Farmer Focus: GB Potatoes offers a vital collective voice

For a quiet time of year, we’ve been quite busy.

Last week I attended the British Beet Research Organisation’s excellent advanced beet course in Norfolk.

The National Register of Sprayer Operators’ annual event is coming up, and we try to undertake some CPD every year – there is always lots to learn, no matter how time-strapped we are.

I also attended a few conferences, mostly centred around using plants to replace chemistry. I even spoke at a couple, regarding my cover crop experiences thus far.

See also: Why mixed farmers are opting for non-RL spring barley variety

About the author

Andrew Wilson

Arable Farmer Focus writer Andrew Wilson is a fourth-generation tenant of Castle Howard Estate in North Yorkshire. The farm supports crops of wheat, barley, oats, beans, sugar beet, potatoes, and grass for hay across 250ha. Other enterprises include bed and breakfast pigs, environmental stewardship, rooftop solar and contracting work.  

Contact:

Email: wilsonbrickyard@gmail.com

X: https://twitter.com/SpudSlingsby

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Blue lupins look very promising. Phacelia appears to increase the beet virus threat, and negative effects have reduced since we ceased including mustard in our covers.

The frost rolling we did last month worked a treat – there is a clear benefit to rolling on below -3C.

With a wider industry view, I have signed up to GB Potatoes, and urge others to join. With diminishing potato grower numbers in the industry, it is ever more important we have a collective voice.

This is something I believe GB Potatoes is well positioned to provide, at a price much less than the levy we used to pay.

My calculator has seen considerable exercise lately, particularly in the potato direction.

I decided to reduce the potato area (alongside land availability). Given a consolidation of infrastructure, this ought to increase attention to detail per acre and enhance profitability.

Every year I update my asset register, calculate depreciation, and look at running costs – this year with a finer-tooth comb than normal.

I’ve identified a collection of surplus kit we have accumulated over the years, and alongside a neighbour’s potato dispersal, we are having an internet auction in a few weeks.

This is in part to finance putting up a new shed – we spend far too much time moving things around to keep them dry.

Spring will see a clover understory in spring barley and a strip-till beet trial and various potato trials. It will be here in no time.