A new modelling tool from AHDB Potatoes is now available to help potato growers make informed storage and marketing decisions for better profitability.

Storage is the biggest single expenditure for potato producers who choose to hold on to their crops to add value to off-the-field prices at harvest.

To be profitable, the price of a stored crop must be equal to or greater than the cost incurred for storing it over a period of time and the model allows growers to track of the price-cost relationship month by month.

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AHDB Potatoes technical executive Phil Bradshaw explained that growers enter their own fixed and variable cost data, but where that is not available, the model can use average costs from benchmarking data.

“It will give an indication of overall costs, an idea of when to sell the crop or how long to store, along with the impact of grading-out or dehydration in store,” he added.

The tool was launched at the recent BP2015 event in Harrogate, Yorkshire, and can be downloaded from the AHDB Potatoes website for free.