Potato Review

56 POTATO REVIEW MAY/JUNE 2021 MACHINERY Bunker harvester gets major upgrade ORIGINALLY presented in 2018, GRIMME’s two-row EVO 280 bunker harvester is getting a major upgrade. The completely redesigned version has increased bunker capacity allowing greater distances to be bridged between the harvester and transporting trailers and allowing even high transport vehicles to be loaded easily and conveniently. The design of the machine allows the bunker floor to be reversed without additional damage to the crop, allowing the bunker capacity to be completely utilised at any time. The removed crop serves as a soft cushion for the subsequent harvested crop flow. Further advantages include an unloading time of approximately 45 seconds and extremely gentle crop protection, as there is no additional transfer-step in the bunker floor. Growers have confirmed an increase in performance of up to 30 % compared to harvesters with a standard bunker. For more traction, increased ground protection and reduced energy consumption, a hydrostatic wheel drive can be fitted. For the first time on the market, both wheels can be permanently driven hydraulically with a total thrust of over 2.3 t (23,000 N) respecting a road transport width of less than 3.0 m and complete EU type approval. The feature called “Turbo Clean” facilitates the cleaning operation of certain webs and separators. With the new comfort packages, height-adjustable steps are available on the picking table, which provide the picking personnel with a comfortable working height. Also available are a waterproof storage box, paddings on the picking table, drink holders and a 15-litre hand wash tank. For use on heavy soils, highly wear-resistant plastic share blades can be used, which helps reduce soil adhesion and keeps wear to a minimum. Clod breakers are also available on the first main web to prevent clod build-up in sticky soils without stones. The hedgehog web of the third separator can be equipped with plates of long, soft hedgehogs. Stones and clods can sink deeper and thus be separated more efficiently from the crop flow. Grower improves post-harvest process HAMPSHIRE-based potato grower, Whitewater Potatoes, has transformed the throughput and labour requirements of its post- harvest potato processes, allowing it to process more than 25%more crop per hour, with half as many operators, after installing two of Tong’s newest machines; the FieldLoad PRO and MonstaFill box filler. The established potato company grows 1,900 acres of potatoes both on its main farm at Lodge Farm in Hampshire, and on land in Scotland. With a farm team that plant, manage, harvest and store an impressive 30,000 tonnes of potatoes for the crisp market, Whitewater Potatoes relies on a swift and efficient post-harvest process that allows it to keep up with market demands. “With the need to process high volumes of potatoes straight from the field, we decided to review our existing operations in order to maximise throughput and minimise labour requirements,” said Managing Director Gavin Janaway. Remote monitoring on the increase THE number of UK growers using remote weather monitoring via a smartphone has more than doubled over the past year, according to developer Sencrop. The company has upgraded its mobile application, integrating popular weather forecasting models from 22 countries. A customer survey conducted in November revealed that users consulted and compared weather forecasts from different forecasting models every day. Sencrop’s product teams then selected the most relevant models, according to three criteria – geographical coverage, short- or long-term forecast, and popularity – to develop the new feature, which was added to the Sencrop app at the end of February. Farmers can access, within the application, the forecasting models used by major UK weather data sites like Metcheck, BBC and Meteoblue, and use the most appropriate one according to their needs and preferences. In total, 10 models have been integrated within Sencrop’s 22 active countries, including six for the UK and Ireland. Sencrop says one model will be more relevant than another, depending on the use case. A cereal producer may focus on short-term forecasts linked to wind, before applying nitrogen or crop protection treatments, while a potato producer will need longer-term rain forecasts to anticipate the risk of mildew. Similarly, wine growers will pay particular attention to short-term forecasts to plan for frosts in winter and thunderstorms in summer. Various models meeting these needs are now available on the Sencrop application. “Since our goal is to help farmers make better decisions based on weather data, and we listen a lot to what they have to tell us, we are continuously improving the Sencrop app,” says Michael Bruniaux, Sencrop co-founder. “This further development in our forecast dashboard, which allows a farmer to pick the most suitable forecast model in their dashboard, felt like evidence to us. We realised this feature would be even more valuable if they could customise the weather forecast to the one that would most suit their needs.”