The Farming Smarter Association, an independent research group near Lethbridge, Alberta, is advancing into its second growing season of potato-focused trials to support the province’s multibillion-dollar potato sector.

With Alberta’s potato production contributing an estimated CAD 2.87 billion to Canada’s economy and supporting more than 7,000 full-time equivalent jobs, the organisation is positioning itself as a key partner for data-driven agronomic innovation.

“That amount of value for Alberta in this industry warrants some strong research,” said Ashley Wagenaar, conservation agronomist at Farming Smarter, during a recent two-day field school in late June.

The group is undertaking several initiatives aimed at improving water and soil management—issues that are increasingly in focus as producers adapt to climate variability and resource constraints. One project explores the use of drip irrigation systems to conserve water and expand irrigated acreage without the need for new pivot installations.

“It is done in many other areas that rely on specialty crops like B.C. and the big tomato industry in Ontario,” Wagenaar noted. The system also offers potential for precision nutrient application, a practice Farming Smarter is considering in future trials.

This past growing season highlighted the importance of water efficiency, as the St. Mary River Irrigation District—North America’s largest—allocated only eight inches of water per acre, forcing producers to prioritise high-value crops and innovate on-farm water management.

Beyond irrigation, the association is running a series of studies aimed at dispelling the perception that potato production depletes soil health. “I think potato producers today, researchers and industry, we are trying to combat that perception,” Wagenaar said.

Current work includes banding fertilizer trials, tillage level experiments to reduce field passes for residue management, and a four-year nutrient response study using the Russet Burbank variety as a benchmark against emerging potato types. Wagenaar emphasised the urgency of updating nutrient response data, much of which dates back to the 1980s and 1990s.

“It’s a simple concept, and yet most of the research that we refer to even now is from the ’80s and the ’90s. So much has changed. We have new technology, different types of fertilizer and the varieties of our crops have changed,” she said. “To continue to develop, we need strong benchmarks and strong data in knowing how our crops respond to nutrients.”

Farming Smarter’s research capabilities have been bolstered by a CAD 500,000 provincial grant, matched by its own capital investments, enabling the purchase of seeders, tractors, swathers, and portable research units.

As Wagenaar pointed out, with access to diversified land, crop rotations, and on-farm collaborations, the group aims to bring context-specific solutions to one of Alberta’s most valuable agricultural industries.