Potato Review

AHDB ON THE SPOT BY GRAHAMBANNISTER Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager for Potatoes W e knew this harvest was going to be di erent. No CIPC, no diquat – and as always no margin for errors for growers and agronomists. But nobody would have predicted the additional restrictions that are a ecting us all due to the coronavirus pandemic. Up until now, for many involved in agriculture their day-to-day working life has remained largely una ected by virus related restrictions, with tractor or pick-up cabs providing the ideal ‘isolation’ pod andwide open elds providing just a touchmore than the 2metres of social distance required. Although the constant consideration of hygiene, sanitisation and risk assessment has become a newnorm. For me it has been really di cult being con ned to barracks and missing all the opportunities to get out in the elds. After such a terrible autumn and winter it really feels like an eternity now. But keeping those actively involved in the growing of the crop safe and well has been our number one priority. It might have been business as usual in the elds through the Spring but the e ect of the Coronavirus on the potatomarkets has been devastating with the huge loss of demand in the processing and chippingmarkets. We have reacted to this by providing additional market information, Coronavirus speci c resources and an additional marketing burst including ads on catch-up TV. At harvest and store loading we will quickly have to get up to speed on government advice. You can nd the most relevant information for those in farming at ahdb.org.uk/coronavirus. Safe Potato Operations Harvest often stretches us to the limit, whenwe work tired in often very di cult conditions, it is whenmistakes can creep in. It helps if you have ‘Wemust look after each other during this unprecedented harvest’ standard procedures that your whole teamare familiar with and followbest practice. We have a health and safety training programme to help you to train sta to ensure a safe working environment, whilst emphasising product quality and the correct use of machinery for high risk operations. e training, which covers harvest, storage and handling, is completed via videos and questionnaires and available in six languages, including Polish and Bulgarian. Find it at: https://ahdb.org.uk/health-safety-training ey are ideal resources for bringing new recruits up to speed as well as a timely reminder for thosemore experienced that safety is themost important thing for everybody. Despite the best e orts of themajority, farming remains a dangerous business. All of us know someone who has had a serious accident. Our resources may help you make sure that the next person to su er a serious injury is not on your farm. But there is also lots of good information available via www.yellowwellies.org. Growing potatoes is pretty di cult at present, and it is particularly stressful when it feels like it is one piece of bad news after another. Farmers are a resilient bunch, but there is never any shame in asking for help if things get a bit toomuch. ere is always someone out there who will listen and charities who are dedicated to helping, the likes of RABI, FCN is here to help. Preparing for harvest 2020 Another complicating factor is that your teams will be dealing with unfamiliar processes and chemicals. We have signi cant research projects trialling alternatives to CIPC at Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research and Diquat across our network of Strategic Potato Farms. e way we deliver these results has had to change due to Coronavirus restrictions. I had not experienced a webinar before 2020, and I have to be honest it was not something that lled me with joy. But putting my grumpy Yorkshire nature to one side, I have to admit that they have been a great way to keep growers up to date with what we are up to, and going forward I can see a place for themwithin a mix of face to face and digital delivery. We have been really pleased with how the events have gone, not least because we’ve seen new people attending our webinars – names we don’t recognise from our traditional regional events. If you’d like to have a look at the recordings, you can nd them at ahdb.org.uk/potatoes- events-archive We know that webinars aren’t for everyone, and we’re hoping, and can’t wait to get back on the road again after harvest. When we do start hosting events, they will follow the latest Government advice, in order to ensure the safety of all attendees. We’re planning to deliver some webinars too, which should make it easier for those who chose not to travel to the physical events. If you feel there is another way we should be discussing the results from the research trials your levy funds, then I’d love to hear from you. While I have discussed desiccation and sprout suppression here, we have research projects on aphid management, blackleg, soil health and more that will soon have results to share. It is your levy and they are your projects – please tell us, via your local knowledge exchange manager, how you’d like to hear about them. Most of all, stay safe this harvest. www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 41