Potato growers graduate
leaves more than 60% of the var- iation associated with farms and farming factors – many of which can be controlled.
Much of the variation in rape yields can be controlled, suggests Pete Berry
from MacFry Academy uling tools, to put the knowledge they have learnt into practice. The academy is a joint initia- tive between NIAB and McDon- ald’s, in association with McCain Foods and Lamb Weston. Mc- Donald’s UK and Ireland agri- culture consultant Alice Willett said: “Supporting the UK potato farmers that supply our menu is incredibly important to us.” NIAB’s Tim Parfi tt said: “Each stage of the crop’s management, from seed production through to nutrition, water management, farm safety and storage, is cov- ered taking into account the key requirements for McDonald’s, such as long tuber length.” Academy delegate Michael Hardstaff said the academy had boosted his interest in learning new skills to support on-farm de- cision-making. The 2020 MacFry Academy
The latest crop of potato grow- ers have graduated from the Mac- Fry Potato Academy, the special- ist agronomy and management industry training course. The academy is aimed at the 209 farmers who supply the po- tatoes for the fries served in 1400 McDonalds restaurants across the UK. It aims to ensure that growers have the skills and knowledge to improve and maximise crop per- formance and quality. This was the academy’s second
group of growers, with seven del- egates starting the course in Feb- ruary 2019. It was followed by fi ve days of intensive classroom train- ing throughout 2019 at NIAB – plus additional online training and coursework.
Current and past academy graduates have access to the NIAB CUF Potato Yield Model programme, a set of digital crop modelling and irrigation sched-
opens this month.
33B Waterloo Ind Est ~ Bidford on Avon ~ B50 4JH Visit
www.pipetek.co.uk Call 01789 491 200
Is your Septic Tank 2020 Compliant? Homeowners with septic tanks that discharge directly into ditches, streams, canals, rivers, surface water drains or any other type of watercourse will need to replace or upgrade their drainage before 1st January 2020, or if they sell their property before.
If your Septic Tank is affected you can:
Replace it with a Sewage Treatment Plant
A sewage treatment plant with full BS EN 12566-3 Certification eliminates the need for a drainage field and ensures wastewater is fully treated before discharging.
Install a Drainage Field
A drainage field constructed to British Standard BS6297 2007, allows wastewater to discharge into the ground instead of surface water. This may not always be possible due to the drainage qualities of the soil, or available space.
Connect to the Mains Sewer
This may not be possible in remote locations, although pump chambers can be used to direct wastewater to the mains sewer.
Visit
www.pipetek.co.uk Email
sales@pipetek.co.uk
Call 01789 491 200 JANUARY 2020 • MIDLAND FARMER 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
