In Grand Falls, the first potatoes have been harvested. And the good news is that the season is looking promising: "It's looking very good, the harvest is very good. We've had a great season, and the weather conditions have been just about ideal. The weather was drier for a while, but we still had enough water and moisture in the soil," says Marcel Michaud, potato grower and owner of GAM Michaud farms in Grand Falls.

It seems a far cry from the catastrophic year of 2023. Marcel Michaud, who farms close to 700 acres, generated no income at all: "We still had fairly good volumes, but the quality deteriorated a lot. by weather variations at the wrong time, either because the soil is cold or lacks calcium or fertilizer, but this year it's just the opposite: the potatoes are really beautiful", says Marcel Michaud.

Potatoes cost the same to produce. But labor costs will be reduced. "We save a lot in terms of costs, because when you throw away 40% or 45% of your product because it has defects, you've lost a lot of money.it costs you the same price plus it costs you to have staff to remove it", he continues.

With quality potatoes, the grower should have access to larger grocery chains: "You can go after much more lucrative markets that will bring better returns for your product.We sell a lot to Canada, and then after that to the whole American East Coast. When you don't have a good product to offer, it's hard to go there," he explains.

The potato remains one of the most consumed foods," he says. "During Covid, people were looking for three things: the potato, the carrot and the onion. This bodes well for us," explains Marcel Michaud.

The entire harvest will take place at the end of September: "We're going to start harvesting seriously around the 20th," he concludes.

Source: cimtchau.ca/