National Fruit Show enters its 90th year

have a team who provide a successful and growing outreach programme of science, nutrition and careers education to schools and with additional sponsorship funding, we can expand this across the UK.

The Marden Fruit Show Society (MFSS) is a registered charity run by a voluntary committee who represent many di erent facets of the fruit industry. The aim of the Society is to promote the better growing, grading and marketing of fruit.

The Society organises the National Fruit Show –“by growers, for growers” – which acts as a meeting place for the industry. The event is dedicated to showcasing British top and soft fruit, with the centrepiece of the show, held each November, being the largest competitive display of commercially grown top and soft fruit staged in the UK.

Now entering its 90th year, new for 2023 is an increased focus on soft fruit, including a soft fruit technical forum, as well as the return of The Hive –an information sharing zone and break out area for start-up businesses.

Earlier this year, MFSS appointed Sally Flanagan, a long-standing committee member and former executive director of The East Malling Trust as its new chief executive o cer. Sally takes the reins from Sarah Calcutt, who stepped down as the executive chair to become the honorary chair.

Sally, who has been involved as a committee member for a number of years, now presides over all day-to-day responsibilities of running the MFSS which includes the annual National Fruit Show, education programme for the industry and schools and competitions for growers and producers throughout the year.

Sally commented: “It’s an absolute honour to be appointed CEO. The work of the MFSS is essential in promoting access to knowledge and best practice relating to agriculture and horticulture here in the UK as well as information and best practice for the storage, packaging and marketing of fruit. We also

“This year is also the 90th year of The National Fruit Show and following the success of the 2022 show, opened by HRH The Countess of Wessex, we are looking to build on that success with an exciting event to showcase the talents of British fruit growers, the best of British fruit and the wider industry, along with access to the latest technology that innovates and supports it.”

Andrew Tinsley, chair of the trustees at the MFSS commented: “I would like to thank Sarah for her terri c contribution over the last 16 years, and we are grateful to have her ongoing support as she reverts to the role her predecessors took. We are very pleased Sally accepted the challenge to take on the role of CEO. As we look ahead to the future and developing our support for fruit growers and the wider industry in our 90th year, the MFSS seeks to work with and bring together more growers, the wider industry, schools and colleges to help identify and nd solutions to some of the challenges they face. Whether that is from the latest scienti c research and thinking on all aspects of growing fruit in our ever-changing climate, using the latest technology to better manage production, storage and sales of fruit to helping to provide the workforce of the future.” fruit crop

The 90th National Fruit Show will take place on Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd November 2023 at the Kent County Showground, Detling.

Whether you are an established vineyard looking for advice for your next big endeavor or a start up project in your own back garden, we can help you select the correct and most suitable vines for your needs and terroir. Based in the North of England we have vast experience in planting and maintaining vines in our own British cool climate vineyard, Ryedale Vineyards.

The Vine House UK offer a dynamic consultancy and project management service for start ups, which can include site visits, soil analysis, planting and trellising plus ongoing support.

Fruit

Highlighting fertilisers and biostimulants

Hortifeeds is looking forward to welcoming visitors to its stand at this year’s National Fruit Show, held at the Kent Showground on November 1st and 2nd.

Joining members of the Hortifeeds team, the company is delighted to welcome Laura Bishop from Plant Impact to the stand, who will be happy to discuss the bene ts of the company’s calcium mobility product Amētros, available through Hortifeeds. Amētros has been shown to improve Class 1 yield and fruit rmness in a range of fruit crops. Laura says she will be happy to chat with visitors about how it can bene t their business.

The Hortifeeds team will also be highlighting the bene ts seen from regular applications of its complete biostimulant, HortiBoost. When used in tank mixes with each round of programmed sprays, HortiBoost has been shown to improve yield the fruit quality and can strengthen plants to combat stress events such as extreme heat and drought. The little and often approach to HortiBoost application is cost effective, Hortifeeds says, and ensures crops are protected from stress whenever it may occur.

Hortifeeds will also be showcasing its extensive range of fertiliser and biostimulant products at the show, including foliar products to suit all fruit crops and growth stages, and an extensive range of bespoke soluble fertilisers for top and soft fruit.

