March 2017 Farming Monthly National

INSIDE: Nanoparticles: The future of agriculture? page 44

Farming

MONTHLY National

March 2017

Also in this issue...

Buildings

| RIDBA Awards Finalists projects page 30

The key to precision farming Also inside this month..

| Good data management page 10

Marginal land use... p41

Parasite threat at turnout p20

Jaguar F-PACE reviewed p58

PLUS: Muck & Slurry | Fencing | Security | Buildings | Forestry | Energy | ATV | Motors

CONTENTS March 2017

FEATURES 15

16

12 Precision senseFly & AirMap partner

14 Arable Crop protection evolving to meet future challenges

20

37 Fencing

30

45 Slurry

MM Timber Prestige range

Technology injection for Centreliner

44 Feature Nanoparticles could be the future of agriculture

16 Sheep & Lambing NSA: Working in the interests of sheep farmers

20 Animal Health Parasite threat to sheep & cattle at turnout, and more

28 Forestry New woodchipper from Fรถrst

30 Buildings RIDBA Awards 2017 shortlisted entrants and projects

04 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

REGULARS 06 News Farm Business Income Figures

10 On Topic The key to precision farming

32 Energy Energy Now expo

42 Machinery Latest machinery news

48 ATV ATV news...covered.

52 Motors Latest motors news

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

41

Agriculture. Covered.

EDITOR Andrew Poulton editor@farmingmonthly.com

Good data management the key to precision farming p10

EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES editorial@farmingmonthly.com ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Tel: +44 (0) 2476 353537 Advertising Director: Shona Beedham s.beedham@farmingmonthly.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Julie Smith j.smith@farmingmonthly.com Edward Hickinbottom e.hickinbottom@farmingmonthly.com DESIGN & PRODUCTION studio@farmingmonthly.com SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@farmingmonthly.com ON THE COVER Sheep in Nuneaton

Subscribe today!

Enjoy your 12 month print subscription direct to your door for just ÂŁ20!

Call us on 02476 353537 or visit our secure website at www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

Available in

PRINT. DIGITAL. APP.

Follow us For editorial, general enquiries or to advertise please call +44 (0) 2476 353537 or email sales@farmingmonthly.com Farming Monthly National is published monthly in the UK by Farming Monthly Ltd, 15-17 Dugdale Street, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5QJ Tel: +44 (0) 2476 353537 Printed in the UK No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission from the publisher.

Whilst every attempt is made to ensure accuracy, the opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or publication. The Editor also reserves the right to alter or edit material as required and no responsibility is accepted for inaccuracies.

Full copyright applies. All rights reserved.

ISSN 2044-0190 (print) ISSN 2044-0200 (digital)

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 05

| News

Farm Business Income figures The latest Farm Business Income figures suggest that farmers are still feeling the impact of an unpredictable and volatile market place, the NFU has said.

FU President Meurig Raymond said that while many sectors had seen improved fortunes – mainly due to the falling value of the pound – the wider industry was suffering from sharp rises in farm inputs, such as for feed, fertilisers and machinery.

“It is good news that many sectors are currently seeing improved commodity prices.

However, for all sectors these figures can quickly change and steep reductions in the dairy and poultry sectors only go to emphasise that farmers are in an extremely volatile sector,” he added.

“Looking ahead, this uncertainty shows no sign of abating and there will be many challenges ahead as Brexit negotiations begin.

“With that in mind, I am calling on the government to ensure it can introduce a domestic agricultural policy which helps build a more profitable farming industry, by focusing on productivity, volatility mitigation and environmental

N

measures, as highlighted at our conference last week.

“Our industry now needs certainty and firm commitments from government if the country is to feel the benefits of a thriving food and farming industry. NFU members want to deliver on a

vision shared with Government for an increasingly profitable, competitive and sustainable food and farming sector.

“We have been clear on what we believe is needed to achieve this. Firstly unrestricted access to the European market, secondly

continued access to a competent and reliable workforce both pre and post farm-gate and thirdly a new agricultural policy which assists in the development of an increasingly productive, progressive and above all profitable farming sector.”

LEAF welcomes guests from Valencia Uni Representatives from the University of Valencia recently visited LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) as part of the RUC-APS project (Enhancing and implementing Knowledge based ICT solutions within high Risk and Uncertain Conditions for Agriculture). he project aims to bring together experts throughout the horticulture supply chain through staff exchange to institutions in Europe and South America. Launched in October 2016, the initiative will run for four years and see participants from across the globe visit each other to share knowledge and insights.

