Potato Days UK concluded successfully, exceeding the expectations of both attendees and exhibitors. The event occurred in early September at Dyson Farming’s Nocton Farm in Lincolnshire.

Almost a hundred exhibitors from various industry sectors were present during the two-day field event, which featured live demonstrations of potato harvesting and crop trial plots.

Approximately 2,000 people attended the event over the two days, which pleased the event’s organizers, DLG.

Visitors looked closely at the action as six top-of-the-line potato harvesters from prominent manufacturers, AVR, Dewulf, Grimme, and Standen, handled the specially grown 12 ha of crops.

“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“ Mark Taylor, Chair of the industry group, GB Potatoes, mentioned.

Visitors were able to experience 24 harvesting sessions on each day, showing both two- and four-row harvesters working in varied conditions.

“Organizing a show of this scale takes some doing and the experienced DLG team should be congratulated on how it ran,” Taylor added.

In addition, potato handling lines from AVR, Dewulf, and Downs showed the newly harvested crop being cleaned, sorted, and loaded – leaving the field for processing by McCain.

“We were delighted with the support we have enjoyed from our exhibitors, representing the entire potato industry. With almost 100 organizations filling our purpose-built marquee and the outside area, there was something for everyone. Exhibitors reported strong interest from the high-quality audience of farmers and growers, including many from Ireland and the Netherlands who came to this first edition of our event,” Dr Lars Huf, Project Director of the event, mentioned.

Trial Plots and Innovations on Show

Exhibitors showcased novel potato varieties, creative agronomy, and cutting-edge technologies for sustainable potato production in ten specially constructed crop trial plots.

“It was great to be able to show our products to farmers and growers at this event. A huge amount of work goes into these plots and we were able to show excellent results,” Dan Hewitt UK manager for global brand Restrain commented.

“This was the best opportunity we have had to showcase Drip Irrigation in the field ever and it generated lots of interest. I’m looking forward to future Potato Days events,” Andrew Howesman of Howesman Agriculture added.

Learning, Knowledge Exchange, and Meeting Platform for Growers

Several speeches and debates were held on both days, with the DLG Expert Stage serving as a platform. Attendees also had enough opportunity to connect and network during the event. The audience was kept interested in subjects including machinery, automation and artificial intelligence, net zero, water, and the influence of legislation on sustainable production by an amazing roster of 25 speakers, comprising academics, researchers, and leaders in the sector.

“The DLG takes a leading position in knowledge transfer, technical competence, and improvement in farming practices. We create unique platforms to promote learning, share understanding, and show technology and innovations across the world. Potato Days UK is the first professional exhibition and field demonstration event for potato growers for many years and we are very happy to create this for you. The potato industry is vital – producing one of the world’s most favorite foods – and a key crop for British and Irish farmers. But producing potatoes is not easy! We look forward with confidence to bringing future events to this important market,” speaking at the official opening event, René Döbelt, Vice President, DLG said.

The DLG-organized event Potato Days UK is anticipated to happen again in September 2026 in the center of the British potato-producing region.