Oh For Food's Sake

Understanding Agronomy with Debbie Winstanley

Episode Summary

On this week’s episode of the Oh For Food’s Sake podcast, we’re getting technical about potatoes! We’ve invited a very special guest Debbie Winstanley, an agronomist and potato lover, to talk potato varieties, supply chain logistics, sustainability and storage. Don’t miss the big reveal of Debbie’s favourite potato variety! Pop open a bag of your favourite crisps and tune in.

Episode Notes

On this week’s episode of the Oh For Food’s Sake podcast, we’re getting technical about potatoes! We’ve invited a very special guest Debbie Winstanley, an agronomist and potato lover, to talk potato varieties, supply chain logistics, sustainability and storage. Don’t miss the big reveal of Debbie’s favourite potato variety! Pop open a bag of your favourite crisps and tune in.

Debbie gives a quick explanation of what it means to be an agronomist and she describes her career path so far. We peel back the layers of the food supply chain and discuss what you need to consider when you’re designing a food product for sale, from potato varieties to growing conditions to storage. Debbie tells us why you need to develop good relationships with your suppliers and how that can help to make your supply chain more efficient and cut your materials costs. Towards the end of the episode, we turn the topic to sustainability and Debbie tells us how agronomists are contributing to a greener future for our food and planet.

We absolutely loved recording this episode of the Oh For Food’s Sake podcast and hope that you enjoy listening to it too! To catch more great episodes packed with insider knowledge about the food industry, subscribe to Oh For Food’s Sake wherever you listen to podcasts.

Timestamps

[1:30] We introduce Debbie onto the episode

[2:46] Debbie tells us about her career and how she became interested in agriculture

[5:49] So Debbie, what is agronomy?

[10:22] Why you really need to know your raw materials

[14:23] Cold storage vs warm storage for potatoes: Which works best?

[18:24] Developing a good relationship with your suppliers

[20:17] Why do we love Maris Piper potatoes so much?

[21:52] Exclusive - Debbie tells us her favourite kind of potatoes!

[26:20] Debbie explains the planning window for potatoes

[28:50] Are ‘wonky’ veg bad veg? Debbie weighs in

[31:00] How to make your supply chain more efficient