The team behind Scotland’s seed potato monitor farm near St Cyrus is undeterred by the lights going out at AHDB Potatoes.
Nancy Nicolson reports for The Courier that the four-year SPot Farm project may have been blighted by the imminent demise of the principal funder and the difficulty of industry engagement due to the pandemic, but the partners involved are upbeat and determined to plough on with field-scale trials and research for the original four-year term.
Industry funding has still to be confirmed for the next stage of the work centred around the potato business belonging to the Reid family at Milton of Mathers, which grows 200 acres of seed potatoes for McCain growers in England. However, discussions are at an advanced stage and an announcement is expected soon.
Jim Reid’s passion for potato perfection and his attention to detail is matched by that of agronomist Eric Anderson of Scottish Agronomy who is overseeing a range of work on desiccation techniques, sprayer applications and integrated pest management.
A number of practical research projects are ongoing this year, and a range of new projects have been scheduled for the next two years.
