Romaine
At Norfolk Farms we are growing over 60% of the UK requirement for Romaine Lettuce.
While much of our focus is on ensuring our varieties work within our unique sub irrigation system that is enable by our small fields, high organic matter soils and access to water through our reservoir and ditch system. We have a strong program of excellence in taste.
Over recent years we have developed solid rib romaine varieties with anti-pinking and much sweeter taste profiles to sit in retailer’s highest category tiers.
Romaine typically occupies the top end of the UK whole head lettuce category, so ensuring we offer the best most consistent quality of lettuce is important to meet consumer expectations.”
Cos 9 Auto Harvester
In 2021 we deployed Cos 9, our first automated harvest rig at Norfolk Farms which cuts three rows of romaine lettuce with a reciprocating blade. Today this machine is still very much a commercial concept that we are continually developing and upgrading.
Alongside the technical developments and upgrades within the machine, we are also looking for varieties that present themselves better to the machine and the heart can be easily picked out as it is presented to the operator once the crop arrives on the rig platform.
We are working with breeders to test and trial their newest genetics on this first to market automated harvest concept.
Knox Project
Our Knox™ varieties from Rijk Zwaan are a blond, medium to large Open Heart Cos lettuce.
It has the Knox™ trait, which delays pinking after cutting and therefore gives it an improved shelf life, which is a benefit for the processing market. Its open-heart habit leads to a high processing output and it is strong against tipburn.
We have selected these varieties through out trails as we have found them to have the sweetest taste profile of all the romaine varieties and have introduced them within UK retailers top tier.
EllePot
Throughout summer 2024 we ran the first UK commercial scale trails of peat free transplanting system EllePot for Celery, Iceberg and Romaine lettuce.
We have worked with TTS to develop a transplanter for our salad crops and Hillgate Nurseries to develop the plant propagation capability.
Throughout the season we will reviewed the performance of the EllePot plants alongside our conventionally blocked product.
Further information about EllePot can be viewed in the R&D tab.