I PRODUCTION PROFILE 4.10 acres of potat.v. thev leeded w«re in . i three year rotation. In order to iii.mhi.um this commitment to laager rotations, the Maclsaacs began to rent land. The Maclsaacs believe in doing whatever thev can tn keep their crop healthy and profitable. "We always start with I'xcvllcnt seed and we're particular on the si/e of the p«M% wo plant," savs Kevin. "In 1* N , we planted Elite 3 and Bite 4 seed and we treated the entire cn»p with Kasout to minimi/*? disease problems " fhe brothers share most of the decision-making, but they dh kde up the work Blair din-s the planting and Kevin does ma catting and "whatever'scut in the morning is planted b\ evening," addj H ,n- Mtentimi to planting is the secret to health) potattvs. according to the Maclsaacs "We only use one pass for cultivation," say* Kevin, "because too much cultivation stresses the soil and stirs up organic matter Reduced cultivation also preserves moisture. It has also reduced our sunburn problem to lull a percent " "Our one-pass system of planting reduces compaction as well." add-. Blair, fhe Maclsaacs n>»- -«>il sampling and tissue tastaog af bloom to keep track of their nutrient levels. "We're pretty fussy about fertility." uya Kevin, "In fact, each field might have a different analysis." Once the Maclsaacs have done all thev can to give the crop a good start they then monitor it through the season to catch any pest or disease problems. Thev- engage crop scouts to help them keep watch over their crop. "We use a crop consulting firm to scout our fields for insects and to let us know how close we are to threshold levels." says Kevin. "By using crop scouts, we've been able to eliminate sprav on some fields over the course of the year," adds Blair. "In the long run, we believe crop scouts save us money." The Maclsaacs spray fungicides every five to seven days. TOP CROP MANAGf R MAGAZINE/POTATOB IN (Special Issue) 2000 If the scouts spot weeds, pests or disease, the Maclsaacs begin damage control immediately. They believe weed control is very important and thev focus on controlling weeds in the crop. "One* we look after weed*, we start with a fungicide when the plants an' small," s,ns Kevin "We spray everv five to seven days with a contact fungicide and we also use one or two applications of Ridomil, to prevent pink rot." "Disease control is our number one priority." -*>vs Blair. "We find it helps to put a big hill over the potatoes because it prevents disease from washing down into the tubers." A good top-kill of the vines prior to harvest is also part of the Maclsaac diseasa control strategy because the disease problems tend to come in on green vim's' "I try to run the harvester myself to watch for bruising," says Kevin. He adds that because bruising can also be an entry point for disease, he likes to cull as many of those tubers as he can. Like all growers, the Maclsaacs diMiifect their storage and pressure wash all their equipment It's just one more management t«x>l to minimize the potential problem of disease invading the stored potatoes prior to shipping. Alter ail the careful management, the family hopes it rains when they need it and that nature looks on them favourably. Nevertheless, they are not above fine-tuning their management to give nature a helping hand. "Nutrient management is important to keep crops healthy to withstand disease naturally," Kevin comments. "Also, a weak stand is susceptible to drought and other problems." The Maclsaac spray program is one of precision and care. "We pay attention to the spray nozzles," says Kevin. "We reduced the 20 inch spacing of nozzles on the sprayer when it came from the factory to about 10 inches because it gives more coverage. We also spray the young plants to get a goixi base and then keep spraying the new growth and that keeps disease controlled." The commitment to detail and the unwavering focus toward the goo] of a healthy crop keeps the Maclsaacs busy- all summer. For them, the farm is a legacy and they don't want to miss an opportunity to make that legacy better. "We are always trying to improve our use of the land and our cropping practices." says Blair. If fhe Maclsaac ancestors who settled the land over a century ago are watching over the present operation, they would likely believe they left the farm in good hands. ■ 132