July/August 2021 - 14

Storage
and climate
change
Rising temps increasing costs to keep potatoes cool in storage
By Melanie Epp
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
F
ive years ago, Ruth and Nick Ploeg
invested in a new chiller, as they
found they were storing potatoes
well later and later each year. The
chiller provides more cooling capacity,
which has been especially handy in
unseasonable weather.
Industry experts believe this type of
investment will be more common in
the future. As weather patterns become
more
variable
and
unpredictable,
quality could be impacted in long-term
storage. Industry professionals offer
expertise on how to mitigate losses due
to that increased variability.
The Ploegs grow 1,450 acres of
potatoes in Alliston, Ontario where
14
Spudman.com
temperatures soar in summer but drop
well below freezing in the winter. Ruth
said the chiller has already paid off.
Last November, the province was hit
with unseasonably high temperatures,
rising to 77°F (25°C) during the day
and dropping no lower than 60°F
(16°C) at night.
" You can't cool potatoes at those
temperatures, " she said. " So we turned
on the chiller. "
This April, at a time when snow
is normally just beginning to melt,
the province was hit with high-70s
temperatures again, forcing the Ploegs
to fire the chiller up a month and a
half earlier than they normally would.
With each bin worth an estimated
CAD
$300,000
(about
$240,000
U.S. dollars), they're grateful to have
a quick solution to preserve quality
when needed.
" We can't take a $300,000 hit, " said
Ruth. " Maybe once in a while, but
not consistently, we can't do that. We
wouldn't be in business. "
The Ploegs installed the chiller on the
advice of Todd Forbush, an engineer
at Techmark, who said it was a better
option than air conditioning, which
often causes shrinkage.
Forbush said the Ploegs situation
isn't unique. Most potato growers don't
have a dependable supply of ambient
air for cooling where temperature
variability
occurs. Without cooling,
though, potato stores could start
building up heat and moisture,
allowing pathogens to reproduce and
destroy the tubers.

http://www.Spudman.com

July/August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2021

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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-potato-expo-2025-digital-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/january-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/november-december-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/september-october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/may-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-november-december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-september-october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-july-august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-may-june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-november-december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-september-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-july-august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/may-june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/november-december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/september-october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/july-august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/may-june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/november-december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/september-october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/july-august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/may-june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/november-december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/september-october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/july-august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/may-june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/basf-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/january-2019
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com