Ben Walter: Young gun with a bright future

How did you first become involved in the potato industry?

When I was hired in 2015 by Thomas Foods International. My previous work had been in citrus and beneficial insects so it was quite a change.

What does your role as a field technician at Thomas Foods involve, and what are your responsibilities?

It involves crop monitoring (pests, diseases, yield and quality), test collections (petiole, soil and virus testing), agchem and fertiliser management on all the crops and water use monitoring as well.

What do you enjoy most about working in the potato industry and how do you maintain your enthusiasm?

Each week there is a different problem to deal with, which helps with variety on the job. Also as corny as it sounds, there’s always something new to learn in the industry.

What are the biggest challenges you face working in the industry, and how do you overcome them?

I would say at first it was the fact I’m quite young in industry standards, so maybe there was a stigma towards that. I would also say coming into the industry with little to no knowledge about the wash potato industry.

What are the biggest challenges you face working in the industry, and how do you overcome them?

The biggest challenge for us is remaining profitable while maintaining our machinery in order to keep costs minimal.

Where do you receive your on-farm practice advice and information from?

From a variety of different places. Sometimes from more experienced people from the wash/packing shed, along with experienced on-farm workers.

In your opinion, what areas of research are important to the potato industry and your business?

At the moment, we are implementing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program on most of our crops. This has enabled us to step away from pesticides and move towards beneficial insect control of pests within the crop. I believe some of the research going into microbial development within the soil is also important to our business at the moment.

What new innovations, research and/or practices has your business implemented recently?

As I mentioned, we have implemented an IPM program. We are also looking into beneficial microbial growth within the soil and better water management systems for our pivots in the Mallee.

Where do you see opportunities for growth in the Australian potato industry?

I could definitely see opportunities to grow the washing export market and the seed industry. I believe that the seed industry is a little behind the wash potato industry in terms of quality standards. If seed prices were more dependent on seed quality then I think the industry would grow, and the opportunity to make more money for your seed would grow also.

In terms of the wash industry, there is more product being sent overseas (mostly Asia), and I believe that is where the wash potato industry needs more of its product going. Asia is a massive market if you can provide a product suitable for long-term freight.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully I’ll still be at Thomas Foods, but with plenty more experience under my belt. I’m encouraged with where the company is going, and I’m keen to see some of the new ideas within the company come to fruition.

How do you think more young people could be encouraged to study and take up jobs in the potato industry?

I think through earlier education and marketing. At school we could try to relate some of the curriculum to real world applications, such as in the potato industry.