About 100 exhibitors are getting their cutting-edge ideas and machinery ready for industry visitors with two months to go before the new 20-hectare Potato Days UK begins.

They consist of cutting-edge techniques in trial plots that showcase the most recent developments in crop nutrition, fertilizer management, harvesting, and storage. At Dyson Farming’s Nocton Estate in Lincolnshire, UK, September 4-5, 2024, mechanical demonstrations for cultivation, harvesting, cleaning, and loading will take place throughout both exhibition days.

In response to the strong demand from UK and Irish potato professionals for an event that combines hands-on demonstrations in the field with displays of machinery and equipment, as well as knowledge exchange, Potato Days UK was launched by the DLG (German Agricultural Society) in collaboration with professional event partners.

Due to significant weather variations, farmers cultivating potatoes in 2024 will already need to exercise an especially high level of flexibility throughout this year’s growing season. UK potato farmers will use the event to find agricultural and technical input solutions to get ready for similar situations in the future.

“At this unique farm venue, potato professionals from the UK and further afield will be able to identify market-ready farm solutions efficiently and what is more, we offer free entry. We wanted the event to be as close as possible to farm conditions, which is why we also included large-scale machinery demonstrations on 12 hectares,” Greg Smith, DLG’s representative in the UK & Ireland, mentioned.

Taking place on both event days, the live harvesting demonstrations are performed by harvesting machines from AVR, Dewulf, Grimme, and Standen.

“These live machinery demos will present to potato growers close up how to get the potatoes out of the ground efficiently and into the trailers for the loading lines,” Smith added.

A small number of exhibitors have set up experimental plots with cutting-edge irrigation systems, novel varieties, and new technology for crop protection and inputs. Visitors get the chance to examine crop and agronomy practices up close during the crop trials.

One crop trial exhibitor is Emerald Research.

“Our on-site trial plots are designed to evaluate ways of reducing the fertilizer and fungicide footprint through using comprehensive programs of microbes, biostimulants, and nutrient placement at planting combined with foliar applications once there is a canopy. We’re looking forward to meeting growers and discussing the changing world of crop management,” Helen Holman, Marketing & Communications Manager, Emerald Research, added.

The event features an indoor marquee – “The Potato Days Hall” – that will present solutions and services such as inputs, storage, packaging, and processing.

Potato Days UK is accompanied by an informative program of talks and workshops offering visitors the opportunity to engage with more than 100 industry suppliers in person, learn about the latest methods and best practices, and build business relationships that help move farming operations forward.

Nocton Farm is owned by Dyson Farming, one of the largest and most innovative farming companies in the UK. Dyson Farming will be providing a total area of 20 hectares in the heart of the British potato region for Potato Days UK.

Interested potato cultivation professionals can visit Potato Days UK free of charge when registering in advance. https://potato-days.ticketsrv.co.uk/tickets/

With a cultivation area of 137,000 hectares and an annual harvest of some 5.5m tons, the UK is the fourth largest potato-growing region in Western Europe after Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

The DLG, as part of its non-profit objective of offering local know-how for farmers, has been organizing several successful trade fairs for the potato industry. Potato Days events are held not only, as now, in the UK but also Turkey. DLG is the organizer of PotatoEurope in the Netherlands and Germany, the international potato industry field exhibition.

PotatoEurope takes place annually, alternating between four countries, Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The event covers potato cultivation and processing and is displayed at this special event with trial fields and machinery demonstrations. Agritechnica, the largest agricultural machinery exhibition in the world, presents international potato equipment indoors in a dedicated hall for potatoes and other crops.