The evolving challenge associated with potatoes and crop agronomy was one of the key themes discussed at the 2024 National Potato Conference.
Courtesy of his presentation, Teagasc’s head of crop knowledge transfer, Michael Hennessy, confirmed that growers would have to adapt to a future within which the range of crop protection chemistries available to them would be significantly reduced.
“There is a huge role for potatoes within Irish agriculture. The past 12 months have seen numerous challenges and opportunities determining the sustainability of potato farming business.
“This time last year, growers were coping with exceptional weather, in terms of just how wet it was. This meant that the harvest was a real struggle.
“On the opposite side of that, potato stocks were short across the UK, Ireland and Europe. This led to a resurgence in market prices, the likes of which had been seen for many years,” Hennessy said.
Potatoes
According to the Teagasc representative, these prices continued well into the 2023/2024 selling season, providing much needed relief for potato growers.
“Prices have continued to hold up well, certainly above historic levels, which is a positive sign. In tandem with this, potato consumption levels have continued to increase, another positive indicator for the sector,” he added.
But many challenges are still confronting Irish potato growers – as Hennessy pointed out, getting access to suitable land is one of these.
“The evolving blight story is another issue that concerns all of us. The loss of some of our most of effective chemistries, in terms of crop protection, will add an extra layer of complexity when it comes to controlling blight over the coming years.
“It will be very difficult for farmers not to change, certainly in terms of their blight management strategies. But, this will have to happen during the period ahead,” he continued.
Hennessy confirmed that the 2024 potato harvest was more or less complete on most farms. Growers had taken full advantage of the excellent weather and ground conditions that had so characterised the autumn of 2024.
“It has been a long time since the potato harvest has been completed in such a straightforward manner, and this is something that we should all celebrate.
“As we look to the future it is clear that events, such as the national potato conference and technical work shops, give potato growers an opportunity to stay up to date.
“Knowledge sharing in tandem with the introduction of new innovations will allow the potato sector to look ahead with a significant degree of confidence,” he explained.