Potato Review

22 POTATO REVIEW JULY/AUGUST 2020 OVERSEAS FOCUS growers to practise one in three-year potato rotations, often broken up with wheat and maize, and potatoes are recognised as the cash crop and focus of production inputs. Sustainabililty questions is does however throw a big question on sustainability for the future of potato growing in the US. In the UK, the focus and research leans towards longer, more diverse cropping rotations to reduce the prophylactic use of chemical inputs and nutrient management strategies. Should the chemistry available to WA growers reduce too, the area would be faced with the very real prospect of productivity falling and potato rotations based on one in three becoming unviable. Weather patterns also are cause for concern, less snow melt further north in Canada, which essentially feeds into the River Colombia could see levels drop and extraction permits change. is is intrinsically linked to environmental groups concerned with the degradation of salmon runs already under pressure on the river. More conventional approach In stark contrast to the immense scale and production capabilities of the Columbia basin lies an area in Washington State that is more suited to pre-packing production. Sitting north of Seattle, the Skagit Valley forms an area of WA rich in alluvial, highly fertile silty land pre-disposed to delivering table quality skin nishes. With much of the land close to sea level, the pleasant maritime climate provides warm summers and cool winters with annual rainfall of 1000-1800mm, making it the ideal area for vegetable production. Rotations there are wider than those in the basin as a result, with seed crops, vegetables, spinach and tulip owers featuring and allowing for potatoes to be cultivated one in four seasons. Growers farm with a much more conventional approach, similar to the UK, with average eld sizes of 10 20ha, 90cm row widths and boom or rain gun irrigation systems fed via bore holes delivering sensible average yields of 45-50t/ha. Faced with a much more simplistic retail scene, an almost ‘back to basics’ approach is taken to marketing the product with potatoes sold on skin colour rather than by varietal classi cation. is sees a much reduced and streamlined choice to the consumer; Red, White, Yellow, Purple, Fingerling (elongated Salad) and a Baby/New potato product. e majority of the produce is sold in thick plastic twist tied 2-3kg format, much like a loaf of bread, or loose wholesale point of sale displays selling per kg. Many of the growers follow a vertical integrated approach to get the product to market, collaborating with neighbouring farms investing in potato pack houses. is allows them a more direct relationship with the buyers, some of which date back generations, and sees the vast majority of the tonnes marketed without contractual agreements in place. A testament to this supply chain symbiosis is illustrated by farm gate purchase prices rarely falling below the cost of production. Skagit Valley growers, unlike those in the basin, face similar challenges to that of the UK especially on land value and labour availability. Much of the seasonal migrant workforce required at peak times typically comes from Mexico to the south and while required to travel much further north to WA, many choose to settle and nd work in California and Texas. Keen to nurture local talent, some of the growers have opted to develop their own graduate and career advancement programmes. Increasing urban development in an a uent area of the US and a nite land base threaten the sustainability of this area to stay competitive as land values are pushed up. Single year rents of £1050/ha are not uncommon and with a hectare of land valued in excess of £20,000/ha it leaves growers will less prospects of increasing volume or developing economies of scale. It is clear that comparisons made are very circumstantial and while there are some areas in which learnings and potential developments can be made both ways, pure physicalities of scale, di erences climate and bureaucracy limit others. I’m immensely grateful to CUPGRA and Bayer Crop Science for giving me the opportunity to attend this fascinating and insightful trip to Washington State. “Keen to nurture local talent, some of the growers have opted to develop their own graduate and career advancement programmes.” The Grand Coulee Dam, the largest power production facility in the US, also provides the Columbia Basin with all of its water requirement.