Head to stand S35 at the National Fruit Show to discuss how Hortifeeds can help you improve your crop fertiliser programme.

Materials handling on short- and long-term hire

Mobitech Lift Trucks is a Kent-based, independent specialist materials handling equipment company.

Established in 1986 by Andrew Barker, Mobitech Lift Trucks remains a family-run business to this day, with the second generation – Andrew’s son and daughter and their spouses – actively involved across all areas of the company.

Based in Frittenden, the team is passionate about helping its loyal and expanding customer base across the whole of the South East to nd the right equipment to suit their requirements. Mobitech is a dealer for EP Europe, Agrimac UK and Samuk Forklifts, but can also supply and support customers with any make or model of materials handling equipment.

Mobitech is able to supply both, new and used equipment alongside a hire eet of 250+ machines, which the company says enables it to provide short- and long-term hire equipment.

Having its very own transport department enables the business to provide all of its customers with fast and affordable transportation, Mobitech says.

With a team of highly skilled engineers, Mobitech is able to carry out on-site servicing and maintenance. At the company depot, it also offers the bene t of a fully-equipped modern workshop, which enables it to carry out more extensive repairs and refurbishments. The depot also has a very well stocked parts department.

With safety being of paramount concern, Mobitech can also offer customers a full range of on-site forklift driver training courses, all of which meet current RTITB standards.

Visit www.mobitechlifttrucks.co.uk to nd out more – or pop along to stand K20 at the National Fruit Show this November.

Returning as show sponsor

NP Seymour is a family business that was set up in 1974 by Nick and Barbara Seymour. Over the years, the business has slowly but steadily evolved from a ‘man with a van’ to a key part of the fruit and vine industry. The company says it is proud to have now been in business for nearly half a century, and has been a Fendt tractor dealer for more than 30 years, with the narrow 200 series being its speciality.

NP Seymour designs, manufactures and supplies specialist equipment for the fruit, vineyard and hop industry; from machines to prepare the land for planting, right through production to storage, grading and packing of fruit into boxes for sale. Its bespoke design and build table-top strawberry sprayers lead the way in this sector of the spraying market. The business also carries out sales and service of winery and juice processing machinery.

The truly family-run business is today headed up by the secondgeneration, Nick and Barbara’s daughter Claire Seymour, who remains dedicated to helping fruit farmers, hop growers, packhouse managers, vineyard owners and winemakers with all their equipment needs.

Based just outside Goudhurst, Kent, NP Seymour’s purpose-built site, Avon Works, is a hub of activity, complete with sales showroom, extensive parts stores and a busy workshop. Over the last 49 years, the team has proudly developed relationships with leading manufacturers from around the world to bring its horticultural and viticultural customers the very best machinery solutions.

Renowned for reliability and innovation, NP Seymour’s range of tractors, sprayers, mowers, cultivation equipment and more ensures that farmers and growers of specialist, high value crops can produce the best quality and yield, in the most e cient way, year-on-year.

Cementing the link between crop and consumer, the business also provides modern, e cient grading and packing solutions for packhouses and the state-of-theart winemaking equipment it supplies is used by many leading English wine producers. Visit the team on stand K33 at this year’s National Fruit Show.

Advice on all growing and packaging aspects

Hutchinsons’ specialist horticultural team advises on all types of top and soft fruit, hops, vines, ornamentals and other horticultural crops, both protected or outdoor.

Advisory services also cover variety selection, planting and establishment, pruning, post-harvest treatment and fruit storage.

The company supplies crop protection products, biological control products, all aspects of plant nutrition (including fertigation) and growing systems, as well as horticultural sundries such as growing media, ground cover, plastic lms and bamboo canes.

The organisation works closely with colleagues at Produce Packing in supplying packaging requirements for growers and their pack houses.

Hutchinsons says that many of its agronomists are leading industry experts and work in close liaison with research establishments, while its training and development programme ensures that all agronomists are fully up-to-date and advice is completely independent.

The company also runs its own in-house research trials, such as the HELIOS project exploring orchard yields, to ensure it can always offer the best advice for its clients.

Find the Hutchinsons team on stand K21 at the National Fruit Show.