LAMMA’s reputation for hosting some of the most up-to-date and innovative machinery, equipment and systems will be underlined this coming January when the event returns to the NEC Birmingham.

The arable sector is no exception, and visitors will be spoilt for choice by the impressive range of kit across hundreds of exhibitor stands. Here, we outline some of the latest introductions that will be on show.

Seed drills

Vaderstad is introducing its new high-speed precision drill, the Tempo L 8, which has just gone into production. Said to combine excellent high-speed planting precision with high capacity output of both seed and fertiliser, the machine has eight row units, a 3000- litre fertiliser hopper and row spacing options from 700-800mm.

image expired

Weaving Machinery is launching the next generation Sabre Tine Drill at LAMMA. The new model has been rebuilt from the ground up to make low-disturbance crop establishment simple and intuitive for all crop systems, according to the company.

New features include relocated depth wheels, hydraulic depth control, side-to-side contour rolling pivot, and greater trash handling capabilities.

Pöttinger’s Terrasem mulch seed drills offer the next technical development in direct fertilisation through the Fertilizer Pro coulter. The system enables coulter pressures of at least 180 kg and features a larger disc diameter of 410 mm. Fertiliser is placed in a double-shoot row between every second seed row; placement depth can be adjusted hydraulically independently of cultivating and sowing depth.

JC Machinery will be exhibiting the new Vredo Crop Drill System (CDS). The Vredo Agri Twin and Vredo Agri Air Series will be displayed with the new CDS feature, which enables sowing of arable crops directly into cereal stubbles at a 15cm row distance.

The machine retains its features for grassland overseeding – a pair of slicing discs with an interrow distance of 7.5cm. To allow arable crops to be sown deeper, every second pair of discs can be pulled up hydraulically, creating the 15cm rows.

Sky Agriculture will have a host of updates for its EasyDrill and MaxiDrill ranges at LAMMA. The new 20 Series updates to the EasyDrill and MaxiDrill include a new electronics package with blockage sensing, individual row shut off and ISObus control as well as a second “Pro-Hopper” allowing four products to be individually metered and distributed at once.

With grain and fertiliser main tanks as standard and the possibility of adding one or two smaller Pro-Hoppers, the operator can now place seed, fertiliser, companion crops and plant protection products accurately in one pass.

Sulky UK will launch its Progress seed drill. The new combination seed drill uses up to three independent hoppers, driven from a single interface, to place seeds from different crop varieties or plant species as well as granular fertiliser, helping farmers to optimise yields and reduce costs, with the flexibility to drill in all conditions.

Cultivations

Reflecting the movement towards minimum tillage systems, Sumo’s new Vaxio high-speed cultivator makes its LAMMA debut. The 6m machine combines surface cultivation, loosening, levelling and consolidation, starting with a twin row of concave discs followed by two staggered rows of spring tines working to 250mm, capable of incorporating large amounts of trash. Hydraulic paddles then level the soil and a Multipacka roller to creates a weather-proof finish.

Vaderstad is showing its new Carrier XL 425-625 fitted with CrossCutter Disc, which allows the versatile cultivator to work at ultra-shallow depths of only 3cm as well as down to 5cm across the full working width of the machine. It conserves seedbed moisture while mixing crop residues into the soil and encourages an early weed chit.

Mechanical weed control

Claydon will exhibit a 6m-wide version of the new TerraBlade Heavy Duty Inter Row Hoe. The new 6m 20-tine and 8m 26-tine Heavy Duty versions have been designed to operate in even the heaviest soils, says the company.

image expired

The TerraBlade tines can be adjusted to suit row width and blade pressure can be altered to suit soil type and conditions. The largest 8m model requires a minimum 80hp tractor, has an optimum working speed of 6km/h and provides an average work output of 4ha/hour.

A range of hydraulically-driven, inter-plant weeders produced by Italian manufacturer Spapperi for use on various row crops will take centre stage on the J.F. Hudson stand.

