74 | PRODUCTION Alex McDonald T T Sue Russell Seed spud supply complex Domestically, Alex McDonald Ltd produces 10,000 tonnes of seed potatoes annually. The humble and celebrated spud is a vegetable that is so common that we don’t generally pass a second thought as to what goes in to creating them. One person who has spent the past, nearly 30 years, immersed in the business of growing seed potatoes is Kerry Hughes, from Canterbury-based seed potato producing business Alex McDonald Ltd. And for those of us who look forward to purchasing our annual supply of seed potatoes from our local plant shop, all the processes and the time that goes into producing them isn’t something most people have a remote understanding of. The journey of a seed potato begins in a very different form, sourced from eight Northern Hemisphere seed breeding companies. Plants first arrive in an unrecognisable form called ‘ micro-plantlets’; tiny little plants growing in an agar solution, that are handled with tweezers. All plantlets are quality assessed and checked for viruses before being sent to New Zealand. On arrival here they are received into a laboratory at Plant Diagnostics where they are multiplied from micro-plantlet to seedling-plantlet before being handed back to Alex McDonald Ltd and planted out in their glasshouses to grow into mini-tubers. “These mini-tubers are then planted out by ourselves in rented fields in the Methven area and multiply for two seasons to get sufficient quantities of each variety,” Kerry explains. Once the tubers have grown to a prescribed age and size they are provided to Alex McDonald’s contracted seed growers, a collection of 20 farmers spread around the Canterbury region, who multiply those seeds, before selling them back to the company. “From the time we import a variety as plantlets, it can take up to six-years, where the stock is refreshed every year; what we call pyramid multiplication,” says Alex. In all, Alex McDonald Ltd carries 63 varieties, to cater for the specific needs of industry and consumer suppliers, such as supermarkets and for crisping and chipping. Farms growing seed potatoes under contract generally are mixed-cropping situations, enabling each season the potato patch to be cycled around fresh paddocks, something Alex says is essential to prevent soil-bound diseases from affecting the crop. Seed potatoes are only allowed to be grown in the same location on a farm, once every five years, so they fit in well with multi-cropping farming situations. New Zealand doesn’t currently have a seed-breeding facility. Instead, Alex McDonald Ltd, represents the main breeders in the Northern Hemisphere from Germany, Holland and the UK. “They are covered by plant variety rights and for every tonne of seed we sell we pay a royalty to these businesses.” Domestically, the company produces 10,000 tonne of seed potatoes annually. Kerry says they are always looking for new growers. With the conversion of land to dairying in the Canterbury region, a lot of former cropping land disappeared. “It’s quite a cost prohibitive sector when you consider the cost of machinery and the cost of land. It’s about hitting the sweet spot with economies of scale for ourselves and our growers.” Though the name has been retained, Kerry says he took over the business, as an employee when the third generation of the McDonald family were not intent on running the company any longer. On a day to day basis, Kerry looks after all the sales while a Field Operations Manager looks after the grower operation side of the business. Alex McDonald Ltd has five full-time and 10 part-time staff. Asked where the challenges lie, as a seedspud producer, Kerry says it is around the growing number of compliances and demands for use of land that are the two most concerning. “We need access to water and to sufficient land to grow the volumes that work for our size and scale. “We have somehow got to get the general public on board as the potato is a staple and a very important food source in New Zealand.” - Bulk Grain, Silo & Cool Storage - Agricultural Spraying- Lime & Super Spreading - Precision Nitrogen Sowing - Log, Hay & Straw, Grain, Stock & Container Cartage - l i , il l - Firewood & Shingle Supplies - i l l i - i i - i i i i - Swing-Lifting - , , i , i PROUD TO ALEX MCDONALD LTD SUPPORT PO Box 28, Line Road, Methven , i , • Ph: 03 302 8616 E: philipwareingltd@xtra.co.nz : ili i l . . • www.philipwareing.co.nz Pyper's Produce Potatoes have been specially selected, washed and are ready for you in immaculate condition. Phone: 03 2217277 | Email: pypers@pypers.co.nz Proud to support Alex McDonald Ltd
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