elebrating the industry s fi nest he A A

Promoting innovation in agriculture, Lamma’s Innovation Awards has always been a jewel in the show’s crown, with 2020 set to be no exception. Lamma Innovation Award winners

Open to exhibitors of the Lamma Show, the Lamma Innovation awards have always been a highlight of the event.

Taking into account design innovation, practical impact on the farming or contracting business, sustainability of the product, impact to the environment and safety features, the awards shine a light on innovations both great and small.

Split into six categories, one gold award and up to three silver awards per category are up for grabs (see results panels).

All award winners are carefully chosen by a 20-strong panel of industry experts.

You can identify award winners at the show by their gold and silver pla ues, allo ing you to fi nd out more about the innovations. You can also use our handy innovation trail map on pages 92 and 93 to help navigate the halls.

In addition, during the event, one grand champion will be chosen from the six gold medal winners.

An Ivel award, presented by the Institution of Agricultural Engineers, will also be presented to an innovation entry which recognises the positive impact a particular product has on the environment.

LIVESTOCK INNOVATION AWARD Z DRIVEN INNOVATION AWARD Z

The McVeigh Parker Triple X fencing system.

● GOLD award: McVeigh Parker Triple X fencing system. The Triple X fencing system comprises three main components; Clipex quick clip steel posts, Xfence wire netting and hot dip galvanised steel strainers.

Said to be quick and easy to erect, requiring little experience to do so, the judges commended the system’s value for money in relation to its life expectancy, and if needed, recyclability of the durable fencing system.

Every strand can be supported by the catch system, and compared to other metal systems it features no fi ddly components to break or lose, no stapling is required and ground disturbance is kept to a minimum. ● Silver award:Kuhn Intellimix feeder wagon transmission. Via a continuously variable transmission on the wagon, it allows a small hp tractor to operate triple-auger mixer wagon, putting less strain on the pto and engine of the tractor, while reducing stresses on the gearbox and running gear of the wagon. Westermann Weed Ripper weeding machine.

● Gold award: Westermann Weed Ripper weeding machine. Negating the use of chemical weed control and/or pressure washing, the Westermann Weed Ripper is designed to rip thick weeds out of pavements and other similar surfaces.

Powered by a Honda engine, it is equipped with 12 braided wire brushes which repeatedly attack the weeds from all angles.

Additionally, it will remove any moss or dirt that resides on the surface. Complete with a safety guard, it can be removed or lifted when up against kerb edges, for example.

ARABLE INNOVATION AWARD Z

● GOLD award: Razorback RT 500 rotary topper and trailed harrow combination. Combining the actions of a rotary mower and a trailed harrow, Razorback has created a stubble management system which is not only effective at mulching and spreading residues but is also useful for controlling slug populations.

The judges commented that the combined action of the rotary topper and residue harrow is impressive in tackling crop residues, with the onepass system clearly demonstrating potential for reducing slug populations and pesticides use, while promoting stale seed development.

Working widths of the topper and harro are currently fi ve metres, ith wider widths on the drawing board. For effective tine movement, the system works comfortably between speeds of 12 and 15kph. ● Silver award: Kuhn Twinpact double plunger system. Designed for its high density, larger square balers, the system is said to offer increased bale densities of up to 25 per cent, compared to conventional single plungers. ● Silver Award: ICL H2Flo water conservation agent. mproving ater use effi ciency, lo is a water conservation (wetting) agent

The Razorback RT 500 rotary topper and trailed harrow combination is e ective for mulching and spreading residues and controlling slug numbers.

that alters the surface tension of water leading to claims of improved ater infi ltration into soils, enhanced moisture distribution ithin the soil profi le and improved water retention. ● Silver award: JC Machinery Vredo CDS multi-use seed drill. Extending the use of its Agri Twin and Agri Air grassland over seeders, Vredo has developed versions which allows the direct disc drills to also drill cereal crops.

ONLINE INNOVATION AWARD Z

● GOLD award: Emily Feed System. In cooperation with farmers, Emily has developed an application to make the task of daily calculations for livestock feeding easier. In addition, the Emily Feed app is said to offer time savings, reduced duplication of recurring tasks, and improved accuracy of distributed quantities.

Each day, the user selects the ration that they wish to distribute and input the number of animals within the group. The application then automatically calculates the necessary quantities of each ingredient according to the number of animals that have been entered. The app is also free. ● Silver award: Hit Energy Guard. Is a system designed to ensure that all solar panels here ever fi tted are generating as much green energy as possible, operating as close to as 100 per cent effi ciency as possible. The Emily Feed app has been developed to make the task of daily calculations for livestock feeding easier and is said to o er time savings.

FUTURE INNOVATION

AWARD Z

● GOLD award: Drone Ag Skippy Scout crop analysis app. Skippy Scout is an app that automates leaf-level, real-time crop analysis using standard, off-the-shelf drones. It is said to allow farmers and agronomists to check growth stage, green area index and pest, weed and disease levels throughout crops remotely and with no arduous processing time.

The judging panel commented that it offers a practical and cost effective method for assessing arable crops, providing farmers with an immediate and readily accessible analysed view of each fi eld.

At each point it takes a highresolution image and sends it back to the user’s smartphone, where the app analyses the image using the company s custom artifi cial intelligence system, telling the user there and then what it sees in the image. ● Silver award: Krone Premos pellet harvester. Krone’s Premos pellet harvester development has the ability to create The Drone Ag Skippy Scout crop analysis app analyses drone images using artifi cial intelligence.

pellets in the fi eld, directly picked up from the swath, or used stationary with crop fed into the machine. Pellets can be used for a number of applications such as bedding, feed or bio-fuel. ● Silver award: Kuhn I-Spray target spraying. Via sensors on the boom, Kuhn’s I-Spray concept sees the sprayer constantly monitor the vegetation/crop being treated, resulting in the ability to target specifi c areas plants hich need spraying.

DIVERSIFICATION INNOVATION Z

● GOLD medal: JRH Water Management rainwater harvesting. Improving the quality of stored water, JRH Water Management has come up with a solution to combat the inherent problems with storing water for prolonged periods of time.

Able to treat bacteria and pathogens, it means the water can be stored for longer and is more useful as a result, claims the fi rm.

Suited to several applications, including spraying and irrigation, the company also adds that the resulting clean water is even safe for humans.

In addition, because the water is treated, it means larger volumes of water can be stored in one place without fear of contamination, says the company. ● Silver medal: Milwaukee Tools heated Jacket. As the name suggests, the M12 Milwaukee Heated Jacket has been designed to keep wearers warmer throughout the colder months of the year. It also features a built in USB port to charge a phone. JRH Water Management rainwater harvesting.

IVEL AWARD Z

PRESENTED by the Institute of Agricultural Engineers, the Ivel award recognises a product’s positive contribution and its impact to the environment.

Awarded to JC Machinery for its Vredo CDS System direct disc drill (also a silver award winner in the arable innovation category), the two in one machine demonstrated a clear ability to be used in a wide rotation of grasses and cereal crops, extending the machine’s use, reducing establishment fuel costs, and promoting soil health.

For grassland, row spacing is 75mm, established via double-disc coulters. To increase this spacing to 150mm and allow deeper sowing depths for cereal crops, every second pair of discs can be hydraulically raised out of their working position.

In addition, half of the machine’s seed tubes are shut off. Its newly developed metering system can handle small and large seeds, says the manufacturer. JC Machinery’s Vredo CDS System direct disc drill.