David Perez, Angel Ortiz and Faustino Alarcon from the University of Valencia visited LEAF for a month at the start of the year. LEAF representatives

T

06 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

will make a return visit to Valencia within the year, as well as six other institutions.

The scheme brings together participants from seven countries including France, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Argentina and Chile. As well as University of Valencia and LEAF, other establishments taking part include the University of Plymouth, Systems Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IBSPAN), Universite de Tolouse 1 Capitole and Innovation for Agriculture.

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| News

150,000 calves born safely with Moocall sensor linked to Vodaphone’s IOT network Mortality rate of calves and cows could be reduced by up to 80% he UK mortality rate of calves and cows during birth could be reduced by as much as 80% predicts Moocall, the developer of a unique calving sensor linked to Vodafone’s Internet of Things (IoT) network. The predication comes at peak calving season, which started this month.

In the UK, more than 110,000 calves and around 50,000 cows die every year due to birth complications. The number of deaths and complications could be dramatically reduced by mobile technology which informs farmers how long a cow has been calving, so that they can intervene or call a vet if needed.

T

“With help from Vodafone’s extensive network, Moocall is proven to help farmers ensure the safe delivery of a calf while maintaining the wellbeing of the cow” Around 150,000 calves in the UK and Ireland have been born safely using Moocall’s noninvasive, tail-mounted sensor to send vital alerts to farmers over Vodafone’s network, it was revealed today. The system also enables farmers to increase productivity of their herds and save money, with the average replacement

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

value of a cow between £1,000 and £2,000 while pedigree breeds can command fees of up to £5,000 per cow.

The palm-sized sensor accurately predicts the onset of calving by measuring specific movements of a cow’s tail triggered by labour contractions. The device sends an audible alert, via Vodafone’s IoT network, directly to a farmer’s mobile phone when contractions reach a certain level of intensity, usually an hour before calving. An App also allows farmers to manage and monitor multiple sensors.

John Larkin, technology and marketing manager, Moocall, explained: “With help from Vodafone’s extensive network, Moocall is proven to help farmers ensure the safe delivery of a calf while maintaining the wellbeing of the cow. It also allows farmers to get some much needed rest, safe in the knowledge they will receive an alert at crucial calving moments rather than having to be on permanent watch.”

Vodafone Group Director Internet of Things Ivo Rook added: “Our global IoT platform allows Moocall to remotely manage and monitor every one of its sensors used by farmers, whether they are in the UK or in Australia. Together with Moocall, we are pleased to prove how the internet of things can help save the lives of calves”

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 07

| News

Scourge of the countryside – New flytipping images show true scale of problem New images of thousands of tonnes of rubbish blighting the great British countryside highlight the true scale of fly-tipping, the NFU said. arge scale coordinated dumping is now a regular occurrence with photos sent to the NFU showing it’s not just large domestic items such as washing machines, fridges, sofas, mattresses and furniture, but also clinical waste and rubbish from construction and demolition.

It comes on the day that the Government has confirmed a rise in the number of incidents to 936,000 in 2015/16.

With rural tourism contributing £130m to the nation’s economy (2015-16) the NFU believes more urgently needs to be done to protect the iconic British countryside from fly-tipping with local authorities and police helping farmers battling this issue.

L

Under the current rules farmers and landowners are left facing hefty bills to remove vast amounts of rubbish dumped illegally on their land.

NFU Deputy President Minette Batters said the solution was better collaboration between all those affected parties.

“Fly-tipping is the scourge of the countryside. Clearly we are disappointed that the number of flytipping incidents has increased.

Our members are fully aware of the impacts this can have on farm and the wider countryside, as well as the high costs and stress that can come along with it. This can run into thousands of pounds and can see farmers being forced to deal with the aftermath themselves,” she added.

“That’s why we have written to the Ministry of Justice, Liz Truss,

08 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

as well as the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), to ensure that magistrates are aware of increased fine limits and that they are fully informed on the negative impact flytipping can have on the rural community.

“It is crucial that Britain’s countryside is not used as a dumping ground. We need a broader government strategy that allows incidents to be reported more effectively and cleared up, intelligence to be shared more easily and we need a campaign to raise awareness among householders on their responsibilities in disposing of unwanted waste.”

The NFU is asking for: • Local authorities and the police assisting landowners in the

clean-up and reporting of flytipped waste • NFU wants all parties (Local authorities/Police/land owners/The Environment Agency) to work together on the issue which means prevention, clean up and prosecution.

