Eastern counties' potato industry gather to debate issues

East Midlands Potato Day 2014

AHDB Potatoes’ recently appointed technical executive, Jenny Bashford, has been working closely with leading Lincolnshire producers QV Foods to develop the programme for one of GB’s leading potato technical events, the East Midlands Potato Day.

Jenny enthuses, “If you grow potatoes, don’t miss this event! The East Midlands Potato Day, to be held at QV Foods farm in Lincolnshire, is AHDB Potatoes’ leading annual event for the eastern counties. This year’s event will once again provide top industry voices, stimulating discussion sessions, and expert-led, practical field sessions.”

The day will offer talks, debate and practical field sessions with industry experts from NFU, AHDB, QV Foods, Elveden Farms, Harper Adams, SRUC, McCain Foods and others addressing a range of current issues. Their talks will examine opportunities, new legislation and production techniques to meet the ever-increasing demands for quality and environmental considerations.

The programme kicks off at 10.00am with the Welcome from host QV Foods’ Chairman, Duncan Worth and the introduction from AHDB Potatoes Chair, Fiona Fell.

Guy Poskitt, the keynote speaker, will address the NFU’s aspect on the GB potato market, legislative impacts, market pressures and crop returns, amongst other key matters.

Guy’s talk leads into the panel session addressing ‘Opportunities for growth for potato growers’, where the audience can pose questions and discuss related topics with Guy, and the expert industry panel comprising AHDB Potatoes’ Head of Marketing, Nick White and AHDB Market Intelligence’s David Swales, alongside QV Foods’ Nick Morton and Andrew Francis of Elveden Farms.

Before lunch, visitors can spend time visiting the trade and information stands to get the latest ‘gen’ on new products and machinery and catch up with contacts.

The afternoon’s four focused field sessions look at whole-farm rotation planning, PCN management, cultivations and soil management and irrigation, offering plenty of practical information, advice and discussion opportunities.

This event is a ‘must-attend’ for the potato industry in the eastern counties and will provide practical, take-home knowledge and ideas for farm enterprises.