Potato Days UK, held in early September at Dyson farming's Nocton Farm in Lincolnshire, ended on a high note, meeting visitor and exhibitor expectations. The two-day, field event included live demonstrations of potato harvesting, crop trial plots, and almost 100 exhibitors representing organisations from across the sector. The organisers, DLG, expressed their satisfaction with this first edition of the event, with around 2000 participants visiting over the two days.
Demonstrations a great hit
Six potato harvesters from manufacturers AVR, Dewulf, Grimme, and Standen provided visitors with a close-up view of action as they tackled the specially grown 12Ha of crops. "This is the first time in over 20 years that British farmers and growers have had the opportunity to see a field days event like this and watch different machines in action, " said Mark Taylor, Chair of industry group, GB Potatoes. Visitors were able to experience 24 harvesting sessions on each day, showing both two- and four-row harvesters working in varied conditions. "Organising a show of this scale takes some doing and the experienced DLG team should be congratulated on the way it ran," he added. In addition, potato handling lines from AVR, Dewulf, and Downs showed the newly harvested crop being cleaned, sorted, and loaded – leaving the field for processing by McCain.
Exhibitors from across the potato industry
"We were delighted with the support we have enjoyed from our exhibitors, representing the entire potato industry," said Dr Lars Huf, Project Director of the event. "With almost 100 organisations filling our purpose-built marquee and the outside area, there was something for everyone. Exhibitors reported strong interest from the high-quality audience of farmers and growers, including many from Ireland and the Netherlands who came to this first edition of our event." he added.
Trial plots and new innovations on show
Ten specially made crop trial plots allowed exhibitors to show new potato varieties, innovative agronomy and the latest technology for sustainable potato production. Dan Hewitt UK manager for global brand Restrain commented: "It was great to be able to show our products to farmers and growers at this event. A huge amount of work goes into these plots and we were able to show excellent results."
Andrew Howesman of Howesman Agriculture added: "This was the best opportunity we have had to showcase Drip Irrigation in the field ever and it generated lots of interest. I'm looking forward to future Potato Days events."
Learning, knowledge exchange and meeting platform for farmers
In addition to many opportunities for visitors to meet and network at the event, the DLG Expert Stage provided the platform for a series of talks and discussions held over both days. A lineup of 25 speakers, including industry leaders, academics and researchers, kept audiences engaged with topics such as machinery, automation and AI, net zero, water and the impact of policy on sustainable production.
Speaking at the official opening event, René Döbelt, Vice President, DLG said: "The DLG takes a leading position in knowledge transfer, technical competence and improvement in farming practices. We create unique platforms to promote learning, share understanding and show technology and innovations across the world".
"Potato Days UK is the first professional exhibition and field demonstration event for potato growers for many years and we are very happy to create this for you. The potato industry is vital – producing one of the world's most favourite foods – and a key crop for British and Irish farmers. But producing potatoes is not easy! We look forward with confidence to bringing future events to this important market" Mr Döbelt added.
Source: Systems Components
For more information:
Greg Smith
UK & IRL representative
DLG International
Mobile: +44 (0) 7802 354145
E-mail: [email protected]
www.dlg.org
Malene Conlong
DLG International
Tel: +49 6924788237
Email: [email protected]
www.dlg.org