• It should not be the sole responsibility of the landowner to deal with this crime and landowners are currently saddled with the cost of removing fly tipped waste.

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Security

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 09

| On Topic

Good data management the key to precision farming An average harvest and rising fixed costs have meant that AHDB Wantage Monitor Farm host Julian Gold has seen, like many farmers, falling arable gross margins.

or this reason, he was keen that the Monitor Farm group carefully evaluate the potential benefits and challenges of precision farming, before investing in any expensive technology or software.

The Wantage Monitor Farm group met late last year at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, in the shadow of the Rutherford Appleton laboratory.

Paul Hill, AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Knowledge Exchange Manager, said: “Surrounded by the latest innovations in technology, the space-age setting was a great inspiration to make us think about all the possibilities, but actually the message to farmers was simple: get your data management in order before anything else.”

Speaker Ian Beecher-Jones reminded farmers that the amount of data available is growing exponentially, and that in order to make the most of this, they should know what they want to do with the information.

F

10 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

Wantage Monitor Farm looking at various applications for satellite data

“You have to question what you want out of the data,” added AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds board member James Price.

The group heard how the mismatch between the physical farm and digital representations of it – for example, fields duplicated in computer files, or the same field spelled differently – were the root cause of much frustration and wasted time on farms.

Mr Beecher-Jones said: “Have a plan for your data, how you’ll input, manage and use it, and get your digital farm to match your physical farm.”

Precision farming and good information, he explained, could improve operator and machine performance, with, for example, elimination of fieldwork overlapping and more targeted crop protection and nutrient applications He suggested that a good place to start was to enter all the field names for each farm into the farm management system in the office, and then copy those onto other consoles via USB sticks.

Another farmer in the group told how precision farming steering had helped him to reduce his fuel costs and brought down his overall costs of production.

For Julian at East Hendred Farm, his main challenges are: Bringing data together across various systems. This has a cost implication.

Measuring variable rate applications via yield data Growing his own confidence in the digital systems Paul Hill: “There’s a lot of free data available for farmers, but the real key is working out what you want to achieve – why you need the data, how you’re going to interpret it and what you are going to do with it. How can precision farming data help you to become more resilient, for example, or to improve your yields or reduce fixed costs? These are all questions to bear in mind.”

Looking back The Monitor Farm group revisited some of

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| On Topic

the work they had done at the very beginning of the programme. In October 2014 the farmers explored the elements of precision farming, the opportunities and benefits, the barriers and problems and where investment for return should be prioritised. Groups of farmers reminded each other that the cheapest, and most cost-effective tools of precision farming were the spade and tape measure.

At this first meeting, Julian agreed to evaluate specific examples of precision farming

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

throughout the three years of the project.

He therefore reported back on one of the summer’s variable rate N trials, where on the last pass he attempted to even up the grain N content on one of his malting barley fields.

“The area we thought would yield the lowest, actually yielded highest by a tonne, and vice versa. This meant that our variable rate N applications were back-to-front and instead of evening up the grain N contents in the areas of different yield we made the situation worse:

what turned out to be the highest yielding areas having sub optimal applied N and low grain N, while the areas of high biomass and expected highest yield received too much N and had high grain N levels due to the lower yield.

“As it turned out the whole crop was rejected for malting due to screening levels so the uneven grain N was not an issue this season.”

For more information, visit cereals.ahdb.org.uk/monitorfarms

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 11

| Precision

senseFly and AirMap Lower cost BlackBox partner to advance safety for commercial drones

Patchwork Technology Ltd was proud to unveil the BlackBox Air at LAMMA 2017.

New partnership delivers robust airspace intelligence and unmanned traffic management solutions to senseFly’s largely autonomous commercial drones. enseFly, the world’s first choice producer of mapping drones and subsidiary of Parrot Group, today announced that they have partnered with AirMap, the world’s leading airspace management platform for drones, to deliver AirMap’s airspace services to senseFly’s eBee fixed wing drones and Albris quadcopter.

AirMap’s airspace platform services will be directly integrated into senseFly’s eMotion flight and data management software, providing professional operators and their drones with critical information and tools to enable safe missions.

AirMap’s industry-leading situational awareness data include airspace rules and advisories, locations of critical infrastructure, and real-time alerts about nearby

s

manned air traffic flying in the surrounding airspace. senseFly drones will also begin leveraging AirMap’s flight planning tools and solutions for Unmanned Traffic Management, including technology that will allow senseFly drones to submit digital flight notices to more than 125 airports.

