About Alex McDonald
Alex McDonald and its contracted see potato growers produce high health seed potatoes for the New Zealand fresh market, crisping and french fry sectors. Seed potatoes are also grown for markets in the South Pacific and Thailand.
The Growing and packing of seed potatoes is carried out on farms within the area of the Canterbury plains.
History
Alex McDonald (Merchants) Ltd was founded by Mr Alex McDonald in 1941 and began trading in Grain, Seed & Produce.
During the earlier years of the Company, trading in potatoes was carried out along with handling grain and seed produced in Canterbury, New Zealand.
In the 1950's Alex McDonald (Merchants) Ltd specialised in seed potatoes with growers producing varieties in Canterbury for the North Island requirements.
Business Partners
Alex McDonalds is committed to maintaining long-term and continuing relationships with all New Zealand potato growers whether they be fresh market, crisping or french fry producers. This is achieved by delivery of high health seed potatoes and promoting Alex McDonald's new varieties to our buyers to trial.
Alex McDonalds also works proactively with processing companies identifying and growing under contract, varieties which best perform to the processors requirements.
Field Trials
Alex McDonalds operates an extensive trialing programme for recently released N.Z. and overseas bred potato cultivars. These new cultivars are evaluated to determine whether they meet the continuing demands from the New Zealand potato industry for varieties that maintain improved yield,improved disease resistance and overall greater performance for the end user.
Rapid-Gro Scheme
This scheme, whereby plantlets are directly machine planted into the field, produces many more tubers for further field-multiplication than the traditional glasshouse-multiplication at Lincoln. We use this system for bulking up new varieties to enable us to evaluate them in a faster time frame than previously, and also means our buyers gain earlier access to the new material.
Agents for New Zealand and overseas-bred varieties
Alex McDonalds act as Breeder's agent for the following companies and their listed varieties:
HZPC varieties - Holland
Annabelle, Canberra, Courage, Crisps4All, Dolce-Vita, Frisia, Innovator, Mozart, Marilyn, Sifra, Victoria, Vivaldi, HZ-97-92
Caithness Potato Breeders varieties - Scotland
Heather, Nadine, Osprey, Stroma, Swift, Tiffany, Valor, Winston
Solana Agrar - Produkte varieties - Germany
Caruso, Opal, Verdi
Plant & Food Research Ltd varieties
Golden Miracle, Crop 16, Bondi, Driver, Fraser, Red Rascal
McCain's variety
Shepody
Alex McDonald (Merchants) Ltd variety
Van Rosa
Norika variety - Germany
Albatross, Bonus, Pirol, Romanze
Cygnet variety, Scotland
Bonnie, Cabaret, Rocket, Maris Anchor
Den Hartigh BV, Netherlands
Eos, Ultra
C.Meijer BV variety, Netherlands (Sub-Agent)
Lady Rosetta
Also included in our range are: Atlantic, Bannock, Desiree, Hermes, Jersey Benne, Kennebec, Ilam Hardy, Ivory Crisp, Red King Edward, Rua, Russet Burbank, Russet Ranger, Sebago, Snowden, Umatilla Russet, Western Russet.
Who are our customers in New Zealand
Alex McDonald (Merchants) Ltd market our seed potatoes directly to processors, growers, pre-packers and established seed potato merchants in minimum of 1 tonne bulk lots. We do not retail or mail small pre-packs of seed potatoes within New Zealand or overseas, unless for trial purposes.