Kevin Yarr

An Agriculture Canada researcher is eager to try out a new automated potato grading machine on Prince Edward Island.

The optical potato grader uses a camera and special software to sort potatoes based on size, shape and quality. David Main, a biologist with Agriculture Canada, will be taking the machine out to Island farms this fall.

"It'll be quick. It'll be fast. It's very accurate. It's gentle on the product," said Main.

"It also records the number of potatoes going down each size class. So it will speed up our potato grading."

Main grades 1,000 test plots of potatoes every season.

P.E.I.  teacher to lead national federation

A Prince Edward Islander will lead the Canadian Teachers' Federation for the first time starting next July.

'Maybe we can have teachers in place that we can put into the system,' as needed, suggest the P.E.I. Teachers' Federation president Bethany MacLeod. 

Bethany MacLeod, President, PEI Teachers' Federation 

Bethany MacLeod was elected president-designate earlier this week.

What happened to 'made-in-P.E.I.' plan for carbon pricing?

P.E.I. seems to have had a difficult time deciding how to proceed with Ottawa’s directive that all provinces put a price on carbon emissions.

Vapour pours from a steel mill chimney in the industrial town of Port Kembla, about 80 km south of Sydney, Australia, July 7, 2011. Australia unveiled plans on July 10, 2011 to slap a carbon tax of A$23 a tonne on its 500 worst polluters from 2012, sweetened by tax cuts for voters fearing higher power bills, and paved the way to adopt the largest emissions-trading scheme outside Europe. 

Australia carbon tax

In 2016 P.E.I.'s premier said the province was developing a 'made-in-P.E.I.' approach to carbon pricing. This week the province's environment minister said P.E.I. can reduce emissions without a carbon tax, but Ottawa can impose one if it chooses.

The machine will grade and count potatoes as it sorts.

Optical potato grading 'quick' and 'accurate'

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