Yesterday, we welcomed over 80 growers to Sandburn Hall for our annual Growers Conference, “Growing Under Pressure.” This year’s conference focused on the challenges currently facing potato production, including supply chain pressures, economic uncertainty and rising fuel and fertiliser costs. Alongside our growers, we were joined by a range of industry experts who shared valuable insight into the factors influencing production costs, market conditions and what the future looks like for the sector.
The day began with an update from Rufus Pilgrim, Joe Weston and John Bones, who reflected on the past year across our fresh, processing and seed operations, whilst also sharing their thoughts on the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Richard Clarke from Origin Soil Nutrition provided an informative overview of global fertiliser markets, explaining how ongoing conflict in the Middle East has affected fertiliser availability and pricing. He also discussed the potential long-term implications for supply and highlighted ways growers can reduce their exposure to future volatility.
Fuel markets were another key topic of discussion. Duncan Lambert from Rix Petroleum explored how geopolitical events continue to influence fuel supplies and prices, while offering practical advice on managing risk in an increasingly unpredictable market.
From a customer perspective, Jon Wood from Calbee shared insight into the current crisping market and some of the supply chain challenges experienced during the season. Alongside these challenges, Jon also highlighted recent investment in Seabrook’s production capacity and outlined optimistic goals for future growth.
After seasons of rapid input cost inflation, alongside depressed arable commodity prices, farming has not seen such uncertainty for some time. Oliver Maxey from Virgin Money guided growers through fluctuating interest rates and Virgin Money’s positive view on investing in the future of farming.
The event provided an excellent opportunity for growers to hear from industry specialists, share experiences and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing potato production. Thank you to all of our speakers and growers for helping to make the day such a valuable and engaging event!