Vegetable and salad growers across Wales are invited to secure the final few available places on two upcoming study tours.
Supply chain efficiency project Horticulture Wales is staging two separate visits on Tuesday 23 June, giving commercial growers the opportunity to learn from a pair of contrasting, but similarly successful businesses. The study tours will be the final two such events provided under the current Horticulture Wales initiative, which is headed up out of Glyndwr University’s Northop campus and due to finish at the end of June.
The first trip is for field vegetable growers and will take in a tour of Hammond Produce on the outskirts of Nottingham. Established in 1999, the firm grows, packs, prepares, and delivers hundreds of tonnes of vegetables a week. The visit will cover production of carrots, parsnips, pumpkins, and rhubarb, as well as its ‘Garden of Innovation’ – a mixed plot where new and unusual crops are trialled.
Due to travel constraints, the study tour will take place on the Tuesday afternoon. Growers will be provided with accommodation for that evening, with return travel arranged for the following day (June 24).
In addition, Horticulture Wales is also leading a second study tour to Evesham Vale Growers in Worcestershire. This visit is particularly suitable for growers of salads and protected crops such as spring onions, courgettes, and asparagus.
It will include a field visit to see examples of standing crops, a tour of the farm’s packing and distribution facilities, a look around some of the 30 acres of tomato glasshouses, which all use a hydroponic growing system, and the chance to check out the on-site Anaerobic Digestion system which is used to generate renewable energy from waste.
Subject to sufficient demand from growers, return transport for this tour will be provided by Horticulture Wales.
Chris Owens, Communications Officer for Horticulture Wales, commented: “These will be the final two study tours we stage before the current Horticulture Wales project concludes at the end of June. Therefore we urge growers across Wales to take advantage of these two great opportunities to meet and learn from other successful businesses.”
Places are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Growers interested in attending either of the trips are urged to contact Horticulture Wales on (01978) 293967 or email horticulturewales@glyndwr.ac.uk as soon as possible.