W.P. Griffin Limited of Elmsdale is poised to lead the Canadian potato industry when it comes to grading the crop. With financial help from the P.E.I. ADAPT Council (which administers the Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Fund in the province from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada), the company is planning to install a Newtee RV 12 optical grading system.
“As far as I know, we will be one of the first in the country to have this system,” said company president general manager John Griffin. “It is already starting to become quite popular in Europe.” Griffin said the equipment is on order and he expects to arrive later this fall. After that, he estimated it will take some time for staff at the facility to become acquainted with the equipment.
He explained the system, which brings visual imaging to the grading process, can be designed to specific varieties and volume requirements. He predicted the equipment will prove to be a major asset in filling specialty orders. The company packs under four brand names: Dole, Griffin, FoodTrust, and Bud the Spud.
W.P. Griffin Limited is a family-owned business founded by John's father, Wilfred Patrick Griffin. It presently farms 1,100 acres of potatoes, 950 acres of grain, 650 acres of hay and has 350 beef cattle in a finishing feed lot. John's brother, Peter, is the Vice-President and Operations Manager.
The new system is just the latest step in a long history of commitment to innovation and food safety. The farm has installed a system that allows for traceback of any product directly to the field in which it was grown and the day it went through the plant. The company’s potato wash plant underwent a major expansion and upgrade in the fall of 2004. Earlier this year, the plant received an “excellent rating” from the American Institute of Baking. The institute is a recognized world-wide as a leader in offering accreditation to the agricultural and food-service industry.
Initiatives such as this are vital to keeping Prince Edward Island potatoes competitive in domestic and international markets.
(This is one of a series of articles prepared by the P.E.I. Agricultural Awareness Committee and funded by the P.E.I. ADAPT Council and other partners to highlight new and innovative developments in the province's farming community.)
For more information, contact Phil Ferraro of ADAPT Council, (902) 368-2005.