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WWW.POTATOGROWER.COM 91 (208) 709-7553 BuiltWithTitan.com sw.titansteel@gmail.com Steve Wilcox & Layne Walker 50+ Years of Combined Experience 208-793-0892 4096-24TitanSteel12h.indd 1 4096-24TitanSteel12h.indd 1 12/10/21 10:36 AM 12/10/21 10:36 AM information possible to make decisions for recertification on their farm, and to market their seed throughout the U.S. Montana potato farms continue to use some old techniques that have withstood the test of time and continue to prove their worth as valuable tools in growing disease-free seed. This includes growing early-generation seed stock using hill uniting and tuber uniting. All tuber units and families are flagged individually and 100% tested for PVY. This allows for precise detection of disease and off-types in seed plots. The precise location of disease is documented, allowing for targeted rogueing. Another time-tested technique for growing disease-free seed is sanitation. Montana growers are fastidious about sanitizing all components of their planting, harvesting, storage and transport equipment to reduce the risk of spreading disease. Ring rot was The 1930 seed potato crop is planted at Irvine & Cottom Farm in Dillon, Montana a devastating disease that occurred sporadically up through the mid- 1970s. Sanitation protocols, along with Montana's rule eliminating seed potatoes from other states or countries entering the certification stream, have eliminated ring rot, and also provide a safeguard against other pathogens. Current innovations in precision agriculture promise that the next 100 years will see advances in production that will enhance yields and, more importantly, the efficiency of crop production and inputs. Laboratory methods continue to improve, and pathogen detection methods will become even more important to assess the health status of seed potatoes. Robotic applications in laboratories will most likely have the same effect on the number of lab workers that it takes to process leaf and tuber samples that clod hoppers and vacuum separators have had on grading crews. Montana seed potato growers have set a high bar for quality seed potatoes in their first 100 years and will continue to embrace innovation to take them into the next 100 years. PG