Southern Alberta enjoys a high altitude climate, with long warm summer days, cool nights and, through the availability of irrigation, abundant water when and if it is needed. These factors are ideal for the production of the top quality potatoes for which Alberta is renowned. In 2009, 2376 acres of potatoes were harvested for the fresh market; most of Alberta’s 51,000 acres (2008) are dedicated to potatoes grown for the food processing market which includes the highest quality French fries, potato chips and other products. In all, 90 varieties of potatoes are grown in the province, which is also Canada’s largest exporter of seed potatoes to foreign markets, including Idaho in the USA.