Potato Review

10 POTATO REVIEW JANUARY 2022 NPI AWARDS 2021 trophy, which was taken by Je Beever. “ e winner is a driving force in the use of alternative sprout control measures since the demise of CIPC. He has succeeded in producing and processing signi cant tonnage across the whole of the UK. He deserves recognition for his dedication and professionalism to making new sprout controls systems work,” the judges’ statement announced. While AR & SA White took the winner’s trophy in the Grower category, Tom Stevenson was also highly commended, with judges spending some time deciding who deserved the ultimate gong. In their statement they said: “ e winner was felt to be a true family business which works closely to produce ne quality salad potatoes. Every single detail is scrutinised and considered, resulting in high yields and excellent quality.” e third category to have an additional ‘highly commended’ was the Innovation Award, where UPL’s ARGOS innovation narrowly lost out to the Restrain Company Limited. e judges statement announced: “ ere was such a varied and interesting selection of entries in this category that the judges were sure to award a Highly Commended which went to UPL for its new sprout control product – ARGOS. “ e winner, Restrain Company Limited, began its story when it set out to nd a safe, e ective way to prevent sprouting in potatoes. Its research led to conducting trials with ethylene, which was so successful the company was born. Since this time, the system has been used to treat more than one million tonnes of seed, table and processing potatoes in 38 countries worldwide. It’s seen as a natural replacement for CIPC in potato storages.” ROLL OF HONOUR 2021 Agronomy Award Winner: Je Beever Highly Commended: Graham Tomalin Finalists: John Sarup, Richard Johnson e winner is a driving force in the use of alternative sprout control measures since the demise of CIPC. He has succeeded in producing and processing signi cant tonnage across the whole of the UK. He deserves recognition for his dedication and professionalism to making new sprout controls systems work. Environmental Award Winner: AH Worth Finalists: ICL for Polysulphate, VAM WaterTech e winning farm has embarked on a regenerative agriculture journey. Reducing cultivations and using cover crops to support soil structure throughout the winter and to boost soil organic matter and soil nitrogen was the basis of the plan. A 350-hectare trial area has been selected to investigate the impact of regenerative approaches on soil biodiversity and organic matter. e farm was selected by M&S as a Farming with Nature Indicator and Innovation Farm. Grower Award Winner: AR & SA White Highly Commended: Tom Stevenson Finalists: Hugh Brunton, Jimmy Dagg, Matt Lyle, Matthew Steel, Mike Shapland, Judges felt this one was a close call, so awarded a Highly Commended. is goes to Tom Stevenson. e winner was felt to be a true family business which works closely to produce ne quality salad potatoes. Every single detail is scrutinised and considered, resulting in high yields and excellent quality. e family try to have control of every aspect of potato production from seed to harvest, producing their own climatised seed to encourage high tuber numbers needed in Salad production. e family builds and upgrades its own machinery on farm with a modern workshop and fabricating skills.