POTATO MACHINERY MANUFACTURERS COME TOGETHER IN ONE UK FIELD TO SHOW WHAT THEIR MODELS ARE CAPABLE OF
SIX top-of-the-range potato harvesters from manufacturers AVR, Dewulf, Grimme and Standen came to one site to provide a close-up view of action as they tackled 12Ha of specially-grown of crops at Dyson farming’s Nocton Farm in Lincolnshire.
The live harvesting demonstrations were part of a ‘Potato Days’ event held over two days at the beginning of September, and provided a rare opportunity for visitors to watch all the machines in action on one site.
Chair of GB Potatoes, Mark Taylor, who attended the event, said afterwards: “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.”
As well as the potato harvesting demonstrations, potato handling lines from AVR, Dewulf and Downs showed the newly-harvested crop being cleaned, sorted and loaded then leaving the field for processing by McCain.
In addition to the machinery demonstrations, 10 specially-made crop trial plots enabled visitors to see new potato varieties, agronomy and the latest technology for sustainable potato production.
Dan Hewitt, UK Manager for global brand Restrain, said: “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.”
The organiser’s Expert Stage provided a platform for a series of talks and discussions held over both days, featuring 25 speakers, including industry leaders, academics and researchers, who spoke about machinery, automation and AI, net zero, water and the impact of policy on sustainable production.
The event was organised by DLG (German Agricultural Society) whose headquarters are in Frankfurt, Germany. It is the organiser of Potato Europe which takes place in one of four countries – Germany, the Netherlands, France and Belgium – each year. It hopes to hold another Potato Days UK event in September 2026, the year after the British Potato Industry Event , which will take place in November alongside the British Potato Industry Awards , in Harrogate.
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