H‘ at‘rt-x oi potaiilN thuv wrtlnl new at .: thru- ycar rotation. In order to :naintain this comnntnwnt to longt-r rotations, lhc \l.lt‘l~hlt‘s hogan to root iaml

lht- \lat'lsaan bullet? in doing whatever they can to lump their crop ht-althi' and prontal‘le. W1 always atart with t-wvllcnt 1‘1““ and iw‘rc particular on tlw \Iltf ot tlw pun‘s \u- plant.” MW Kt’nn "In 1“”), wo plantvd l'lltr‘ J and lulltc «l wul and No tn‘atcxl the entin‘ tron wnh Eamut to nunimm- diwaw pti‘l‘lt~iil> ' ‘

l'ht- h!|‘lht‘f\ xhari- lhl' tlt‘VDIUH-Ihdhlnflt out tiwv tln Idt' up the “ink "ldll’ does the planting and Km in Jun thv tinting and ’u‘liatt-n-r‘s cut in thv nit-mint: v~ planlt-tl hi t'vvningf iiltlx’ ltlarr

\ttrntion to planting I5 tho sccn’t to hvaltm potatix‘s. according to the \lm‘kmu‘s ‘Wc onlv me one pass for tulznatinn,” uh kin-1n, “lx‘ranw too lilth'h tziltnation Mfr-secs lht- soil and «in up omanlc matter Reduced rultnanon also pn-wrves moistutv. It has also mtuwd our sunburn problem to halt a percent "

“Our one-pa“ xystcm of planting rt‘llh‘v‘ tompat tznn as wvll." adds Blatrl

the \lat lVI-h‘ It" soil sampling and n~~ut~ “Ming at nloom to keep track ot lllt‘tt‘ nutrwnt lwc : “Wc‘n' pruttv fussy about trrtiliti." says Kenn "In tat‘t. cach ltl‘ld might hmc a itittcmnt .anlme”

Una: the Madman have donv all they ran to give the crop a good ~start thcv then monitor it through the sea-ion to Hatch .mv post or disease g‘nihh’mx they t-ngage crop «outs to help thcm twp watch owr th'lf crop “We use a crop (omnltim: firm to scout our fields for in>cct> and to lot us know how close we .m- to ihmshold lt-vclfi-f says Kevin

"By usuig crop «outs. we've been able to eliminate spray on some fields o\ er the course of the year.” adds Blair. “In the long run. wr: believe crop scouts save us money"

tnoxt i-I

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It the wouh ~pot wu-tls, pcsts or tlix‘as'c, the hrldt'lxhlt“: begin damage control inunuliatoh'. Thv)’ believe weed tontrol :5 Mn important and lhvv locus on controlling wuxls in the crop. "Onct’ we look alter wards, we Hart with a fungicide whcn the plants am small," >rl\'~' Kenn "We sprav new {we to xm on dais With a contact tungicnlc and m- alw use one or two applications. of Rulomil, to prevcnt pink rot."

“l)lM'.L\l‘ control l5 our number one prioritv," \n's Blair, "We find ll helps to put a hit; hill owr tho potatoes because it pn-vvnts cliwast.‘ tmm washing down into lht‘ tubers."

.-\ good top-kill of the Vines prior to harvest is also part of thc \laclsaac disease control strategy lac-cause the tllx‘dfit’ problem's tend to ‘como in on print vilifi' "I try to 11m the harvester much to watth tor bruising," sun's chn Ho.- adtk that bvcauu: bruising tan .ilmi he .in critn' point for disease, he likes to cull as man» or those tubers as he can. ,

Like all growers, thc Maclsa’acs disinfect thi-ir storage and pressure wash all their equipment It’s just one mom management tool to nnniinizc the potvntial problem of nix-aw im ading the stored potatoes prior to shipping.

Alter all thc can-nil managumt-nt, the tamilv hopw it rauLs when they need it

The Madsnm‘s spray fimxin‘drs wen] fir-c to sway days.

TOP CROP MANAGER MAGABWAIOES IN CANADA (Specie! In...) 2000

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and that nature looks on them favourably. varthelcss, they am not above fine-tuning their management to give nature a helping hand. "Nutrient managemt-rnt is important to keep crops healthy to withstand disease naturally," Kevin comments. "Also, a weak stand is susceptible to drought and. other problvmsl"

The Matilsaac spray program is one of precision and care. "th-E pay attention to the spray noulcs," s. '3 Kevin, "We reduced the 20 inch spacing of nozzles on the sprayer when it came from the factory to about 10 inches because ll gives‘ more coverage). We also spray the young plants to get a good base and then keep spraying the new growth and that keeps d iwaso controlled .

the commitment to detail and the unwavering locus toward tht: goal of a healthy crop keeps the Maclsaacs busy all hummer For them, the farm is a legal} and they don‘t want to mix: an opportunity to malw that legacy better.

“We are always trying to improve our use of the land and our cropping practices.” says Blair.

It the Macls‘aat‘ ancestors who settled the land over a century ago are watching (war the present operation, they would likely believe- tliey left the fann in good hands. I