The 30th anniversary of Farm Frites Poland Dwa

On June 29 Farm Frites Poland Dwa celebrated its 30th anniversary by organizing the conference '1993-2023-2053. Past-Present-Future of agriculture in Poland'.

The conference was a unique opportunity to meet representatives of the local government, universities, suppliers, clients, and other stakeholders who have been accompanying the company in its development for three decades.
 Before the conference, the field part took place, during which the guests had the opportunity to see the farm and the fields of blooming potatoes.

Adam Klasa, President of the Management Board at Farm Frites Poland Dwa, opening the conference, reminded that when, in the early 1990s, Gerrit de Bruijne, the founder of the Dutch company Farm Frites, was looking for a place to build a French fries factory in Poland, he decided the soil and climatic conditions in Central Pomerania are optimal for the development of potato cultivation.

However, since Polish varieties, although very tasty in direct consumption, in terms of size and shape were not suitable to produce long American-style fries, it was necessary to bring French fries varieties to Poland and cultivate them according to Western technologies. And this is what Farm Frites Poland Dwa did, becoming a model of modern agronomy and good agricultural practices for other Polish farms.

Jarosław Wańkowicz, Member of the Management Board at Farm Frites Poland Dwa, recalled the history of the farm, starting with the introduction of new cultivation technologies in Poland in the 1990s, through 2004, when the company was the first potato farm in Poland which received the GlobalG.A.P. certificate (then EUREPGAP), 2008, when the farm became a McDonald's flagship farm by entering the global McDonald's Flagship Farm program.

He also mentioned the current challenges for the farm, among which climate change comes to the fore, as well as directions for further development using artificial intelligence and based on good practices of sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

In subsequent presentations, Dr. Eng. Dariusz Wyczling from Procam talked about the future of plant nutrition, Paweł Kaczmarek from Top Farms Wielkopolska presented the assumptions of regenerative agriculture, Dr. Eng. Jacek Skudlarski of the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Technology of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences presented precision farming will look like in the future by developing the concept of Agriculture 4.0.

In the last presentation, Małgorzata Bojańczyk from the Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food talked about the evolution of consumer expectations regarding food production. She underlined the increase in consumer awareness in the context of the role of food in their lives and at the same time the desire to protect the climate and the environment.
 The conference ended with a debate on the future of potato cultivation in Poland, with the participation of Paweł Kaczmarek from Top Farms Wielkopolska, Tomasz Kurpiewski from McDonald's Poland, Dr. Eng. Jacek Skudlarski from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Radosław Ogrodnik from Procam Polska and Karol Piekutowski from Farm Frites Poland Dwa.
 Jarosław Wańkowicz, leading the panel, asked, among others, for the use of modern solutions in the cultivation of potatoes. Soon, Dr. Skudlarski sees autonomous machines in the fields that will perform several treatments, thanks to which the farmer will have more time for his family.

The issue of fertilizers and plant protection products as well as the introduction of solutions based on biological substances was also raised.

Tomasz Kurpiewski from McDonald's Polska emphasized the responsibility of large brands for the safety and production of food products in a sustainable manner. The conference ended with a birthday cake and wishes for the management and employees of the company.