Seed selection for commercial processing crop (Edition 5)

WELCOME AND SEASON REPORT

Tis the season to be jolly and more importantly check your seed!  All potato growers should be inspecting their seed.

You might see something you wish to avoid i.e., paddock condition or stones. You will also see paddocks that would not of been considered if you didn’t look. Also as a Christmas treat we are pleased to advise that our Cherry Hill seed tours are on again!

Expressions of interest are invited for our annual seed tours.

Thursday 6/2/2014 is the date for our seed crop inspection along  the coast. We will be leaving Cherry Hill at 7am. All potato growers  and industry representatives are most welcome.

A southern tour will be one week later on the 13/2/2014 and the  north–east tour is yet to be advised.

We’d love to hear from you so give us a call! You can reach us on (03) 6426 1590.

The Team at the Cherry Hill Coolstores

Pictured above: Left – Andrew and Pam in the Christmas spirit. Middle and right – Farmers participating in our annual seed tours during 2012. Our tours are a fabulous way to gain some insight into your own business and management. On our seed tours we talk to the seed growers, talk to their agronomists and look at your paddocks. This is a popular event so call us soon to book your place.

BUCK HAS SOMETHING TO SAY

Peter “Buck” Lunson grew up in Tasmania and spent the early days of his career working in the mining industry in locations all around Australia. He has been part of the Cherry Hill Coolstores family for over 12 years now, with his initial days spent seed cutting. Today, every day is different. One minute he could be unloading or loading a truck, and the next there’s an attempt to convince him to wear reindeer antlers!

Buck actually grew up 200 metres down the road from the Cherry Hill headquarters, and loves the lifestyle on the NW Coast of Tasmania. Much of his spare time is spent gardening and his love of fishing! He has observed over time the different effects of local industry upon our waterways in Tasmania and is an environmental advocate to keep them healthy and clean. Especially around oysters!

He has an amazing ‘signature sauce’ recipe if anyone is interested…

TESTIMONIAL … “IN THE PADDOCK WITHIN AN HOUR“

“I have been contracting for around 25 years and using Cherry Hill Coolstores for 10 years of this. The quality of Cherry Hill’s product is excellent.

The after sales service is also excellent. I can actually ring and talk to someone who knows what is going on, it is a lot more personal. For example, we had an issue, and Brenden and Andrew were in the paddock within an hour – they are onto it straight away.

Compared to competitors they offer a better service, problems get addressed quickly and the overall experience is very good. Cherry Hill is very experienced at what they do. They have excellent communication and encourage you to actually look at the product.”

Richard Hardstaff – Farmer, Potato Contractor

View more of our testimonials here.

A TIMELY REMINDER FROM BRENDEN

Planting Season 2013

Planting this year has been severely hampered by the weather with numerous crops being planted in less than ideal soil conditions. Many crops this year have had few inches off rain on them straight after planting. Having precut seed helps to minimise seed breakdown on wet ground because the seed has already healed from the cutting process.

Seed Round Up

Generally, seed leaving Cherry Hill has been good. Apart from a relatively new trial variety which looks good from a yielding perspective but has some seed issues, that need to be worked out before this variety becomes mainstream.

This year we have seen more fusarium than normal, particularly on one or two lines of seed. I urge all seed growers and seed buyers to be conscious of their paddock selection for next years crop as stone damage leads to fusarium which can be devastating at planting time.

Hopefully it won’t be too long and we will be able to DNA soil for fusarium, so we can make more informed decisions on seed.

This season would have to be the most challenging of seasons that I have had during my time at Cherry Hill, with the amount of seed movements to and from Coolstore and also to and back from paddocks. This certainly takes some effort to keep track of all these movements.

You can request your seed to come out of coolstore by calling Brenden on (03) 6426 1590 at the Cherry Hill Coolstores or email him at brenden@cherryhillcoolstores.net.au.

AN OPINION … BY KEVIN LANGMAID

Seed selection for your next seasons commercial processing crop.

Choosing your seed line for your crop next year is very important. It will have a direct effect on your tuber size, disease and certainly your yield per hectare, to mention a few reasons. Therefore, it is important to choose a line which has been well and expertly grown by a seed grower who appreciates the importance of high quality, well grown tubers.

