LAMMA returned to the NEC to marks its 40th anniversary after two years of absence due to the pandemic. CPM traversed the halls to scope out new machinery launches, innovative technologies and hear from experts on various topics.
It’s a practical vehicle rather than a luxury one.
By Melanie Jenkins
For the first time in over two years the halls of the NEC were filled with tractors, cultivators, tyres, forage harvesters, balers and every kind of mechanical implement farmers, contractors and operators could imagine?
Despite having taken the decision to run the event fairly late in May, the halls were packed end-to-end with both exhibitors and visitors.
For those who couldn’t make it, here’s a look at some of the key topics covered in the seminar programme as well as a breakdown of the kit being showcased at the show.
Funding sustainability
Amid the call for more sustainable farming practices and the increasing pressure to home in on efficiencies, all while running a profitable business, Frontier tackled the subject of funding sustainability on its stand at LAMMA.
Speaking at Frontier’s stand, Jim Egan of Kings Crops discusses the different ways of getting funding for farming. “If you’re not already in Countryside Stewardship scheme this year, don’t dismiss it,” he advises. “It’s well worth going into it as it can be well integrated into the farm.”
And coming up on the horizon is ELMs, says Jim. “A lot of people think you have to wait until 2024, but the Sustainable Farming Incentive actually starts to get rolled out this year and will impact every farm in the country and it’ll reward you for soil management.”
There’s also the option of looking at getting funding from water companies, he says. “These are falling over themselves to talk about cover cropping, catch cropping, under sowing maize and reducing water pollution.
“There’s also things like the Landscape Enterprise Network”, he adds. “There’re lot of opportunities out there, but the key thing with all of these is planning, management and recording.”
Tom Parker of Frontier agrees and suggests growers prepare before signing up to any agreements. “Spending time and using the data available to you can help you incorporate your agreement into your production system and that will pay off in the long run.
“Using data tools, such as the MySOYL app, you can make sure both your rotational and non-rotational features are in the right place for the lifetime of the agreement,” he says.
“Yield data is a good place to start. Identifying areas which are consistently low yielding gives the opportunity to place environmental features where they’re best suited. For those without yield data, biomass data or satellite imagery is a good proxy for how crops are performing.
“And soil type maps can also help determine which options are best suited to which soil type, alongside your data of the farm,” adds Tom.
It’s also important to record performance, he advises. “But remember a cover crop won’t have a clear metric to record performance in the way cash crops have yield, so recording performance using tools such as biomass imagining throughout the year can be useful. It’s likely to be a legislative requirement to record this, so choosing the right tool to do it is crucial.”
Mzuri
Garnering interest in Hall 19 was Mzuri’s new iPASS drill. The iPASS features a 5000-litre pressurised tank to meter and convey high application rates of seed and fertiliser, has four variable speed electric metering units; two to control fertiliser and two for seed.
The drill has been designed to be capable of drilling into a range of surface types, including cover crops, stubble, grassland and cultivated ground. The leading disc should cut through the surface residue, slicing the field surface to promote lower disturbance of the following coulters. The primary knife coulter clears the trash from the till and band places fertiliser below the seed zone. A secondary seeding coulter follows on a ball joint system to allow the coulter to self-steer behind the path of the band fertiliser.
The Mzuri iPASS is available in widths of 4m, 4.8m, 6m and 8m and operators can choose between two row spacing options per model.
Claydon
Claydon launched several new machines from its stand in Hall 6, including its new Evolution drill which has incorporated updates designed for customers who drill into cover crops and grass leys. Seed depth adjustment of the drill is now controlled hydraulically, improved access to the metering unit should allow for easier calibration, while front-mounted discs which are operated hydraulically from the tractor seat can be specified for seeding into high residue situations.
Other features include quick-fit knock-on/knock-off coulters for the standard leading tine and A-Share and low disturbance twin disc and tine options. The multiple seed tool allows a wide range of crops to be drilled across different soil types and situations, while the quick-change facility allows fast, easy modification when required. A large, easily accessible toolbox incorporated into the step frame is also standard.
Add-ons include GPS variable seed rate capability, pre-emergence marker arms, front disc toolbar stone protection, micro fertiliser applicator, low-disturbance twin tine kit, slug pelleter, blockage sensors and a light and vision kit.
The Evolution comes in both a rigid grain model and a fertiliser model with a 50/50 split hopper. The drill has working widths of 3m, 4m, 4.5m, 4.8m, 5m and 6m, and incorporate nine, 13, 15 or 19 tines and most feature a 1910-litre hopper. The Evolution will be available from the coming autumn.
Also launched at LAMMA was a new 9m mounted straw harrow from Claydon. Aimed at bridging the gap between the company’s 7.5m and 12.5m models, it achieves working speeds of 15-25km/h which are necessary to create a micro-tilth in the top 30mm of soil.
The new model incorporates 75 double tines, each of which is attached to the frame by a unique fixing that enables the tine to pivot and absorb shock loads when working in stony conditions or turning. As standard, it has five rows of heavy-duty 14mm-diameter tines, but 16mm tines are available as a cost option for exceptionally tough conditions.
Weighing 1850kg and suitable for use on a Cat3 linkage, the 9m Straw Harrow folds to 2.99m wide and 3.55m high for transport.
Kubota
Hall 12 housed an impressive display from Kubota, including its new 2022 line-up. Tractor highlights included the all-new 122-162hp M6002 series, the recently updated flagship M7003 models from 130-170hp, plus the latest generation EU Stage V compliant M5002 and M4003 models covering the 66-115hp sector.
