Farm gate potato’s

Highland Mule

Member
Livestock Farmer
You never heard of a grocer’s apostrophe?

I have. It's an example of bad english - shorthand for what shouldn't be done - that has often become an excuse for those that don't get things right. Personally, I will consciously avoid premises that have badly written signs, and correct them too, when the opportunity arises.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Granddad used to grow 20 acres of spuds, mostly marfonas and estimas but also red York’s and king Edwards. He used to manage to sell all of them either at the gate or at the local car boot for 5 pound 25kg, we still have all the kit and I was wondering what the legalities of doing this now is? We used to feed all the little spuds to the stores so was quite handy... does anyone still do it?

Did this up to last year. No problems with legalities. Bad backs, folks calling at all hours, and the general hassle of it were more of a problem. You could never leave the place especially at the weekend and we were bagging and grading all winter which clashed with lambing and beet harvesting. It was a money spinner, but you earned it. Spraying nearly every week for blight through the summer was something else I haven't missed.

But for some reason I feel tempted to plant an acre again this spring. I have been buying bags here and there and have found the quality to be variable to say the least. I would never have sold some of the samples I have found. Some look as though the tractor has driven over the row before it was harvested. Every one has bruising and pressure cracks.

We were on the side of a busy A road and sold 30 tonnes over the winter at £250 per ton in bags. I wouldn't have shifted any more at the roadside.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I bought a small scale washer and built my own air drier out of a couple of industrial fan heaters and some wire supermarket baskets. This meant I could sell bags of washed dried spuds to restaurants when I had too many to sell at the roadside.

It kept me busy for a couple of hours per day through the winter. Profit from an acre and a half was about £4000, not including my own time. We picked them with a Hoover and buckets but cent get the workers so easily now, (or afford to pay them).

Let's face it, it's a bit of a hobby but does turn a penny and give a bit of satisfaction and interaction with the public which isn't a bad thing,

All the kit is mothballed now up in the granary. It might even still be advertised on here.
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
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fingermouse

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
cheshire
We gave up spuds altogether in 2015
We were down to about 5 acres by then and all bag trade at the gate Though it was 2005 when we stopped growing any sizeable contract acerage
It took us them 10 yrs to wake up to the fact we were never going to sell them at more than a fiver a bloody bag by the time you have had the brought this 1/4 full bag back they’re rubbish and I want me money back brigade the thought they were king Edwards ,no it says marfona on the bag brigade they’re to big they’re to small brigade and the can you just empty all my bloody shopping out and put them in the bottom of the boot there brigade
You will wish you left your Grandads gear in the shed
 

Boohoo

Member
Location
Newtownabbey
£5 per bag is nothing more than an expensive hobby when you haven't got the economies of scale of the big growers. I'm selling 15kg for £10 at the moment and it's costing me money.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Not that long ago my mate was bagging them up and sending them to the Canary Islands for £3 per bag.

Nobody "sells" potatoes. They "get rid" of them.

Victims of our efficiency as usual.

It won't stop me growing a few for the pleasure of it though, for our own use and for friends. Nothing looks nicer than perfectly straight clean rows of potatoes in flower or looks like a more abundant harvest than a good crop laid drying on the ground behind the Hoover.

It's got to that stage for us on a small farm. We only do it for the enjoyment now. The returns will never make us rich,
 

welger

Member
Location
derbyshire
Granddad used to grow 20 acres of spuds, mostly marfonas and estimas but also red York’s and king Edwards. He used to manage to sell all of them either at the gate or at the local car boot for 5 pound 25kg, we still have all the kit and I was wondering what the legalities of doing this now is? We used to feed all the little spuds to the stores so was quite handy... does anyone still do it?
we grow 20 acre of marfona at the gate .gets harder every year.we don't make that much out of them.but it pays
 

marshfarmer

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Norfolk
last bag of dirty potatoes I bought were a disgrace.
Showed me a lovely sample when I got home and unzipped the bag a realised why no one buys from farm gate
he had really seen me coming.:mad::mad::mad:
Worse thing was we had quite a chat about the trade and such and I was feeling sorry for him!
if he was on this forum I would certainly name him!
My wife buys all washed today and I moan at the price:(
Sorry about that old boy musta got a bag of stock feed by mistake.

I knew a few old boys that try this trick with everyone, and then wonder why they can't sell anything
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
Sorry about that old boy musta got a bag of stock feed by mistake.

I knew a few old boys that try this trick with everyone, and then wonder why they can't sell anything
Rest easy Marsh, it was not you, I was in furrin parts across the border in Lincolnshire. Otherwise I would have took it back.
I think he saw my Range Rover with Suffolk plates, as an opportunity not to be missed :mad:
 

Lincs Lass

Member
Location
north lincs
Got a guy in my village who collects a ton at a time from various farms depending on the variety ,,delivers to pubs and door to door ,does the big car boot sale every weekend weather permitting .
He also gets the first earlies from abroad untill the jerseys and bostons are ready and through the summer gets a load of strawberries on his van ,,they usually get sold as fast as he gets them
Only one place that sells from the gate but I think he buys them in ,not home grown so he cant be making much on them if anything .
two farm shops selling their own spuds but the big growers don't bother anymore ,too much hassle as they cant be in the yard all day and definitely don't want every snoop from far and wide eyeing up the yard
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
It was a matter of principle that we never sold a bag we wouldn't want to buy ourselves as with any of our produce. Word travels fast, and you don't last long in that business fobbing people off with rubbish,

Growing them ourselves, we sometimes weren't dealt a kind hand by nature, but we did our best, buying the washer when we couldn't get them clean dry grading them. We don't have irrigation or good potato land either so that was it for us.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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