Growing profits in potato crops

By Crop4Sight

Crop4Sight a new software solution providing in-season potato crop benchmarking and forecasting to UK potato growers.

The platform comprising of an integrated mobile and web application, benchmarks Potato crop performance using variety specific milestones from planting onwards, allowing forecasts of likely outcomes throughout the season.

These insights support crop management decisions to optimise saleable yields. Managing Director Paul Coleman says Optimising inputs and maximising the saleable crop output is at the heart of what the system does.

Our aim is to make users the most efficient and profitable potato growers in their sector.

Analysis of historic data shows there is potential to increase saleable yields by up to 10 % in many crops. The company estimate that on 60 hectares of potato production this could deliver additional returns in excess of £21,000.

Crop4Sight is offered as an annual subscription based on the number of fields. Users collect data on planting, emergence, canopy growth and sample yield digs using the website or the Crop4Sight App, which can be downloaded from App store or Google Play.

Crop4Sight have an on-going program of replicated plot trials generating variety specific parameters used in the platform, meaning new varieties can be rapidly included into the software.

Coleman says, Our priority is to develop the product to deliver unique insights by combining variety specific data with commercial purpose of the crop (e.g. crisping, fresh, processing or seed).

Crop4Sight can also be used by marketing businesses, cooperatives, packers and processors in the supply chain. Coleman adds If you are sourcing thousands of tonnes of potatoes each year, understanding the likely yield and size fractions in your growers base early in the season is vitally important. From a grower perspective it adds value to their customers. However, its entirely the growers choice to positively choose to share their crop data on an individual crop basis.

In summary Coleman says, The goal of maximising output and minimising inputs is something potato growers and those in the supply chain can relate to and benefit from. We believe that this makes Crop4Sight an essential tool for the potato sector.

For more blogs and news, see the CropTec blog here