The M7003 series builds on the success of its predecessor, according to Kubota’s Mel McGlinchey. “This new series uses recent advancements in technology to further increase the sustainability and performance of the engine, and improve manoeuvrability and efficiency.”
McHale
Taking centre stage in Hall 10 was McHale, which showcased a broad number of machines from across its range. Most notable was its new V8 range, now its largest variable chamber balers, capable of producing a bale up to 1.9m in diameter.
The V8940 non-chopper and the V8950 15-knife chopper balers feature increased size of the lateral feed augers to improve uptake, automatic adjustment to intake in accordance with material flow and a drop floor unblocking system.
As standard, a 15-knife chopper unit is available on the McHale V8950. With all 15 knifes engaged on the McHale V8950, a theoretical chop length of approximately 65mm can be delivered. Knives in the V8950 baler can be engaged and disengaged from the tractor cab.
An optional selectable knife system is available which consists of two knife banks that allow for various knife configurations to be chosen to allow none, seven, eight, or 15 knives to work.
As standard, all machines in the V8 range come fitted with three heavy-duty endless belts.
All McHale V8940 machines are fitted with a Primary Drive to aid belt and material rotation. On the McHale V8950, a secondary drive is fitted. In difficult conditions, such as wet short grass, should the primary drive slip, the secondary drive will engage to ensure material rotates in the chamber.
Continental
Continental launched its new telehandler and skid-steer loader tyre at the show. The CompactMaster AG tyre is the first to be designed with a new Turtle Shield tread layer and twisted steel belt. “This is a reinforced tyre with a hard shell and a more flexible steel wire construction to help prevent cuts and damage, while offering greater stability for materials handling work,” explains Continental agricultural tyre specialist, Richard Hutchins.
Capable of operating at speeds of up to 50kph, the CompactMaster AG tyres are available for 24-inch wheels, size 460/70R24 159B.
Precision technology
DroneAg made things interactive at its stand with the latest development of its Skippy Scout mapping and reporting drone technology in the form of a 3D map on a large touch screen.
Using a drone to view and photograph fields from above, a high definition 360˚ view of the field and surrounding farmland is created and can be viewed from any smartphone, tablet or computer. Growers can select points of interest in their fields from the large map and send the drone out to photograph specific points in detail, helping to detect problem areas.
Image quality is so high resolution that weeds, insects, insect damage, pigeon damage, leaf discolouration and the fine details of any exposed soil can be identified, including water logging or drought.
Users can move between fields simply by tapping points on the screen and can get real-time analyses of crop performance, including crop cover, GAI, crop uniformity and weed percentage among the crop. This can then be easily compared with previous reports.
Opico presented a fully autonomous, solar-powered robot capable of precision drilling and weeding at LAMMA (see full report in CPM May 2022, p104).
Offering pesticide-free weed control with zero fuel bills, the FarmDroid is the brainchild of two Danish farmers.
The FarmDroid uses GPS to record exactly where it places each seed, so that on each subsequent weeding pass it has no need to identify what’s a weed and what’s not – it simply knows where the crop plants should be and works around them, using blades to slice off anything between each crop plant in the row.
This approach means that unlike other similar machines, it doesn’t need to employ any high-definition cameras and complex computers to identify and target weeds. It also means the machine can start the weeding process before the crop has emerged.
“We believe robotics will form the backbone of the next major step in technological development for agriculture,” explains Opico managing director James Woolway.
“FarmDroid has come up with a unique solution that is suited to large and small-scale farming systems. While it’s early days, we’re coming to the UK market with a product that is tried and tested. The timing couldn’t be better with rising energy costs, labour issues and environmental factors at the forefront of UK farmers’ minds.”
Farm vehicles
For those who’ve been pining after the Land Rover Defender of days gone by, Ineos may well have the answer in its new Grenadier all-terrain vehicle.
Ineos, originally a petrochemical company owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has produced its own 4×4 utility vehicle aimed at filling a gap in the market.
The vehicle has gone from concept to production in about four years – something which usually takes about ten years. This is due to bringing in component parts from across the industry, according to Dave Axford, Ineos’ product expert.
On display at LAMMA was an interior prototype of the new Grenadier, which is due to go into production in July, with the first deliveries to the UK market expected in October.
Production specification prototypes are currently being built at the firm’s plant in France for testing purposes.
The machine has been designed from the ground up. Set on a ladder-framed chassis, it has multi-link suspension with separate coils and dampers to maximise traction.
Available with either petrol or diesel BMW three-litre, six-cylinder turbo charged engines. The diesel has 550Nm of torque and 1700rpm and both come with a ZF eight-speed automatic gear box, with Ineos’ own transfer box for high and low range, and has lockable differential as standard.
The vehicle has Carraro solid axles for both reliability and durability and it has a 3.5t towing capacity.
Three vehicles are due to be launched this year; the two-seat commercial priced at £49,000, a five-seat N1 classification starting at £52,000 and two versions of the five-seat passenger vehicle both priced at £59,000.
All come with a full range of practical options including winches and roof racks. “It’s a practical vehicle rather than a luxury one,” says Dave.
The company hopes to be able to introduce a long wheel-based double cab pick-up to its range next year.
Looking ahead
LAMMA 2023 will be held on 10-11 January at the NEC, Birmingham.