The AirMap platform powers the vast majority of the world’s drones, providing the industry’s most comprehensive, reliable, and realtime airspace information and services. Millions of drones and hundreds of drone manufacturers and developers rely on the platform to access and share the data they need to fly safely in low-altitude airspace. More than 125 airports use AirMap’s airspace management dashboard to open surrounding airspace to drones, view past and current drone flights, accept digital flight notices, and communicate with drone operators.

12 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

or the first time Patchwork is able to offer a complete guidance and area measurement system for under £1000. The starting price for the Air is £700 without a tablet and £800 with a tablet.

The BlackBox Air software can be downloaded free of charge from the Google Play store. It has been designed to run on any Android tablet or mobile phone* offering the widest choice of display possible within the industry.

Sue Davies Commercial Director at Patchwork said “We are proud to be building on the success of the existing BlackBox range, the Air now adds low cost of entry to state of the art hardware.”

Sue said “We are overwhelmed by the positive response it has received, allowing cost saving technology to be even more accessible than ever before.

Richard Skinner of KR & JM Skinner and Sons in Lincolnshire was the first of many to purchase the exciting new BlackBox AIR,

F

and will be using the system to improve the way he applies products in field to reduce wastage and save money.”

Patchwork Technology are still improving the existing BlackBox range Sue said “We are getting very positive feedback from people using the VariSpread function on Kuhn and Rauch spreaders, we have been told that users can’t believe how easy it is to set-up and use this capability on their BlackBox Advance”

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| On Topic

Contact your nearest dealer: Central Cropsprayers Limited Unit J Sandford Industrial Park Whitchurch Shropshire SY13 2AN 01948 840187 www.centralcropsprayers.co.uk

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

Agratech NW Ltd Unit 8 Dale Mill Burnley Road East Lancashire BB4 9HU 01706 211399 www.agratech.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 13

| Arable

Crop protection evolving to meet future challenges AHDB Horticulture’s Strategy Director has stressed the need for crop protection measures to adapt to ensure the UK’s horticultural crops are effectively protected in the long term. peaking about the levy body’s new strategy at a Kettle Produce event – a major grower and supplier of fresh produce to the multiples based in Fife – Steve Tones noted that while crop protection still accounted for 70% of AHDB Horticulture’s spend, changing environmental and political conditions means that the nature of crop protection is evolving.

“One of the industry’s major challenges is pesticide availability,” Steve said. “While making effective use of the chemicals we can use we also need to develop crop protection methods which use plant biology to fight pests and diseases. New advances in precision farming techniques will also benefit the industry as they become more practical and accessible, and these should allow growers to rely less on chemical interventions.”

S

However, while embracing the potential these developments offer, AHDB Horticulture will still ensure growers can access those chemicals they need, particularly through their work applying for EAMUs (Extended Authorisation for Minor Use).

“EAMUs are a key priority for levy payers and will remain a clear focus for AHDB.” Steve said.

“These off label recommendations ensure that growers can access effective pesticides and herbicides and our team at AHDB generates up to one hundred of these each year.

“The EAMUs are critical shortterm projects, something our growers really need, but we will also focus on those longer term projects, for example soil health, which will need much lengthier collaborative work to see real change.”

Steve also explained why AHDB Horticulture was venturing into market development, attempting to

change consumer perceptions, a previously unexplored area for them.

He said: “AHDB Horticulture represents a diverse range of growers, from small to very large businesses, which grow a huge variety of crops from ornamental flowers, to salads, field vegetables and soft fruit. While most parts of the industry invest significant sums in market development and have no need for AHDB support, some businesses do have genuine needs and AHDB can support these growers to improve consumer perceptions.

“We also need to look more generally at the consumption of fresh produce in the UK. We have the ability now to grow a huge range of incredibly healthy fruit

and vegetables and yet consumption is decreasing. We need to work with partners to improve the general public’s consumption, which will benefit both the health of the population and our producers’ businesses.”

Euan Alexander, Kettle Produce Agronomist, welcomed the new strategy, saying: It is reassuring for growers to hear that crop protection is a large part of the AHDB’s strategy, and that there are longer term projects covering soil health, as these are key to sustainable crop production.”

