No two April’s are ever the same, writes Terence Hochstein, executive director, Potato Growers of Alberta. With the changing of the seasons, every weather event imaginable can be experienced.

Many of the northern Alberta seed growers are reporting a lot of bare ground, not normal for the growing area.

“What we really need at this time is a good general spring snowstorm, to provide some much-needed moisture in the ground,” writes Hochstein, in his April 1 newsletter. 

“There have been many days over the last three months where the west wind has removed any moisture that we had from last fall and early winter,” he adds. “When you look at the snowpack in the higher elevations, the numbers are indicating that it is average at best. There is a lot of open dry ground that needs to be recharged in the river basins before the water gets downstream.”

Source:  Potato Minute newsletter, April 1, 2021