The machines, available in single, two, three and four-row variants have ground-engaging rotary weeder heads, which can be adjusted for depth, row width and direction of rotation on the move. Each head carries three vertical knives which are moved laterally between the seedlings or growing plants by an operator sitting on the implement.

Opico is introducing a range of Hatzenbichler inter-row cultivators with working widths from 3m to 18m and variants to suit different crops and row spacings.

Tines mounted on parallelograms with individual depth wheels run between the crop rows. A choice of points and tines can be matched to the job, and options include plastic finger wheels and crop protectors. Camera-controlled row guidance is provided by a headstock with integrated hydraulic ram to provide up to 250mm of side-shift in either direction.

Zürn is introducing its Seed Terminator to the UK at LAMMA, designed to kill weed seeds that come out of a combine. The technology consists of two high-performance multistage hammer mills which process the residue coming from the sieves. Zürn implemented the Seed Terminator in Europe during the 2019 harvest season – it is available for a range of combines.

Spraying

Agrifac’s newest sprayer, the Condor Endurance, will be on show for the first time at LAMMA. All filling operations take place in the front zone of the sprayer – induction hopper, main tank, clean water tank, diesel or AdBlue. The back features pump systems and electronics for easy maintenance.

Condor Endurance II is equipped with the new EcoTronicPlus II, featuring a new, fully integrated armrest and a joystick for maximum ease of use and productivity. There is one screen in the cab for both, spraying and GPS. It features Agrifac’s StabiloPlus chassis and comes with an 8000-litre tank and booms from 24 to 55m.

Bateman will be showcasing its RB35 and RB55 self-propelled crop sprayers. These are now available with the company’s BBL boom-levelling system, which follows ground contours enabling the operator to spray under a wide range of conditions without changing settings. This innovation is available on all VG contour booms and is available as a retrofit.

To maintain correct application rate at optimal droplet size, Bateman uses individual nozzle control, turn width compensation, maintaining perfect pressure whilst being able to vary the speed, using pulse width technology.

Knight Farm Machinery is offering the option of an automatic filling system for the wash tanks on all its sprayers. The system uses a second pump and separate plumbing system to ensure the clean water system is always topped up when the main tank is filled.

When the main tank fill is activated a sensor assesses the fill level of the clean water tank and automatically triggers the pump if it needs filling or topping up. This clean water can be used to wash out spray containers and to rinse the main tank and plumbing.

Syngenta’s stand at LAMMA will give sprayer operators and growers the first chance to see and try out the new industry-wide closed transfer system - easyconnect. The system, developed by a consortium of leading global agrochemical manufacturers, offers the potential to improve sprayer filling efficiency and operation, eliminating operator exposure and reducing the risk of point-source environmental loss.

Precision technology/agritech

Xarvio is a first time exhibitor at LAMMA, offering digital products that deliver independent field-zone-specific agronomic advice.

xarvio will show its SCOUTING app and discuss two new upcoming functionalities, Multiweed Identification and Emergence Analysis. This free app helps growers and agronomists detect in-field problems by taking a photo with their mobiles. It currently identifies weeds and plant diseases, counts and identifies insects, and analyses leaf damage and nitrogen status.  Also on show is FIELD MANAGER, due for UK launch in the spring. It provides growth stage predictions, disease/pest risk, biomass maps, and crop protection management.

xarvio will also showcase a development project with Bosch – xarvio Bosch Smart Spraying. This project brings together weed detection technology (xarvio), and smart nozzle expertise (Bosch), so herbicide is only applied when and where it is needed.

Hutchinsons will talk about its collaboration with leading machinery and data management systems such as Claas, Väderstad and Muddy Boots, resulting in much improved streamlined data connection using cloud computer systems.

Users of the Omnia Precision Agronomy system will be able to generate a seamless flow of data from the Class Telematics system straight into Omnia. The Omnia Connect app can be used with Väderstad E Services drills, enabling variable rate drilling plans to be transferred. Muddy Boots users will also be able to exchange field and cropping information.

