The last potato crops came off the field earlier this month, with harvest looking similar to last year, according to Manitoba Agriculture plant pathologist Vikram Bisht.

He says this year may have been drier toward the end with periods of warm soils, and all around, it was a good harvest year. Bisht estimates average yields to be over 300 cwt.

"The expectation was it would be higher, but for whatever reason, they didn't size up as much," he says. "I expect part of the issue may be the high incidences of European corn borer in some fields."

Bisht says while there weren't too many issues at harvest time, and late blight didn't hit until late in the season, European corn borer was a big issue for potato producers.

"Initially we thought the incidences were rather low, but it appears many fields were affected by it. So hopefully we can do some research work on better management next year," he says.

With potatoes now in storage, Bisht says there is potential for producers to see pink rot, as there was some warmth in potato tubers at harvest time. He reminds producers to keep good air flow in their stored potatoes to prevent rotting.