A family-run carrot operation in the UK is harvesting around 150 tons of carrots per day, seven days a week, to meet seasonal demand ahead of Christmas. Poskitts, based in Kellington, North Yorkshire, is targeting the supply of around one million bags of carrots to supermarkets across the country during the festive period.
Seeds for the Christmas crop were planted in April, with crop management continuing through to December. According to director Ben Poskitt, aligning harvest timing and root size remains a key challenge. "It's very, very challenging to get the crop ready for the right time and get it to the right size," he said.
Weather conditions added pressure during the growing season. "We've had a serious drought this year, so they've had six or seven passes of irrigation over the top of them, so they've been quite a costly crop to grow. Both we and the carrots were under a lot of stress in the summer," Mr Poskitt added.
Only carrots meeting specific size, weight, and shape requirements are packed for retail sale. Variability in root size is common, with some carrots growing larger, smaller, or misshapen. Mr Poskitt noted: "Any farmer who tells you they grow perfect veg is a liar. We pride ourselves on having as little food waste as possible."
Carrots that do not meet retail specifications are redirected to other outlets. "We've got nearly 100 customers, ranging from retail to the dog food factory," he said. Larger carrots may also be processed into batons for supermarket sales.
Sales volumes rise sharply in the weeks before Christmas. According to Mr Poskitt, carrot sales increase fourfold during this period, while parsnips, also grown and processed by the company across its Yorkshire farms, see a tenfold increase.
Grading and packing take place in an on-site facility, where automated systems are used to assess quality. A computer-based grading line processes around 14 metres of carrots per second. "The cameras make decisions based on quality, size, and any defects on the carrots. This grades them for us so we can put them into boxes and bag them accordingly," Mr Poskitt said.
Once cleaned, packed, and loaded, the carrots are transported from the Yorkshire farms to supermarket distribution centres for sale during the Christmas period.
Source: BBC
