First it was too wet – now it’s too dry for Jersey potato growers…

A LITTLE over a month ago farmers in Jersey were unable to plant crops as the land was waterlogged… but the recent dry spell has brought its own set of problems. The lack of rain, combined with northerly winds which make soil dry out even more, has forced some potato growers to start irrigating, so that they can get Jersey Royals out of the ground in good condition to export to the UK. Jersey Farmers Union president Peter Le Maistre’s staff were busy laying irrigation pipes this week to fields around the family farm, Les Prés Manor in Grouville. ‘We could really do with a bit of rain. Everything, including the potatoes, is still running a bit late because of the conditions over the winter. ‘The Jersey Royal crop is still about two weeks behind but it is coming on, and it’s good considering the conditions we’ve had over the winter,’ he said. More