'I just love potatoes'

(Oct. 22, 2001) Like his father and grandfather before him, Scotsman Peter Grewar sells fertilizer. And what could be a better endorsement for what he sells than that he uses a lot of it himself on his own potato farm?

AGENT IN THE FIELD: The potatoes Peter Grewar grows benefit from both compound fertilizer and calcium nitrate for top dressing. Many years of farming experience have taught him an important lesson - using quality fertilizer. As a Hydro Agri agent, he does not hesitate to share the knowledge with customers. (Photo: John Glen)

Some thirty years' farming experience have taught Peter Grewar a lot about the benefits of using quality fertilizer, wisdom he eagerly passes on to customers as an agent for Hydro.

The potatoes he grows benefit from both compound fertilizer and calcium nitrate for top dressing. He leaves no one in doubt about the excellence of the result:

"I grow potatoes and I love eating them. If I'm in a restaurant and there's a choice of potatoes or French fries, I usually ask for both!"

Ideal location

Peter has developed his own business to the extent that he is now one of the biggest potato growers in Scotland, producing and handling some 30,000 tonnes a year.

Peter C. Grewar (Potatoes) Ltd. was formed in 1977 and specializes in the growing, grading, cold storage and trading of potatoes. Peter farms a total of some 900 hectares, cultivating wheat, spring and winter barley in addition to the potatoes. His farm is situated in the tiny village of Ardler (pop. 120), tucked away in the rolling Perthshire countryside which has some of the finest arable land north of the border.

The location is ideal. The packers linked to the big supermarket chains who buy potatoes are mostly situated in the Strathclyde region, where roughly half of Scotland's population live. Peter's fertilizer customers are also situated within a fairly concentrated area not far away from his base, but with regular visits he still manages to clock up an average of 40,000 kilometers a year in his Land Rover.

Peter himself no longer has any livestock, though both cattle and sheep can be seen grazing in nearby fields and on hillside pastures. In a year which has blighted the livelihoods of many livestock farmers in the UK, this area has thankfully been able to continue as before; no cases of foot and mouth disease have been reported north of the rivers Forth and Clyde.

It is mid-September and there is bustling activity around the farm as the operation moves into top gear to tackle the demands of the year's busiest period. "We're having a fine dry spell right now, which is unusual, but we certainly welcome it. Wet weather pushes up our operating costs by slowing down the rate at which our machines can lift the potatoes from the soil."

Normally, the three harvesting machines employed will lift 600 boxes by mid-October. Continuous wet weather can halve this performance.

High volume, rapid grading service

Alan Smith has been with Peter for 11 years. He is in charge of the cold storage and grading area. Some 18,000 tonnes go into cold storage every year and comprise three categories: baking, packing size and salad potatoes.

When the potatoes come out of cold storage their temperature is 3 degrees C and they need to be warmed up to 7-8 degrees C before grading. The warming-up and grading store is one of the largest in Scotland, holding in excess of 3,000 tonnes of raw product with undercover loading for three articulated trucks simultaneously.

Alan underscores the importance of complete flexibility in his operation. "When a large packer rings because he has a sudden need for a certain grade of potato, we have to provide a rapid service because the customer expects delivery the same day."

A rush order for salad potatoes is keeping everyone busy and Alan informs Peter of progress. The storage and grading operation has been expanded over the past few years and can now deal with the 15,000 tonnes that Peter purchases from local farmers.

Different tradition

True to the Grewar family tradition, Peter's oldest son, Peter junior, has now entered the family business having completed his agricultural studies in Edinburgh. He has another son, David, at Edinburgh University taking a Business Studies degree while the youngest, Jamie, is at high school in Dundee.

Meanwhile Peter's daughter Julie, a fully qualified lawyer, has moved away from home to take up employment with a London firm. In doing so, it appears she might be departing somewhat from tradition. For it is pasta, and not potatoes, that Julie often prepares in the evening after a busy working day in the capital. Pasta takes only 10 minutes to cook...