6 minute read
COMMUNITY IS THE PILLAR OF POTATO FARMING
Potatoes are an important raw material for Chemigate. For years we've spoken about the results of cereal starch, but there's always a market for potato starch. These days, the value of domestic potato starch stems not just from its purity and strength potential, but the transparency of its cultivation and the resulting sustainability and low carbon footprint. But how does potato starch and its future look from the farmer's perspective? This was the question we posed to two of Lapuan Peruna's contract farmers, Heikki Takala and Antti Lammi.
Text: Tuire Luomala
Lammi's farm is located in Untamala (Ylistaro). The farm has cultivated starch potatoes since the 1960s and continues today with Antti Lammi – who assumed responsibility for the farm in 2008 alongside a generational change.
Lammi became an agrologist in 2006 after graduating from Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences. The topic of his final paper was “Improving potato starch production on a smallhold”. For Lammi, potatoes are an interesting crop to grow. “The potato is a challenging plant, but very rewarding when you find the right growing methods. There's no shortcut to a good harvest, and I myself have a desire to develop as a farmer and to improve my crops by testing new varieties and their suitability for my fields, for example. We've also made the effort to implement crop rotation to ensure the continuity of our starch potato cultivation.”
A major risk for potato production is difficult weather condi- tions. In autumn 2023, potatoes at Lammi’s farm had to be left in the field due to rain. “Mentally, autumn was very difficult – it rained 10-15 millimetres almost every day. How other farmers are getting along has also been on our minds, because large areas of potatoes were left in the field due to the wet conditions. Production input volumes and prices are high, and if potatoes cannot be harvested, the situation will become extremely difficult.”
That autumn, the final harvestable potatoes on the Lammi farm were pulled from the ground just before the frosts arrived. “At the end of the day, the farm came out relatively well,” he says.
A strong community is the pillar that sustains the farmers. “Other farmers here in Untamala and the surrounding area are a great resource – for peer support as well.”
Lammi also feels there are many benefits to co-operation – it offers access to new perspectives and help with harvesting when necessary. Spring sorting and seed treatment are also carried out co-operatively.
What changes will the future bring?
The future is of some concern to Lammi – also in terms of what changes and regulations might be imposed on farming in the future. “It may involve the kind of risks that are tough to adapt to, such as changes in EU agricultural policy and crop protection product regulations. But our intention is to continue with potatoes – in a way that's sensible and economically viable, of course. The price the farmer gets has to be enough that he's both paid for his work and is also able to develop the crop,” adds Lammi.
There's not much free time on the farm during the summer, but when there is, Lammi likes to head to the baseball stands. In the winter, he follows skiing, and he's kept up with the opening of the World Cup in Ruka on several occasions.
In the future there may be even more free time for Lammi –his 10-year-old nephew, Jussi, is already enthusiastic about helping out on the farm. “My nephew is a huge help. He remembers better than I do what grows where or what's been grown the previous year,” Lammi laughs.
Finally, Lammi sends his greetings to other farmers: “Despite the difficult autumn last year, we need to look to the future and hope that the weather in the next growing season will be favourable: sun, heat and rain – in just the right proportions.”
Potato harvesting hitting its stride
Lappajärvi-based starch potato farmer Heikki Takala was inspired to grow potatoes by his father Rauno Takala, who began growing potatoes on his farm in 1987. From a young age, Takala has followed in his father's footsteps, learning valuable lessons about the fields and their bounties. Heikki Takala took over the farm in 2009.
Tractor pulling can be put to good use in potato cultivation.
In addition to growing potatoes, Takala also runs a machinery contracting business. He also keeps his CNC operator papers in his back pocket, but he's never used them – potato cultivation swept him in a different direction entirely.
“My interest in potatoes is still there, even though the rainy autumn was particularly challenging,” Takala begins. “But we're already looking ahead. There’s no time to waste on worrying.”
Takala is enthusiastic about improving potato farming: “We've done a lot of work to improve quality, and we've also improved the efficiency of potato harvesting. The development is ongoing, and it's a positive that we can work together with the factory without compromising potato quality.”
Last autumn brought a real challenge for harvesting, with record rainfall. A lifting machine had to be used to wrest the potatoes from the uneven field.
“The biggest challenge in potato cultivation is the weather, and if extreme weather conditions will increase. To manage that risk, we try to avoid the worst scenarios. No one wants to see production inputs go to waste.”
In addition to growing potatoes, the young farmer is also involved in tractor pulling. Takala is no novice to the task, as indicated by the World Championship medals – two silver, two bronze – adorning his trophy case. The longest journey took him to Denmark, where all of Europe's best faced off. Here, too, he came in the top ten.
This begs the question – though it’s perhaps not in the best interest of the interviewer: are his potatoes harvested faster when he’s the one behind the tractor wheel?
“Naturally practice comes to some use in potato farming, but I think the lessons tend to be learned more from making repairs than pure speed,” Takala says with a smile.
