Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW NOVEMBER 2021 11 TRIBUTE A S we head towards spring 2022, the call for farms to become more environmentally sustainable is becoming louder, raising the question – what can farmers do to answer that call? e rst step, is to have a true understanding of what’s in your soils. Soil sampling should become a key part in your Spring planning toolkit. Consistentmonitoring should extend throughout the seasonwithplant analysis, such as SAP analysis – assessing how the crop is doing and if it’s su ering fromany de ciencies. Just as humans have symptoms assessed and treated, the samemindset canbe applied to growing crops. Nutrient de ciencies canbe remediedwith a dose of targeted foliar nutrition, having understood fromanalysiswhat the plant needs to perform, the right product at the right dose canbe applied. Foliar fertilisers, are an environmentally friendly approach thanks to their precision, and the risk of soil/ water contamination isminimised. Not only does this precision approach address environmental concerns, it also signals themost cost e ective approach for farmers, equaling highperforming cropswithout over or under applying product. Ensuring you calculate e ciency of product applied throughout the season also plays an important role, using tools such asNUEor the CarbonToolkit, developing a systemto ensure the product appliedhas been cost, emission and yield e cient will help identify any areas where your farming operation canbecome more e ective, and in turnmore sustainable. For further advice, you can contact the Omex liquid fertiliser experts: Call: 01526 396000 Email: agriculture@omex.com Visit: www.omex.com SPONSORED BY Prescriptive Agriculture Total crop nutrition advice to boost plant health and improve crop yield. H AZELHescott, whowaswell known and regarded bymany in the potato industry, has passed away after losing a battle against cancer. As AdvertisingManager andFinance Director, she hadplayed a pivotal role in the success of PotatoReviewsince taking over fromher father, founding Publisher BobMeredith, in 2000 and becoming a joint ownerwith former editor DavidMossman. Hazel, who lived inBristol, retired fromthe business in 2016 and the businesswas sold to its current ownerWarnersGroupPublications. Shortly after its sale, Hazel was diagnosedwith cancer. She died in hospital in early September, aged 63. She leaves behind a husband, John, and two grown-updaughters, Sarah andAnna. Hazel was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, where her father served as an agricultural o cer. She joinedPotatoReview inAugust 1995. She had studied chemistry at She eldUniversity and previouslyworked for BritishNuclear Fuels at Risley nearWarringtonwhere she helped to produce the company’s in-house newspaper. DavidMossman, whoworkedwithher for many years, said: “Hazel contributedhugely to the development of PotatoReviewandwill be remembered fondly bymany in the industry - readers and advertisers alike. She adopted a unique ‘soft sell’ approach to ad sales and earned the respect of everyone she did business with, frommachinerymanufacturers and seed traders tomajor agrochemical suppliers. “WorkingwithHazel was a privilege and a joy. She had a kindword for everyone she met. Shewaswarm, cheerful and eternally optimistic. Shewill be sorelymissed.” Organiser of the bi-annual BritishPotato trade shows, SteveWellbeloved saidhe and Hazel ‘comparednotes’ for around 20 years. “When she o ered advice you listened carefully, as shewas gentle but didn’t pull punches,” he said. “Above all, you always knew that what shewas sayingwould be based on extensive collated feedback –without doubt shewas one of the best barometers of potato industry views I’vemet. e BritishPotato event teamwill look tomark her untimely passing in someway at the forthcoming event.” WendyNix of KingswoodAssociates workedwithHazel while handling client accounts for StoredCropConservation andFenlandMobile Services anddescribed her as “friendly, cheerful andhelpful”. “Imet her a couple of times at potato shows and she feltmore like a friend than a colleague,” saidWendy. “My condolences to her family – shewas far too young to lose.” PeterHill, of eAgricultural JournalistsGuild, of whichHazel andBobwere bothmembers, said he toowas deeply saddened to hear of her passing andCaroleMetcalfe, MarketingManager for Tong Engineering, describedHazel as “a gentle soul”. “Hazel was honestly themost beautiful soul,” she said. “I dealt withher for several years and had some lovely chats on the phone and at shows. It’s so sad shewas taken too soon.” Goodbyes to Hazel