New easy-to-use drone technology that will help farmers walk crops more efficiently is to be unveiled by Drone Ag at LAMMA.  Skippy Scout is a crop-monitoring app that uses drones to automatically capture images which are analysed by ground-breaking artificial intelligence (AI). Drone Ag will launch the product in March 2020.

image expired

The phone-based app uses GPS and mapping software to fly a drone to points in a field selected by the farmer, providing accurate green area index (GAI), emerging plant counts, weed identification and insect damage.

Visitors to LAMMA can discuss at length the Hands Free Hectare project and the Hands Free Farm project with Harper Adams staff at the show. The small team behind the project aimed to be the first in the world to plant, tend and harvest a crop remotely, without operators on the seats or agronomists in the field. They successfully harvested their first crop, 4.5t of spring barley, in September 2017 and 6t of winter wheat a year later. The team is scaling-up to a 35ha farm and will grow winter wheat, winter beans and spring barley.

image expired

Hutchinsons’ recently launched TerraMap soil scanning system makes its LAMMA debut. Results from the system, which is unaffected by soil moisture, compaction, crop cover or cultivation state, are used to create maps within the Omnia system. These can be overlaid with additional field information such as blackgrass and yields to create accurate variable rate plans.

Camera manufacturer IDS will show its new, intelligent IDS NXT cameras and the powerful Ensenso 3D cameras that open up new application areas for image processing tasks. These include plant growth monitoring, weed detection or the recognition of certain object conditions.

Grain drying, crop storage and handling

Crop Systems Limited is adding new features to its SmartStor controller to help users reduce storage costs and improve remote store monitoring and management via mobile devices.

New features include a heating/drying system, a power control feature to avoid running at peak energy prices, two energy saving programmes and an ethylene control feed system to reduce loss during purging and ambient cooling.

BDC Systems will talk about its new system that enables grain store operators to accurately and automatically check moisture content of wet grain whilst it passes through a grain drying plant.

Using bespoke sampling units, grain is taken from the both incoming (wet) elevator and outgoing (dry) elevators on a plant and processed through a multi-chamber duct incorporating a Sinar moisture probe. Live readings are displayed on a screen along with a graph showing the moisture trend. Historical data is also stored for reference.

Visitors will be able to see the full Plug&Cool range from Gibbons Agricultural for the first time at LAMMA, including grain fans, web-based control panels and Airspears, and speak to the team about the benefits of the Plug&Cool Barn System all-in-one post-harvest package.

image expired

Specialist vegetable handling manufacturer Haith Group will unveil its new Store Loader PRO. The latest Evolution separator allows the operator to create soil separation recipes and save regularly used settings.

The Evolution deformable roller separator, which removes clods, stone and haulm, can be complemented or substituted by continental web, steel or polyurethane coils with varying size and pitch options or multi-finger stars. All functions can be controlled through a remote panel, and all conveyors are variable speed and reversible to suit all layouts.

Vegetable handling equipment manufacturer Tong Engineering is launching the company’s new online operators’ manual platform, TongHUB, to provide customers with a personal online equipment library of essential equipment documentation, including user manuals and spare parts specifications. This information will be available at the touch of a button, whether in office or field.

A new range of stainless gearboxes and motors from STM Power Transmission Ltd will feature at the event.  Stainless steel drives are particularly useful in food and agricultural applications where the equipment is regularly washed down often using detergents to ensure food safety. The gearboxes provide a significantly increased lifetime when compared to standard drives. 

Irrigation

Visitors to RST Irrigation’s stand can view raindancer’s Gun Sector Control that ensures 100% of the water is provided to 100% of the crop. The system automatically adjusts the gun’s stops to only irrigate within the field boundaries, and can provide the facility to highlight areas within the field that require less or more irrigation.

image expired

LAMMA’20 will take place at the NEC on Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th January 2020. Parking and entry to the event are free.

For further LAMMA information see www.lammashow.com