Held a week earlier than last year and so avoiding too big a clash with the start of the harvest, the second Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) summer show, held last week, was an event that attracted visitors looking to invest in machinery rather than just admire it.
Despite all the gloom about depressed machinery sales this year, the trade is remarkably upbeat about the future which is perhaps as much a reflection of trends within the industry as it is the natural optimism of salespersons.
Long-term plans
An emerging consensus amongst the exhibitors was that the sort of farmer that came along to the show was of a progressive frame of mind; they were making long-term plans rather thinking only of the next season.
This forward thinking views the purchase of a machine as a bid to increase farm efficiency over several years – years that will see a variation in commodity prices, just like the swings and roundabouts of the milk market recently.
Machinery manufacturers are also adapting to this new climate, emphasising the flexibility of machines and the ability to adapt them to changes in farming operations, rather than just flogging a standard tractor or harrow to any fellow with a milk cheque in his pocket.
Of the many machines being shown, three stood out as underlining the direction in which farm machinery is going.
Kverneland Helios Rotary Hoe
One of the more radical implements on show was Kverneland’s Helios rotary hoe. This marks a clear break from the well established practice of doing everything by tramlines which has been the default system up until now.
Rather than religiously follow pre-established lines in the field, the Helios can be used at any angle to the crop rows due to its mode of action.
The ‘reverse spoon’ shaped tines are designed to disturb the soil around weed seedlings, leaving better established crop plants, with their deeper rooting system, undisturbed.
It is claimed to be a low-draught machine although the higher-spec version at the summer show, with hydraulic pressure control, weighs around 2t, necessitating a reasonably large tractor to lift it at the headlands.
The set of tines following the star wheels are claimed to drag the loosened seedling to the ground surface where they will be desiccated before having a chance to regrow.
Organic roots
Heading off across a growing field of cereals with a soil-engaging implement in the hope that it will take out only the weed seedlings will require an act of faith that many farmers are unaccustomed to.
Yet the original developer, Phenix Agrgosystem of France, has many years of experience in mechanical weed control and its new owners are confident that the implement does what is claimed.
With a working width of 6m it will require four passes for every one pass of a 24m spray boom, but it requires no chemicals or running backwards and forwards to fill up with water.
These claims are backed up by the development work which was done on the company’s own organic farm, which once again points to the influence organic farming is now having on more conventional agriculture.
Guettler Greenmaster Tineseed
It is not just the big boys that move mechanisation forward; smaller companies that might not appear on everybody’s radar often have something to add to progress as well.
Not that Guettler is particularly small, it has been in business since the seventies and now operates from three sites in Germany and Hungary. It was Fritz Guettler who brought us the prismatic roller in 1976, a concept which has been widely adopted by other manufacturers.
Other than the rollers, the biggest seller for the company is its Greenmaster series of grassland rejunivators and reseeders, which apply the seed after the tines have passed over the ground and before the prismatic roller presses the soil at 300 points/m2.
This machine has been further developed to introduce the seed at the point of entry of the tine, that is, the seed is fed down the back of the tine itself and settles into the soil with whatever clay is thrown up before being rolled in.
This might not appear the most significant advance but it greatly encourages germination and establishment, be it a grassland reseed or the sowing of a cover crop, according to the company.
Lemken Solitair DT at Summer Show
This is a much larger machine for sowing tillage crops yet its completely new design is such that a multitude of different tines, discs and rollers can be fitted to suit either the present cultivation system, or it can be rejigged to suit any changes without a new machine needing to be purchased.
Fertiliser and seed can be introduced at different stages of the pass and the drill is capable of min till as well as working down ploughed ground. Lightweight and low draught requirements are also features of this implement, taking efficient establishment a further step forward.
A new metering system has been developed and draught requirement can be reduced still further by the use of scalloped discs. A lowered draught and a lighter design enables smaller tractors to be used in pulling, saving on soil compaction.
Lemken is still forging ahead with its expansion plans despite the difficulties being faced by industry on the continent, although it is not high energy costs that pose the bigger problem but more the availability of skilled labour.