Leading seed potato grower urges industry to attend Potatoes in Practice

Leading seed potato grower, and recently appointed member of the Potato Council Board, Alistair Melrose is urging growers and other members of the industry to support this year’s Potatoes in Practice. The event, sponsored by the Potato Council, takes place on August 11th at Balruddery Farm, Invergowrie, near Dundee.

Speaking at the recording of a video to promote the event, he said: ’Potatoes in Practice is a really practical event, which we have attended every year since its inception. As well as giving us the opportunity to meet people in the industry it also provides practical information that we can apply in our business.’

Alistair is Managing Director of seed potato growers and merchants, AJ Allan of Brechin, Angus. His business grows around 180 hectares of seed potatoes itself, as well as a further 250 hectares grown by seven growers in a group. It handles around 12,000 tonnes of seed potatoes every year.

Challenges and opportunities for seed potato exports, health challenges and the new PCN Directive will be among the topics at this year’s seminar programme at Potatoes in Practice. Alistair is looking forward to bringing his knowledge up-to-date on these subjects, as well as catching up with friends and business contacts, and finding about the results of the trials and demonstrations that will be on display at the event.

He says: ’We know that some agronomists are making a point of timing their visits to this part of the world to coincide with Potatoes in Practice, and it gives us the chance to catch up with them either on farm, or at the event. We also get the opportunity to take advantage of the knowledge of organisations such as SASA, SAC and the James Hutton Institute first hand.

’It allows us to make informed decisions based on trials that are completely unbiased, which is very useful. As a business it enables us to compare things on a like-for-like basis and make our decisions on what we are going to grow and what we are going to do for the following season.’