Business support for potato growers

We provide information and resources to help growers manage their businesses. This includes up to date information on evolving issues, such as Brexit and coronavirus.

Using the resources below you can:

• Learn how Brexit affects agriculture and how to prepare for life outside the European Union
• Find guidance and support on coronavirus
• Compare you costs with other farms to see where you might be spending too much
• Develop your business skills
• Learn how to ensure a safe working environment for you and your staff

Brexit

The UK's departure from the European Union means big changes in trade. For farmers it also means changes to subsidy payments.

Using this page you can:

• Read the latest news on Brexit
• Listen to analysis of the different possible trading scenarios Britain could adopt
• Calculate the potential impact of Brexit on your business
• Review a series of steps to prepare your business for leaving the European Union
• Access tools to help you prepare
• Learn how to develop a business plan

Coronavirus

For guidance and advice for farmers during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, please visit our dedicated webpage for potato growers:

Using the page you can:

• Learn how the latest developments in the catering industry impact potato growers
• Alternative markets for potatoes
• How coronavirus might affect storage
• Support for you business

Farmbench

Using our Farmbench benchmarking software growers can identify the strengths and weaknesses of their business and compare their results anonymously with other farms.

Using this page you can:

• Benchmark your costs against other farm busines
• Identify which how much you’re spending on different areas within your business
• Discuss and share best practice with others through Business Improvement Groups

Business skills

Our skills programme helps growers secure a professional workforce; vital to improving business performance.

Using this page you can:

• Review guidance on recruiting an apprentice
• Find resources to help you plan for your business effectively
• Browse our webinar library on a variety of business topics

Health and safety

Farming presents many health and safety risks for staff, commonly involving machinery, working at height and dealing with hazardous substances. You can reduce your exposure to these risks by following the health and safety rules for the industry.

We offer dedicated training to help you to train staff in procedures to ensure a safe working environment

Using this page you can:

• Learn about health and safety in agriculture
• Access guidance for harvesting
• Identify hazards in potato storage
• Minimise risk when transporting potatoes

The Machinery Cost Calculator helps you work out the cost of your machinery, per hectare, per hour.

The tool can also be used to compare the costs of owning equipment with the cost of hiring it or getting in a contractor. Different machinery systems can also be compared and repair costs can be calculated for budgeting purposes.

Our Storage Cost Calculator helps you assess your costs using an Excel-based template.

The model is designed to use a combination of data that you can access supplemented by Industry average cost data.

Results are shown in a table format and also graphically.

You can use the Brexit Impact Calculator to investigate the potential impact Brexit may have on your farming business.

Input data from your farm and the tool will produce a report predicated on two possible Brexit scenarios.