Potato planting has started in Manitoba.

Vikram Bisht, with Manitoba Agriculture, gave us an update.

"They started last Friday," he said. "They were hoping to go about a week earlier but this cold weather snap, and the snowfall, basically delayed the plans. We are now about normal. We were thinking that it might be earlier planting. The ground is a bit dry, some of the growers may have to find sources of water and soon."

He expects to see a few thousand acres more than last year, which saw 70,000 plus acres grown in Manitoba.

Bisht says its important for potato growers to wait for the soils to warm up, adding the slower the potatoes emerge, the greater the chance of disease.