R.S.A.B.I

again, with the latest technologies in automation and optical sorting options being key drivers for equipment upgrades. We have manufactured several Caretakers with integrated optical sorting facilities and this option is now available on the latest models of the FieldLoad PRO too.”

With record sales of the FieldLoad PRO in 2022 destined for UK vegetable growers as well as overseas producers as far as Australia and Canada, the increasingly renowned fieldloader from Tong has proved a game-changer in effectively cleaning and loading crop in the field, straight from the harvester. This results in a much more streamlined postharvest handling process, requiring fewer operators and no unnecessary carting of soil as all soil and debris is left in the field. The FieldLoad PRO with Tong’s EasyClean separator is a particularly popular specification for unrivalled cleaning in all conditions.

Successful potato crops start with the right products and the right timings

What do the latest potatogrowing trials tell us about how to ensure good quality, highyield harvests?

“This year we’ve used traditional demonstration plots,” states Oscar Thacker, Area Manager for Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire,” but we’ve also expanded out to field-scale trials. As well as reducing variability, field trials provide that vital knowledge exchange between Yara and our customers.”

Jim Smith and Auctioneers Urge Farmers to #KeepTalking

RSABI, the charity supporting people in Scottish agriculture, has launched its winter 2022 #KeepTalking campaign – encouraging farmers and crofters to reconnect with friends, neighbours, relatives and others who might feel isolated, and to get together during the winter months.

Perthshire farmer and comedian Jim Smith is once again fronting the campaign, with auctioneers throughout Scotland also on board.

“Our message is for everyone to #KeepTalking as the nights become darker and longer and, in particular, to think about getting in touch with people of all ages in their communities who may be more vulnerable to loneliness and isolation this winter,” said Carol McLaren, Chief Executive, RSABI.

“This time of year is traditionally a tough time for farming folk, with mud and cold to contend with and fewer events and opportunities to catch up. And this year, with the additional pressure of cost-of-living worries and general uncertainty, we are particularly keen that people in the agricultural community feel as supported as possible,” she said.

“We can all get a bit down at this time of year and this is a fantastic initiative by RSABI to encourage people to reconnect. We are all busy but this initiative encourages us all to stop and take the time to think about others,” said Jim Smith, ambassador of this winter’s #KeepTalking campaign.

“Just having a decent blether and getting things off your chest can make a huge difference to how well you can cope with the pressures of life and work. Kindness is so important and just the smallest acts of kindness can make such a difference to the person on the receiving end,” said Mr Smith who is currently on tour with a string of comedy nights taking place around Scotland.

RSABI’s freephone Helpline - 0808 1234 555 - is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and calls won’t show up on phone bills and a confidential webchat service is also

www.farmingscotlandmagazine.comavailable at www.rsabi.org.uk. 11

Oscar’s work has involved trials on two products, and the initial findings give plenty of insight to growers.

Tropicote: soluble = success

“Adding lime to get the right soil pH right is indeed crucial,” Oscar begins. “But because lime is calcium carbonate, there’s a belief that it provides a lot of calcium for the potato crop. However, you’d need 66,000 litres of water to dissolve 1 kilogram of calcium carbonate, so it’s a long time before lime becomes plant-available.”

“But YaraLiva Tropicote – which is calcium nitrate – only requires 1 litre of water to dissolve 1 kilogram. It’s very soluble, which is exactly what’s needed, certainly at tuber initiation.”

So how has Tropicote performed in this year’s trials? “There’s an improved skin finish, enabling a better pack-out when it comes to selling those potatoes on.”

“The trial data reaffirms Tropicote’s place in the market, both in terms of internal defects and in terms of skin finish details,” Oscar concludes . Magphos K: timing’s everything Also being put through its paces this year is YaraVita Magphos K. “It provides the crop the magnesium, phosphate and potash that the crop needs,” Oscar says. “Plus it’s in a highly available phosphoric acid form, which is up to ten times more available than any soil-applied phosphorus.”

The beauty of Magphos, Oscar emphasises, is in its ability to work towards specific crop aims just by tweaking the timing. “Applying it at tuber initiation gives increased tuber number, which is perfect for a seed or salad crop, or we can apply it at a later stage for tuber bulking, for the more typical ware crop.”

arable & root crops New Nemathorin Granupac aids efficient potato planting

New packaging for Nemathorin nematicide granules has been designed to make handling and use cleaner and more efficient during the busy potato planting season.

The new Granupac features ergonomically moulded handles that will make filling hoppers mounted on potato cultivation and bed forming equipment easier for operators. The more robust design also eliminates stacking rings that were vulnerable to damage on the existing Nemathorin Surefills.

Syngenta Customer Technical Adviser, Caroline Linsdell, highlighted growers will start to see the Granupac introduced on farm during the 2023 planting season, although some Nemathorin Surefills may also be initially supplied.

“The Granupac is fully compatible with the adaptors fitted to virtually all machines using existing Nemathorin Surefills, with no modification required,” she advised.

“This significant investment in the new packaging reinforces the ongoing commitment to Nemathorin availability for growers over the coming years, as well as the long-term safe and responsible stewardship of the product,” reported Caroline.

The Granupac has been extremely well received in trials by growers, operators and the Nemathorin distribution chain.

“Growers commented on the ease of opening the new Granupac using a ring pull, with no need for pliers to cut cable ties. They could also see the flow of the product through the container as it was emptying, which was also a positive for them. It is a far more robust pack for Nemathorin fror future seasons,” she added.

Each Granupac has been designed for up to six seasons of collection and refilling, to minimise packaging waste and carbon footprint for growers. Caroline highlighted that the pack’s base will be a different colour each year that will enable packs to be rotated and replaced accordingly during the product manufacturing process, but that it has no implications for use on farm; the colour of the base relates to the shelf life of the Granupac and not the product itself.