One of my new year resolutions was to read all trade magazines as soon as they come into the office. The information that goes into these papers may not all be relevant but as we enter a new year there are plans to make, so all information needs assessing.
During 2015 Matt and I went to Germany to see the Kranneman sea buckthorn harvester in action. The state of the art as we saw it. The operation is about speed of harvesting, quality of production and reducing costs. Returning home the visit inspired how to make our operation efficient at our scale.
Machinery is not the only issue. The farm’s clay soil makes it harder for plants to grow and develop, but it is what we have to work with. 2015 was the UN International year of soils. As our government department DEFRA quotes an annual loss of 2.2 million tons of topsoil each year as a result of wind and rainfall, this is becoming a crucial issue. I see that the top mega producers of salad vegetables tend not to own their land but seek out the best soils and rent land that suits the best requirement of the crop.
Others have opted to move away from soil all together. One particular company produces over 220m tomatoes, together with millions of peppers and cucumbers using hydroponics in controlled environments. These systems even control light so as to maintain supply through the year. Gone is the concept of seasonality, but with it there can be a penalty of lack of taste and texture.
Entrepeneurs in London are developing smaller scale operations in containers using artificial light, delivering freshness that is demanded by restaurants and consumers. Salad crops and herbs fit these projects well. Risks of damage by weather, pests and disease are all able to be controlled so much easier. Less risk equals less loss and better profit.
Capital costs are clearly an issue on the mega operations, but the container based farmer can set up without huge investment. These sort of changes are not new. I came across an article from the Country Life magazine dated June 28 1962 this week. Titles the same as this blog it states – farming has become “a game for the young man who is technically expert and has the temperament to take calculated risks”.
Innovation has driven the UK top and soft fruit industry. The appearance of blueberries throughout the year on supermarket shelves has been because production methods have become so efficient.
Fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries now find a regular place in the UK consumer shopping basket. Fruit is recognised as a healthy part of the diet. But these are mass commodity products. Sea buckthorn is niche. Its sharp taste is as a result of its ability to provide not only contribute to a healthy diet, but to also proactively maintain good health.
Placing sea buckthorn on the consumer’s larder shelf needs to address a number of issues. Consumer knowledge; consumer confidence and affordability. Taste might be an issue, but the taste is no different to citrus and without its sharpness it would not deliver its benefit.
Affordability though is an issue as production costs have to reflect that establishing consumer knowledge and confidence is a high cost. Marketing is all important.
As we watched the German production system we reflected on the cost. But as with the container farmers in London, there are always alternative ways to come to the same end point. Maybe growing sea buckthorn in an artificial environment is possible. Maybe we challenge ourselves too much with looking to ever increasing scale. Maybe we are better to contract into co-operatives of close to market, small operations where scale is balanced on the availability of time to grow and harvest efficiently. Mobile processing units are available for all sorts of operations. This model sounds more suited to an African small holder community, but the UK has become an urban society and values have changed significantly.
As I look at my sea buckthorn plants changing their behaviour in adapting to our climate, change is not something one can fight. It has to be accepted, understood and molded into a shape that suits a future not as we want it, but as it is.