Get potato stores CIPC compliant for July 2017 From July 2017, all potato store owners must comply with new legislation stating that CIPC (chlorpropham) applications to stored potatoes must not exceed the maximum total dose rate of 36g/tonne for potatoes produced for processing, and 24g/tonne for those sent to the fresh market. o help growers with the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the new legislation, the Potato Industry CIPC Stewardship Group is launching a new technical guidance booklet: the ‘Store Owner’s Guide to CIPC Application’.

“CIPC is vital to the potato industry, as it’s used as a sprout suppressant treatment. CIPC applications must now be made using ‘active recirculation’ to optimise the efficacy of the new European lower maximum dose rate,” says Dr Mike Storey, chair of the Potato Industry CIPC Stewardship Group.

“Active recirculation refers to the new industry-agreed term to describe the re-circulation of air containing CIPC fog, by fans,” he says.

Maximum dose rates for CIPC have been ‘stepping down’ under the ‘Be CIPC Compliant’ campaign since 2012, from the maximum

T

14 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

level that was originally 63.5g/tonne. This summer the guidelines for the new dose rates require that ‘active recirculation’ is implemented.

“Research carried out by AHDB at Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research (SBCSR) in collaboration with the industry has clearly demonstrated that the correct use of fans can systematically improve the uniformity of CIPC distribution – at the lower dose rate, and reduce the risk of maximum residue exceedance,” adds Dr Storey.

The new technical guide outlines compliance measures for effective application at the new dose rates being implemented in July 2017, and contains detailed guidelines for bulk and box potato storage.

The new ‘Store Owner’s Guide to CIPC Application’ will be sent to UK potato growers during February 2017 and is also available to download from the Be CIPC Compliant website: www.cipccompliant.co.uk/

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Arable

New Amistar approval adds Alternaria protection for potatoes A new approval for Amistar is set to better protect potato crops from Alternaria that can decimate green leaf area in the summer months. ith Amistar foliar treatments targeted specifically at stopping infections of Alternaria solani spp, growers and agronomists now have a season long programme to help prevent pathogen strains from June through to harvest, advised Douglas Dyas, Syngenta Potato Field Technical Manager.

“Alternaria has been an increasing problem in some recent seasons,” he reported. “The increased area of varieties that are more susceptible to infection, combined with prolonged periods of stressful weather conditions, has led to serious outbreaks in some seasons.”

Douglas advocated that Alternaria must be tackled preventatively, in conjunction with the late blight fungicide programme. “Growers should look to start Alternaria control as soon

W

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

as conditions are conducive to infection, typically from end of June, but remaining aware of risk factors for any individual crop.”

His recommended programme will incorporate up to three applications of Amistar, aimed at protecting against Alternaria solani, in conjunction with Amphore Plus, utilising its combination of a robust application rate of difenoconazole, to give effective prevention of A. alternata and A. solani, along with its built-in full rate of mandipropamid (Revus) for blight control.

“This approach should be sufficient to offer protection for crops throughout the season,” he advised. “Growers will have to add a blight fungicide with their Amistar treatments, such as Revus or Shirlan, depending on previous treatments and within CAA and FRAC guidelines.”

He highlighted that best results will be

achieved where growers use fungicide protection in an integrated crop management (ICM) programme, including variety selection and aiming to avoid high risk stress factors, such as soil moisture or nutrient stress.

A further change to the Amistar approval in potatoes has seen the removal of the overall treatment of seedbeds pre-planting at 6 l/ha.

However the 3 l/ha in-furrow application remains unchanged for Black Dot and Rhizoctonia, to improve skin finish, along with enhanced tuber consistency and quality.

Growers with stocks of old label Amistar can still use it to make the 6 l/ha overall application at planting, with a use up of old label material by the end of August 2018. Old label Amistar can also be used for the new foliar Alternaria treatment, but a copy of the authorisation letter must be downloaded from the CRD website before use (www.pesticides.gov.uk).

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 15

| Sheep & Lambing

NSA: working in the interests of UK sheep farmers

By Joanne Briggs, National Sheep Association. ith newborn lambs all around, identifying each will soon be a job on the to-do list.

Whether you tag at birth or at the last possible opportunity, I wonder if you will be thinking of Theresa May, Donald Tusk or Donald Trump while you’re doing it? You can be guarenteed they’re not thinking of you, yet their actions are directly affecting European and world trade agreements and the legislation that concerns sheep farmers on a daily basis when it comes to identification rules, movements requirements and cross compliance inspections.

