Welcome to the Potato Outreach Program at Michigan State University. This website is designed to provide regional potato research information for the Michigan Potato Industry.

Our Mission

The Potato Outreach Program is a collaboration between Michigan State University and the Michigan Potato Industry Commission. This program supports Michigan potato growers by conducting on-farm research and demonstration trials that apply to all aspects of potato production. POP staff speak at Extension events, fields days, grower meetings, and to commodity groups. Each year, the program conducts over 40 on-farm variety trials in Michigan, participates with cooperating states in national trials, maintains a demonstration storage, and compiles the annual Michigan Potato Research Report. Together with the Potato Breeding and Genetics program and other potato researchers, the Potato Outreach Program works to identify potato varieties adapted to the Michigan climate that display good agronomic traits, are profitable for producers, resistant to diseases, pests, biotic and and abiotic stresses, and acceptable to consumers.

 

History

Michigan State University has been conducting industry-leading potato research at the Montcalm Research Center for over 50 years. Former professor and extension specialist, Dr. Richard Chase, started building relationships with Michigan potato growers in 1962. Since then, the potato extension program at MSU has grown and evolved, forming today's Potato Outreach Program.

Potato progress: 50 years at MSU Montcalm Research Center by James Dau

 

 

News

Millet Cover Crops In a Potato Rotation- Research Update

March 28th, 2019 | M. jean, A. Bahrman, C. Kapp, and M. Quintanilla | MSU Extension, UPREC, PSMS

Millet cover crops were grown in a potato rotation and evaluated for biomass accumulation, mowing time, and soil nematode concentration. The article details the results of the cover crop trial, and research on potato yields over the cover crop plots will continue in 2019.

2018 Upper Peninsula Potato Variety Trial Results

January 9th, 2019 | Monica Jean | MSU Extension, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences 

A small-scale field trial of 35 different potato varieties were planted in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, allowing farmers to survey results and choose promising varieties for the next growing season. 

The 2018 freshpack Potato Variety Trial Results from Northeast Michigan are Available

January 9th, 2019 | James DeDecker and Christian Tollini | MSU Extension

A tablestock potato vareity trial in Michigan's PResque Isle County showcased 48 different varieties of russet, red, yellow, round white and novelty type tubers.

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