Canada’s potato sector heads into harvest on two tracks: recovery in P.E.I., new packing capacity in Alberta
Key takeaways
- 16% P.E.I. output drop in 2025, steepest of any province
- 13% Alberta output growth in 2025, to about 1.5M tonnes
- 60% of P.E.I.'s potato crop is destined for processing
- 52 weeks is Wild Rose Packing's year-round supply target
Why it matters
- For farmers
- P.E.I. growers should watch low-lying fields and drainage now: the same rain that can still help late varieties raises waterlogging and storage-loss risk heading into the late-September to October harvest.
- For processors
- About 60% of P.E.I.'s crop feeds processing plants, so this harvest's volume and quality set local plant throughput directly.
- For traders
- Wild Rose Packing's hybrid sourcing model shortens freight lanes from Southern Alberta into Western Canada and the US West Coast, worth checking against existing supply routes.
- For investors
- Packing and logistics investment is following irrigated, expanding regions like Alberta rather than drought-exposed Atlantic ones, per this venture.
60-second summary
Canada's two leading potato regions are heading into the main harvest on different trajectories. Prince Edward Island, whose 2025 output fell 16% in the country's steepest provincial decline after severe drought, is reporting good tuber size and healthy crops for 2026 after moisture arrived largely on time, with early digging tracking slightly above average; about 60% of the island's crop goes to processing, so this harvest's volume and quality feed directly into local plant throughput. Attention has turned to storage risk, since heavy rain could still help later varieties but also raises waterlogging and quality-loss risk. In Southern Alberta, where irrigated output rose 13% to roughly 1.5 million tonnes in the same dry 2025 season, EarthFresh and family-owned Kamper Farms have launched Wild Rose Packing Inc, a new packing venture aimed at shortening freight lanes to Western Canadian and US West Coast buyers through a hybrid, 52-week sourcing model.
As Canada’s main potato harvest gets under way, the country’s two leading production regions are telling different stories. Prince Edward Island, hit hard by drought in 2025, is reporting a much-improved crop, while in Southern Alberta EarthFresh and Kamper Farms have launched Wild Rose Packing Inc., a new potato and onion packing venture aimed at Western Canadian and US West Coast buyers.
Prince Edward Island: cautious optimism after a difficult year
Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.), Canada’s smallest province and one of its most important potato-growing regions, is approaching harvest with encouraging prospects for both yield and quality, according to Spud Smart. Moisture arrived largely on time this season, a marked contrast to 2025, when severe drought cut production significantly.
Growers report good tuber size, healthy crops and limited pest and disease pressure. Early digging has produced promising results, with some fields tracking slightly above average yields.
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The season was not without stress. Hot, dry weather in July and early August left crops short of water at times, but rainfall in mid-August, combined with targeted irrigation, supported tuber bulking, particularly in the east of the island.
Attention is now turning to harvest and storage. Heavy rain could still benefit later varieties, but it also raises the risk of waterlogging, quality defects and storage losses. Growers are keeping a close eye on low-lying fields and improving drainage where needed. The island’s main-crop harvest typically runs from late September to the end of October.
A good crop matters more than usual this year. P.E.I.’s potato production fell by 16% in 2025, the steepest decline of any Canadian province, according to figures cited by the PEI Potato Board. Around 60% of the island’s crop goes to processing, so the volume and quality of this harvest will feed directly into the throughput of local fry and crisp plants.
Southern Alberta: shortening the route to western markets
EarthFresh, a vertically integrated potato supplier with operations in Canada and the US, has partnered with family-owned Kamper Farms to create Wild Rose Packing Inc., a new potato and onion packing company based in Southern Alberta. The two partners will jointly manage regional packing and distribution for retail and foodservice customers across Western Canada.
The facility will be able to pack baby potatoes, speciality lines and variety programmes, as well as russets, coloured and organic potatoes, in a full range of pack sizes and formats.
The rationale is largely geographic. EarthFresh CEO Tom Hughes told The Packer that the venture fills a significant gap in the company’s North American network. Being closer to Western Canadian production and customers, he said, would shorten freight lanes, lower transport costs and improve delivery times across Western Canada and into key West Coast markets on both sides of the border.
To guarantee year-round, 52-week supply, the partners will use a hybrid sourcing model. Alberta-grown potatoes will form the core of the operation, supplemented by product from other regions to maintain availability through Canada’s harsh winter.
The choice of location reflects Alberta’s growing weight in Canadian potato production. Largely irrigated, the province was one of the few to expand output in the dry 2025 season: production rose by 13% to roughly 1.5 million tonnes, according to figures cited by Spud Smart.
Henk Kamper, who runs Kamper Farms with his father and two brothers, said the collaboration would allow the family business to bring its products to market more efficiently by drawing on EarthFresh’s marketing expertise.
Two sides of the same industry
Taken together, the two developments highlight a broader shift in Canadian potato production. In the Atlantic provinces, where suitable land is limited and irrigation less widespread, output remains closely tied to the weather. Irrigated western regions, by contrast, are growing production and attracting investment in packing and logistics that brings supply closer to end customers.
Sources: Spud Smart; FreshPlaza (EarthFresh press release); The Packer / Produce Market Guide; Blue Book Services; Farm and Food Care PEI.
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What next
P.E.I.'s main-crop harvest typically runs from late September to the end of October; growers are watching low-lying fields and drainage, since further heavy rain could aid later varieties but also raises waterlogging and storage-loss risk.
Sources
- Spud Smart; FreshPlaza (EarthFresh press release); The Packer / Produce Market Guide; Blue Book Services; Farm and Food Care PEI; PEI Potato Board figures.
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