Here are some points to watch out for. Remember this will help your bottom line.

Make sure it has been produced off land which has not grown potatoes on it for at least seven years, preferably 20 years or virgin ground.
Make sure it has been grown from low generation seed. For example a low generation seed such as, G2 or G3.
Visit the crop at maturity before harvesting. Make sure the tubers are not placed on a hard soil pan, have loose soil under the tubers, and make sure it is not too wet or too dry.
Check tubers for signs of any disease or skin defects. Tuber shape is important. They need to be true to variety standards and remember 280 gram tubers is your best size, nothing under 40 grams and nothing over 350 grams. Even though we do have the capacity to cut larger tubers, the waste percentage is higher.
Take particular notice of the crop foliage appearance to see if there are no disease signs and the plants have good healthy tops.
We don’t like to see that the chemical application has been applied to the crop with a wide tyred tractor with a low centre. This can damage foliage and allow disease to enter the crop and it may not manifest itself until storage or worse, after you have planted.
We would urge the transporter of your seed to deliver to the Coolstore as soon as it is loaded as the application of the chemical to the tubers is important. The longer this gap is, the less effective the fungicide is.
Take particular notice to avoid risks of damage being infected during harvest, namely not too many stones, clods or steep inclines which can be a problem. It may well be in your (the buyers) interest to make sure your harvester person or machine be compensated to handle your seed crop gently and responsibly.
The seed crop needs to have had a recommended application of fertilizers at planting as a result from a soil testing prior to planting. Attention that not too much nitrogen has been applied to the seed, as this may affect the storability and handling.
Seed growers remember we aim to avoid grading the seed at delivery, providing the line does not have over 3% defective tubers. This has a saving of $16 per tonne to the seed grower. Cherry Hill has the capacity to remove that 3% as we cut – much better for your seed, as less handling.
Talk to Brenden about pre-cutting your seed if you have not tried this before. You can have a positive influence on your crop yield and quality. Try having one load pre-cut and one load spring cut and note if you get more weight off your pre-cuts. Remember to get your pre-cuts out of coolstore a couple of days before you plant.
If you observe any problems with your cut seed – let Brenden or Andrew know immediately, as they can usually help.

Wishing all growers a Merry Christmas and good luck for your next crop and I hope you can improve your bottom line for the next season. This is never easy, but may be just possible.

Cherry Hill run multiple seed tours – give them a call on 03 6426 1590 and get on board.

Kevin is now retired, however can regularly be found out at Cherry Hill. He lives in East Devonport and would describe himself as very happily retired with still a key interest in Cherry Hill. Andrew and Brenden regularly refer to Kevin for his advice and opinion.

CHERRY HILL COOLSTORES SEED GUARANTEE

Our Seed Management Service

Cherry Hill Coolstores will guarantee our services on Seed Growers seed. If you buy someone else’s certified seed, which is presented to Cherry Hill in good condition, and it breaks down, we will replace our cutting and services at no charge.

This guarantee specifically refers to seed piece breakdown, (i.e. rots) and refers to seed which is delivered directly to Cherry Hill from the Seed Paddock for coolstoring and cutting.

In order for this guarantee to be valid, the buyer must make claims with 24 hours of the seed leaving Cherry Hill and before planting.

There appears to be some confusion with the terms and conditions of our seed-handling guarantee. Let us explain …

If you engage Cherry Hill to store and cut your seed potatoes and the seed (when delivered to you) has unplantable faults, like seed piece rot or cut sets, which are unacceptable
to you – we will grade the seed to an acceptable standard at no cost to you.

If this cannot be achieved, we will refund the costs of cool storage, bin hire and cutting of those tonnes affected. This guarantee covers all certified seed stored at Cherry Hill, which has been delivered to us in a disease free condition.

Our commitment to this guarantee gives you the confidence that if we do not get our input right we will be responsible for those costs.

When there is seed piece breakdown it is often a combination of issues, some of which are out of our control. However, we are determined to make sure our input is positive and responsible.

Make sure your seed is delivered in to us as soon as possible after digging so fungicide can be applied.

View more about our guarantee here…