DLG e.V.

25 speakers spanning practice, research, industry and policy – Field event includes exhibition, trial plots, machinery demontrations and speaker programme

Potato Days UK, a new, free-to-attend field demonstration and exhibition, will be offering a quality line-up of some 25 speakers in its professional programme of talks and panel discussions. In addition to networking and knowledge exchange, visitors from across the entire potato production value chain will be able to view machinery trials and research plots as well as indoor and outdoor exhibits from nearly 100 companies at the event held on 4 and 5 September at Nocton in Lincolnshire, the heart of the UK Food Valley, and hosted by Dyson Farming

Greg Smith, DLG Representative in the UK and Ireland

Former DEFRA Minister, George Eustice, who farms in Cornwall and now acts as advisor for Emerald Research, will join speakers from across the potato industry in a session on policy and practice. The programme session also includes Grace O’Dwyer, HSBC, James Young, McCain and Debbie Winstanley, CUPGRA, who will debate the effect of policy on future practise and how this can contribute to sustainability and efficiency. Mark Taylor, influential industry leader and Chair of GB Potatoes, will lead the discussion.

Held on the dedicated “DLG Expert stage” over the two days, other themed sessions cover machinery, automation and AI, the impact of net-zero and the effect of climate change on potato growing. Leading academics, potato growers and processors as well as advisors are among the speakers.

Potato Days UK will celebrate its premiere on 4 & 5 September in Nocton

“Potato Days UK is a comprehensive – one-stop – deep dive into the latest innovation and research in this essential sector. Our programme of talks and panels offers visitors the opportunity to hear from industry leaders and experts as well as contribute to discussions on the major issues facing potato production in the future. Importantly, the event gives visitors the chance to network with their peers and make new connections,” says Greg Smith, representative for UK & Ireland, DLG (German Agricultural Society), the creator and organiser of Potato Days UK.

Dedicated to furthering progress in agriculture, the DLG is an international, non-profit society that offers practical platforms – like Potato Days UK – for farming professionals to promote efficient decisions for their farm.

“This sentiment runs through all that we do and includes promoting science, research, education, and international co-operation. Our programme at Potato Days UK – made by farmers, for farmers – reflects this core value,” adds Smith.

DLG’s professional programme has been put together by experts from UK Food Valley, GB Potatoes and University of Lincoln and Dyson farming Research. Taking the partner lead, Effie Warwick-John of UK Food Valley, said “The potato sector is a vital part of our region’s agriculture and makes a significant contribution to the economy. We are at the epicentre of potato growing in the UK with many top farmers and growers, processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers close by. Potato Days UK is an exciting opportunity to bring the industry together, in the ideal setting of Nocton farm, to learn and share knowledge.”

Held on 20 hectares, Potato Days UK is organized by the DLG together with event partners Dyson Farming, GB Potatoes, the British umbrella organization for the potato industry, AVR, Dewulf, GRIMME UK, McCain, the University of Lincoln and UK Food Valley, the network for innovation in the food industry.

Taking place on both event days, live harvesting demonstrations are performed machines from AVR, Dewulf, Grimme and Standen. Crop handling and loading will be demonstrated by AVR, Dewulf, Downs and Grimme.

A select group of exhibitors have planted trial plots that feature new technologies in weed reduction, crop protection and inputs, different varieties and innovative irrigation systems. The crop trials offer visitors the opportunity to inspect crop and agronomy methods in detail.

The Nocton Farm venue is owned by Dyson Farming, an innovative farm company in the UK.

Interested potato cultivation professionals can visit Potato Days UK free of charge when registering in advance. Register here.

The DLG, as part of its non-profit objective of offering local know-how to farmers, has been organizing a number of successful trade fairs for the potato industry.  DLG is organizer of PotatoEurope in the Netherlands and Germany, the international potato industry field exhibition. PotatoEurope takes place annually, cycling between four countries, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands. The event covers potato cultivation and processing, including trial fields and machinery demonstrations.

About DLG

With more than 31,000 members, DLG is a politically independent and non-profit organisation. DLG draws on an international network of some 3,000 food and agricultural experts. Through its subsidiary, DLG International, DLG operates has subsidiaries in nine countries and also organizes over 30 regional agricultural and livestock exhibitions worldwide. DLG’s leading international exhibitions, EuroTier for livestock farming and Agritechnica for agricultural machinery, which are held every two years in Hanover, Germany, provide international impetus for the local trade fairs. Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, DLG conducts practical trials and tests to keep its members informed of the latest developments. DLG’s sites include DLG’s International Crop Production Centre, a 600-hectare test site in Bernburg-Strenzfeld, Germany and the DLG Test Centre, Europe’s largest agricultural machinery test centre for Technology and Farm Inputs, located in Gross-Umstadt, Germany. DLG bridges the gap between theory and practice, as evidenced by more than 40 working groups of farmers, academics, agricultural equipment companies and organisations that continually compare advances in knowledge in specific areas such as irrigation and precision farming.
www.dlg.org