From potato to crisps... the journey to Walkers...

Elveden farms are the first farm in the East of England that Walkers Crisps visit with their grading line. Elveden provide them with the first 7,000 tonnes of potatoes.

The potatoes which are grown 3 rows in a bed of soil, are first topped using flails, as seen below:

A harvester follows, removing the tops and soil and putting the potatoes on top of the next bed.

The second harvester follows and gently lifts the potatoes from both beds, removes the tops and sifts out the soil before elevating them to a cart running along side.

Back in the yard the potatoes are first inspected dry.

They are then washed and rinsed before further inspection.

A final check before loading into a lorry, seen below:

and off to the factory in Leicestershire.

How many packets of crisps in 7,000 tonnes of potatoes??



...



Around 75 million Bags!

Whats going on at Elveden Farms...

Over winter we have prepared stone free beds of soil.

The land is first ridged into beds using a bed former, pulled by 575hp. Caterpillar tractor. Steered by satellite technology, it forms 3 beds at a time.

Stone separators scoop up the bed onto a series of webs. The soil falls through the webs, while the stones are carried to a cross conveyor which throws the stones into the trough between the 2 beds ahead of the operation.

It can be a slow and laborious job, but stone free soil means damage free crops.

In March and April we sow most of the carrots, parsnips and onions.

The Stone free soil is first tilled to freshen it up and leave fine, moist, level and deep beds.

Precision drills place individual seeds at exact spacings in pairs of rows, 3 beds at a time.

A different gang are planting potatoes also into stone free beds.

The 2 machines carefully place chitted (sprouted) tubers, 3 rows to each bed of soil.



It'stime for organic manure...

In January, we are busy spreading vast quantities of organic manure on the fields.

The manure helps to feed the plants and to hold moisture in our sandy soils.