W

Most of what we currently do is dictated by Europe, and the promise by Brexiteers before the referendum that an out-vote would result in a ‘regulatory bonfire’ of burdesome legislation was one reason some people voted to leave. In reality we will have a ‘Great Repeal Bill’ where the Government will adopt all exising EU law into UK law, with the option to make changes and tweaks once the dust has settled.

The work of NSA is to find the fine line between maintaining the core regulatory framework to protect trade and reputation, yet having a flexible and practical delivery with tolerance levels. At NSA we have already started work

to develop what our ideal outcome would be, and we are not underestimating the challenge of convincing ministers that changes are needed and pushing for a realistic timeframe for the work to be done. What we do not want is to be sat here in a few years’ time with an industry that had been disadvantaged by exiting the EU single market and EU farm support framework, but without any of the benefits of writing our own rules and regulations.

We cannot jeopardise the risk of agreeing trade deals by adopting an identification and traceability system that other countries do not consider to be robust enough, but NSA is confident a new approach

can be found to both our regulatory framework and the future of farm support. This is all with the aim of creating an environment where sheep farming businesses can flourish and succeed.

It is important sheep farmers appreciate the rules have not changed yet, and will not do so in the immediate future. Please also consider that there has never been a more important time for NSA to provide a voice for the sheep sector. We cannot do that without your help so please join today at www.nationalsheep.org.uk/membe rship.

Giving lambs a good start Twins from a ewe lamb? Ewe with triplets and mastitis? Dead ewe and an orphan lamb? All these scenarios create stress for the shepherd and his flock. It’s so frustrating to have a perfectly good lamb, but no milk supply. ver the years bottle feeding these lambs has been the most popular option, often entrusted to the youngest and least experienced member of the family!

Problems follow with milk being fed infrequently, or fed too often and too much. In any case bottle feeding doesn’t give a continuous supply of warm milk as the lamb would have from its mother.

A new system, the Heatwave milk warmer from Pyon Products solves a lot of these problems: A barrel of cold milk is mixed up and kept outside the orphan lamb pen and as the lambs suck, a heat exchanger heats the milk on demand. Lambs fed this way have milk available ‘little and often’ and will grow as well, or better than they would on the ewe. In spite of

O

the cost of the milk powder and feed, these lambs generally return a margin of around £25/lamb, making the effort worthwhile.

Bottle feeding doesn’t give a continuous supply of warm milk as the lamb would have from its mother Pyon Products based in Herefordshire focus on youngstock welfare and have also introduced the Frisky Lamb warmer as a hygienic solution to warming hypothermic lambs.

Warm air is circulated around the warming box and the lambs lie on a grid to allow effluent to escape below the box. As it’s so easy to clean, it helps these vulnerable lambs get off to a good start. www.pyonproducts.com

16 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Sheep & Lambing

Polytunnels: A cost effective and simple solution There are a number of benefits that Polytunnels bring to the table in terms of reducing lamb losses and increasing profitability. he majority of farmers I speak to highlight these as some of their biggest challenges: Ewes miscarrying, lambs lost from exposure, losses due to predators and infections.

Reducing infections from waterlogged ground results in a reduced need for antibiotics with obvious monetary benefits. By housing the Flock during the wettest weather instances of lameness and liver fluke can be greatly reduced as well as giving the ground chance to recover.

I recently spoke to one of our customers who farms in Devon who that said that last year he lost 40 lambs to foxes due to lambing outdoors. Based on a margin of £65 per lamb he’d lost the best part of £2600 last season. He was very happy with the 30 x 78ft tunnel we recommended and cost just over £3000. It’s essentially only cost him £400 and the end result is his farm is more productive and the lambs are protected when they are at their most vulnerable.

More unbelievable than that is the danger to new born lambs from crows. I spoke to another customer of ours at NSA Malvern who told me about his previous experiences of lambing outside.

“Every year crows used to target our new born lambs, they’d peck out their eyes and peck through their stomachs. It’s a harrowing sight to see” he told me.

Since we started lambing in the polytunnel we’ve lost no lambs due to crows. The lambs are most venerable in the first few days of their lives. Giving them a head start in the shelter of the polytunnel before they are put out in the fields has made all the

T

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

difference in terms of reducing crow attacks.”

If anyone is experiencing similar lambing losses then a polytunnel is the perfect low cost housing option. The FlockMaster polytunnel creates a great environment to work in from a shepherd’s point of view. Dry, bright and well ventilated with a clear view of all the ewes improving the management of the flock.

