta government’s increase in funding for research associations.
Alberta crops 21 points below average but soil moisture improving
Prior to Alberta getting rain over the weekend of June 21 and 22, the province's crops were well below the five-year average for ratings. As of June 17, Alberta Agriculture said they were listed as 50 per cent good to excellent overall compared to the average of 71 per cent.
Alberta spring planting slows, but remains ahead of average
Good levels of soil moisture provincewide
Despite some delays, spring planting in Alberta remained well ahead of the five-average, according to the May 23 report from the province's agriculture department.
Powdery scab a puzzling potato problem
Biosecurity, such as avoiding the use of manure from livestock that ate infected potatoes, is a must
Powdery scab, caused by Spongospora subterranea, thrives in cool, moist conditions and can significantly impact potato crops by forming lesions on tubers and galls on roots.
How potato pests find ways around insecticides
Resistance to insecticides is complicating pest control, prompting experts to advocate for integrated management strategies
Several mechanisms allow insects to survive pesticide applications — for example, metabolic resistance, in which the pest detoxifies the insecticide faster than a susceptible individual, or target-site resistance, in which the receptor sites affected by the pesticide are altered.
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