SPot Store event – 14th May 2024

Winters Lane Storage Ltd,
Winters Lane,
Long Sutton,
Spalding
PE12 9BE

GB Potatoes in partnership with Potato Storage Insight and SDF Agriculture have launched the Strategic Potato (SPot) storage project.  This is a new project to help refine potato storage practices and its aim is to fine tune practices through on farm research and learning.

Rather than reviewing older trials results on paper the partnership believes that it is better to run pro active activity helping growers to improve their understanding of potato storage, and ultimately maintain control of ever-increasing costs.

After the launch event in December 2023 a further on-site meeting is being held at Winters Lane Storage Ltd., Long Sutton, on May 14th, where various aspects of potato storage are being tested and monitored.  This will be an opportunity for visitors to hear from Adrian Cunnington, of Potato Storage Insight and Simon Faulkner of SDF Agriculture talk through areas of the work that they have been conducting at Winters Lane and the nearby Gedney Dyke stores. Topics being covered will include cold storage strategies for fresh potatoes, featuring Maleic Hydrazide uptake and storage regimes such as cold temperatures and ethylene as well as other products.  Store design in terms of air flow and the evenness of temperatures throughout the store as well as insulation, respiration and dormancy will also feature. Additionally, a look at varieties from a PCN trial and how they store under the different regimes.

After a hog roast lunch where the other 21 partners in the project will be on hand to discuss their businesses and what they can offer growers there will be the chance to travel the very short distance to the processing store at Gedney Dyke where two storage strategies will feature and a look at dormancy break, respiration and weight loss information from the Produce Quality Centre pods will be discussed as well as a look at fry colours from each storage regime.

Roger Stones from NFU Energy will be on hand to talk all things energy use and saving and Richard Colgan will be talking about the Produce Quality Centre pods that have been used to measure respiration.

We are also delighted to confirm the following partners will be in attendance on the day:

• Agrofresh
• Biofresh
• Branston
• Burgess Farms
• Certis Belchim
• CIPC residue monitoring group
• Cornerstone Systems
• Crop Systems
• Farm Electronics
• Frontier
• GB Potatoes
• HK Timbers
• Hutchinsons
• McCain Foods
• NFU Energy
• Potato Storage insight
• Potato Storage Treatments
• Produce Quality centre
• Restrain Company
• S&S Pugh
• SDF Agriculture
• UPL
• Welvent
• Winters Lane Storage Ltd.

Contact Graham Bannister:  info@gb-potatoes.co.uk

Potato Storage Insight is a company offering independent advice on all aspects of potato storage.

Contact: Adrian Cunnington: Adrian@potatostorageinsight.com