Many sceptics of polytunnel housing will often ask how long does the sheet last? In our experience when a polythene sheet is fitted correctly it should last around 8-10 years. By which point the tunnel will have paid for itself many times over and the cost for a replacement sheet is usually only a few hundred pounds.

The abundant natural light that’s available cuts down on ongoing lighting costs compared to traditional sheds.

A warmer environment increases the food conversion ratio which in turn lowers the feed costs.

“Studies show that in cold, wet and windy weather, lamb losses can be reduced by up to 30% if suitable housing is provided.”

Light transmission through sheet ensures all livestock receive the same amount of vitamin D from the sun as if they were outside in the field.

“Improving animal performance and reducing physical losses is key to ensuring sheep farming is profitable” Netted doors provide quick access in and out of the tunnel but also keep out the wind, the rain, the snow, predators and wild birds.

As the structures are lightweight the cost between a polytunnel and a typical shed are light years apart.

Making it the ideal choice for new

farmers, tenants and farmers with small budgets. For most farmers a traditional shed involves huge bank loans or large capital expenditure. An equivalent sized polytunnel can be bought and erected for a few thousand pounds with a limited effect on a farms cash flow.

Due to the inherent simplicity of the polytunnel design they can be

supplied in kit form and easily erected in a couple of days without skilled labour.

Polytunnels aren’t just for lambing they are a truly adaptable structures, with subtle changes to the cladding and ventilation they can be tailored made to house a variety of livestock.

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 17

| Sheep & Lambing

Shearwell Top Tips for Successful Tagging Following best practice when tagging your livestock will benefit you and your animals.

• Tags should be applied so that the point (male part) is on the inside of the ear.

• The tag should be applied 1/3 from the head and 2/3 from the tip of the ear.

• Loop tags should be on the upper edge of the ear, allowing room for growth.

• Flag and button tags should be inserted in the middle/lower ear.

• Avoid piercing the ridges of cartilage, as this may deform the ear and may also result in infection.

• Disinfect the tag and load the tag as per instructions supplied with the applicator.

• Tags should be stored in dry conditions.

• Whenever possible, avoid tagging during warmer months or when fly strike is likely.

Shearwell FREE Replacement Tags Much research has been undertaken into finding quality tags that provide a good retention rate; the results have allowed Shearwell to be confident in offering Free Replacements.

Our free replacements are for the life of the animal, no matter what holding the animal is on or if it has been sold.

Sheep tags When you order 200 or more SET tag pairs (one EID and one visual) you will qualify for free replacements.

Cattle Tags Any Combi 2000® visual cattle flag tag that falls out will be replaced FREE, as long as it was inserted with a Combi 2000® applicator or an approved applicator with a conversion pin.

This offer also extends to our range of TST cattle tags. Any that fall out will be replaced FREE with a visual tag.

For more information call Shearwell Data on 01643 841611 or visit www.shearwell.co.uk

18 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| LAMMA

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 19

| Animal Health

Parasite threat to sheep and cattle at turnout NADIS March Parasite Forecast. nseasonably high winter temperatures across most parts of the country could impact on parasite infectivity at turnout for both sheep and cattle, according to NADIS in its March parasite forecast. Merial Animal Health, sponsor of the forecast, recommends that farmers plan their parasite control now for this year’s grazing season, to reduce production loss.

In sheep, this winter’s higher than average temperatures indicate a moderate to high risk of chronic liver fluke disease in parts of the UK. Scotland, North Wales and North West England are predicted to experience the highest incidences of disease.

“Treating ewes to remove patent, egg-shedding liver fluke infections will help to reduce subsequent fluke challenge to growing lambs later in the year,” advises Merial’s veterinary advisor Sioned Timothy.

“As chronic fluke disease is caused by the adult stage of the liver fluke it is not necessary to use a triclabendazole-based product that targets all stages of the parasite at this time of year.

Alternative flukicides that target the more mature life stages of the parasite such as, nitroxynil (Trodax®), closantel, albendazole or oxyclozanide may be more appropriate at this time of year.

Once treated, sheep should be moved to clean pastures.”

U

The principle aim of parasite control at lambing is to minimise pasture contamination with eggs passed from adult parasites. The likelihood of lambs and ewes becoming infected when grazing can be determined by the previous use of pastures.

Maximising the use of ‘safe grazing’ (i.e. pastures that have not been grazed by sheep in the last year or re-seeded pastures) at turnout will help avoid the risk of nematodirosis and parasitic gastroenteritis (PGE) in lambs later in the season. If safe grazing is not available for the whole flock it should be reserved for higher-risk ewes and those rearing multiple lambs.

