Bridgett James is an assistant seed manager at the Potato Seed Co-Op in Ashburton, which stores, cuts, and grades seed potatoes for McCain's process growers supplying McDonald's restaurants.
James said the season starts in late February or early March, when seed potatoes arrive from growers. "It is a busy time through until the end of April, beginning of May, but this year stretched on a bit longer with the weather challenges," she said. Potatoes are stored over winter in seven cool stores, with about 1,400 bins per chiller and each bin weighing one ton. The site handles about 9,000 tons annually, with stacks up to six metres high. Quality samples are taken from every load to identify issues and check sizing.
The next stage is the cutting and planting season, from August through to October or early November. This involves grading, sizing, cutting, and treating seed potatoes before supplying them to McCain's process growers for planting. Once harvested, potatoes are delivered to McCain's factory in Timaru.
James is in her third season with the Co-Op. She first began grading potatoes part-time while studying at Massey University for a Bachelor of Arts in History. After a season as a crop inspection assistant at Eurogrow, she was offered a position at the Potato Seed Co-Op.
She is also part of Potatoes New Zealand's Youth Council. "They do a great deal of really good work. The growers regulate the quality of potato seed, and certification of seed is done through them or Potatoes New Zealand – qualified inspectors. They support a lot of research and development projects, and gather feedback from within the industry about studies they'd like to see done. Potatoes New Zealand also tries to help out as much as they can with engagement activities like workshops and organising conferences."
Reflecting on her career path, James noted that she initially wanted to pursue a role in archives but is now settled in the potato industry. "I am happy where I am now. It's always different every season, with new challenges, so it keeps things interesting."
She advised school leavers that there are opportunities across many areas of the potato sector. "It does depend on where you want to go and what your focus is, from the processing to the seed side of things, or more of the scientific, research, and development side, or even engineering. It is simply not true that the potato industry is just about farming. Potatoes New Zealand is trying to redress that, actually, we are an industry that people can actively come into – and there are lots of opportunities across a lot of different areas."
Source: Potatoes New Zealand