- Location
- West Suffolk
Potato price 2018
- Thread starter Sonoftheheir
- Start date
riverside2
Member
- Location
- Shropshire
Melody have held up well in the dry in most cases this season.
Niels
Member
- Location
- Netherlands/Suffolk
All in all we had about 130mm since it started raining late August. That is enough for now but it won't solve our moisture deficiency of nearly 300mm. Raining as I write this. Further South it is drier though so you can see the problems shifting. Late planted greenish crops are profiting a little from this rain. Problem is that the crops have matured to well. Last week was perfect with 20c, rain and dullish weather. Normally crops should bulk up 5t/week at this rate. Now it is barely 2,5t/week.
The early varieties are far gone. There is also still secondary growth to take into account. Some Agria crops will be lifted green. Nobody quite knows what will happen in stores later this year. In 2006 something similar happened, crops rotted away and the price went up to €40 plus. current business is being done for €30-€35.
I feel the general opinion is that farmers fear rain will arrive some day and it might do just that when everyone is lifting in October. So crops are now getting burned off with Reglone, ruling out any regrowth. If you have some free-buy potatoes there is a lot of money in the ground! Rather get them in the shed now than wait for a few more kgs.
so does the soil
Honest john
Member
- Location
- Fenland
Would you like to proffer more thoughts on Agria lifted green.
Someone I know had a go at that but couldn’t get them over the Grimme multi sep,
tops bunging it up. As top not sepperating from sets & tubbers so resorted to Diquat.
- Location
- West Suffolk
Thanks @Niels for the update.
I’m surprised you had so much rain. Here we’ve had just over 70mm since the start of August.
Everyone seems to have finished irrigating now, although the restrictions were lifted last week. The land seems to be wet underneath now, a first for this season!
When you say they’re lifting Agria green, do you mean to sell straight away and not store them?
From what I’ve seen I don’t think the weather pattern is going to alter much long term, so I personally can’t see a wet harvest happening.
What will be a worry is the El Niño weather pattern happening, from which I’ve be told can make the European summers hotter and drier. If we don’t get much rain (it’s not forecast) over winter, next year could potentially be drier than this!
I’m surprised you had so much rain. Here we’ve had just over 70mm since the start of August.
Everyone seems to have finished irrigating now, although the restrictions were lifted last week. The land seems to be wet underneath now, a first for this season!
When you say they’re lifting Agria green, do you mean to sell straight away and not store them?
From what I’ve seen I don’t think the weather pattern is going to alter much long term, so I personally can’t see a wet harvest happening.
What will be a worry is the El Niño weather pattern happening, from which I’ve be told can make the European summers hotter and drier. If we don’t get much rain (it’s not forecast) over winter, next year could potentially be drier than this!
Niels
Member
- Location
- Netherlands/Suffolk
Hi @Honest john and @Sonoftheheir
Those Agria's will be processed directly by the factory. Secondary tubers, especially with Agria, will start leaking water in storage and you get pockets of crop which starts to rot. Last year some farmers had to have pumps in their underground ducts from the bulk store in order to get rid of all the water! Multisep is always used here in combination with dahlmann rollers. Not a single or double Multisep but I can imagine them not separating well. Would be more of a job for the Grimme boys to properly set it up? Maybe our crops are further gone than those in the UK?
We were relatively well off with rain. Further South they only had 40mm and into Belgium and France it is even drier from what I heard. El Nino is indeed something people worry about here. I believe it usually also brings a wet autumn/winter?
Those Agria's will be processed directly by the factory. Secondary tubers, especially with Agria, will start leaking water in storage and you get pockets of crop which starts to rot. Last year some farmers had to have pumps in their underground ducts from the bulk store in order to get rid of all the water! Multisep is always used here in combination with dahlmann rollers. Not a single or double Multisep but I can imagine them not separating well. Would be more of a job for the Grimme boys to properly set it up? Maybe our crops are further gone than those in the UK?
We were relatively well off with rain. Further South they only had 40mm and into Belgium and France it is even drier from what I heard. El Nino is indeed something people worry about here. I believe it usually also brings a wet autumn/winter?
Last edited:
- Location
- West Suffolk
Honest john
Member
- Location
- Fenland
What he meant is they run Dalhmans then multisep or just Dalhmans.
Not Double Multisep.
Niels
Member
- Location
- Netherlands/Suffolk
@Sonoftheheir @Honest john Exactly I meant either Dahlman's and Multisep or just Dalhmans (most do) or double Multisep which I believe you can get on (some) Grimme machines?
I bumped into a farmer today who lifts his Agria green. He says when you spray them off the secondary tubers start sucking the first tubers empty as soon as the plant is dieing. The primary tubers we refer to as 'glass' because of their low starch. These will rot quickly. Hence why he leaves them to grow and then lifts green. He didn't have a ready solution for tubers sticking to haulm. More aggressive cleaning he reckoned and send them away directly because of damage.
I bumped into a farmer today who lifts his Agria green. He says when you spray them off the secondary tubers start sucking the first tubers empty as soon as the plant is dieing. The primary tubers we refer to as 'glass' because of their low starch. These will rot quickly. Hence why he leaves them to grow and then lifts green. He didn't have a ready solution for tubers sticking to haulm. More aggressive cleaning he reckoned and send them away directly because of damage.
- Location
- West Suffolk
With What manufacturer can you get Dalhmans and a multisep? I’d be interested in a machine like that.
Honest john
Member
- Location
- Fenland
@Niels
I understand what you are saying.
I note from this weeks digs the Daughter tubbers seem to be growing & the GrandDaughters ( 2nd Growth ) seem to have stopped growing. There are no more new tubbers forming on the chits.
So it looks like Fazor is doing its job.
I think it wise to leave the full 5 weeks from Fazor spray date to Reglone.
I have 50ac of Agria so it’s a concern on what to do, to make the best of a bad job.
If the Daughters go glassy then well stock feed at best.
Processors are taking anything they get offered from 17% DM ATM.
Regards
We are on our second Grimme GT RS Multisep. Really helps in a year like 2017.
Niels
Member
- Location
- Netherlands/Suffolk
Lets hope Fazor is doing its job then. Certainly seems wise leaving them the full term! Do you have the possibility of sifting the glassy tubers out? They use salt baths for fries processing but I learned for consumption i.e. fish & chips you need a clay bath? We calculate DM in grams per kg here. What would 17% match up to, 350 grams?
- Location
- West Suffolk
- Location
- South Wales UK
So what's sack 25kg of potatoe's retail ?,
£12 ?
£12 ?
- Location
- West Suffolk
Looks like the controls for the millennium falcon! Good bit of kit for the money. Thanks for the link.
david
Member
- Location
- County Down
Heard this morning that you can buy Shropshire potatoes for £220 per ton.
Really ?
Really ?
