Potato Review

40 POTATO REVIEW JANUARY 2022 MACHINERY Grower-dealers offer ‘try before you buy’ irrigation demo AN irrigation equipment dealership, set up by a family of potato growers, is offering customers a ‘try before you buy’ demonstration of the Rainstar irrigation reel’s features and performance. Renton Farm Services has taken on the Bauer franchise at farm-based premises near Dunbar to support potato and field-scale vegetable growers throughout East Lothian. Director Graeme Renton said: “Six years ago we started a family-run business sourcing and supplying parts for farm machinery and related equipment. As potato growers and users of a couple of elderly Bauer irrigation reels ourselves, I was aware of local support being limited, so approached Bauer about taking on the franchise.” With an agreement in place, Mr Renton took the plunge by ordering two new Rainstar E irrigation reels for stock – and the move paid off as the first of those units has already been put to work on a local farm. “It was a bit of a gamble but I’m pretty confident of finding customers because as a premium product the Bauer reel irrigator has a strong reputation for performance and durability; our own machines are 26 years old and still relatively hassle-free,” he said. Like the first unit sold, the Rainstar E31 10/470 turntable reel available for viewing at Graeme Renton’s premises is equipped with tandem axles and a hydraulic drawbar jack, plus Bauer’s Ecostar 6000 controller, which is now fitted as standard for the UK and Ireland. This touch screen display provides easy access to settings, remote access to adjust wind-in speed, and provides interruption, fault, ‘distance to go’ and ‘run finished’ text notifications among its functions. Growers using several Rainstar irrigators can opt for the SmartRain telematics system, which in addition to compiling detailed irrigation event records including water consumption, can be set-up with selected manager and field operator notifications. This avoids information overload while easing irrigator fleet management through the SmartRain mobile device app. “Buying irrigation equipment is an investment that has to be considered over the long-term with respect to the total cost of ownership,” said Graeme Renton. “The Bauer product is very attractive in that respect because of the reliability, performance and durability that comes from using high quality precision components and a fully galvanised chassis and reel structure.” Every Rainstar features Bauer’s radial water turbines, designed and precision-assembled for minimal loss of water pressure, and powered by the Vario variable output water nozzle. The Vario design automatically adjusts to deliver a powerful water flow over the turbine’s impeller at all settings and available pressures to maintain a consistent hose retraction speed over the whole length of an irrigation strip. Growers invited to see sorting machine in action at UK site UK-based potato growers who would like to see the TOMRA 3A in action but were unable to attend BP2021 are being invited to see one in operation at a grower’s facility. TOMRA Food is offering to make arrangements for site visits to E.W. Button & Son in Cornwall or growers in Shropshire and Scotland. The TOMRA 3A is typically located near the entrance to a potato storage shed, where it cleans up freshly harvested crop after it passes through a mechanical grader and soil removal equipment. This machine is designed to operate at high capacity, working at a rate of up to 100 tons per hour, and is compact enough to be moved easily from shed to shed. The manufacturer claims the TOMRA 3A removes 95% of rocks, floating stones, dirt clods, and corn cob, plus 85% of other typical foreign materials. Its customers are typically packers and processors. The TOMRA 3A can be connected to the cloud-based data platform TOMRA Insight.

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