Dosing ewes around lambing time can help reduce the ‘periparturient rise’ in faecal egg production during the grazing season, which can cause PGE and production loss in lambs later in the year. However, any decision to treat ewes during or after lambing must take wormer effectiveness, and the timing and frequency of dosing into consideration, to avoid increasing anthelmintic resistance.

SCOPS advises adopting a compromise between reducing pasture contamination and achieving full parasite control by targeting youngstock, ewes rearing multiple lambs, and ewes in a low body condition, leaving around 10% of the overall flock untreated. This approach will protect overall production and reduce overall egg output onto pastures, while preventing

20 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

selection for anthelmintic resistance.

Nematodirosis can cause considerable production loss at turnout. Cold weather delays the hatching of the Nematodirus battus eggs on pasture, but sudden increases in temperature can trigger a mass hatch. If hatching coincides with lambs taking in significant quantities of grass, infection rates and resulting disease can be high.

From March onwards both NADIS and SCOPS provide Nematodirus forecasts that alert farmers to the risk of egg hatching in their local area. Using these resources alongside a strategic plan for safe-grazing and targeted treatments can lessen the impact from nematodirosis. It is important to reduce pasture contamination wherever possible, to reduce the risk of infection in the following season.

Coccidiosis may also occur in young lambs and can present with similar clinical signs to nematodirosis. Stress is a major factor in triggering outbreaks, but adverse weather conditions, poor colostrum supply, wet, muddy paddocks previously grazed by sheep, and/or extended housing periods may also predispose lambs to infection. A vet should be consulted if differentiation between nematodirosis and coccidiosis is required.

Cattle farmers are urged to plan their parasite control for the year and decide on a strategic or targeted approach. Strategic

parasite control plans use timed dosing and grazing management techniques, whereas targeted approaches monitor animals regularly and treat when necessary.

COWS recommends considering the production objective for the types of cattle present, the farm infrastructure (particularly in relation to pastures, grazing management and handling facilities) and the presence of existing parasites when planning a control strategy for the season.

Housed youngstock, which were not dosed for worms in the autumn, may be at risk from type 2I ostertagiosis caused by inhibited (L4) gutworm larvae towards the end of the housing period. Animals assessed as being at risk should be treated with a product that removes L4 stage Ostertagia ostertagi.

“After turnout, young cattle rapidly become infected from overwintered larvae on the pasture,” says Ms Timothy.

“Strategically treating youngstock at grass can help prevent parasite burdens from increasing and avoid high levels of pasture contamination later in the grazing season. This lessens the risk of parasitic disease and can protect growth rates and overall production.

“Cattle can be treated with an appropriate

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Animal Health

Effective mitigation measures against TB Animal rights campaigners, and farmers across the land will soon be rejoicing at the launch of a group of pioneering new products that are set to save farmers millions of pounds across the country, and also potentially save the lives of untold numbers of cows. an Hughes, the 28 year old director of Farming Solutions ltd, has been involved in farming since he could walk and has recently turned inventor, having identified not only a huge problem for farmers across the country, but also a fantastic solution.

Badgers are common place on English farms, and despite their portrayal in ‘The animals of Farthing wood’ they are not actually good news! British farmers loose on average an eye watering £14,000 annually on dealing with the damage caused

by TB, often spread by the nocturnal badger in the form of urination and saliva. Not only that, as a result hundreds of thousands of cows must be killed – and ever since January the 1st 2008, there has been 234,195 cows culled solely due to the rampant virus.

That number, however, could soon plummet considerably with the introduction of TB Busters and

I

its innovative range of solutions to help combat this devastating and costly disease.

“Whilst you may not be able to completely stop badgers from contaminating your farm, what you can do is take a number of measures to minimize the contact they have with your livestock. I designed and invented the TB Buster mineral stand as a simple and cost effective way of keeping the badgers away from the feed, and the benefits of this expand further than just reducing the risk of TB, it also means the buckets last on average 20% longer without hampering the cattles ability to eat from it and it has already been approved by the Southwest TB Advice Group, and also scientifically tested by The Royal Agricultural University of Cirencester.

In addition to this I have a number of other products currently being tested ready for launch later in 2017 as recognition for my product and its applications start to grow, and I’m due to fund

testing for additional badger-proof products that will help farmers stay TB free. I am also now the only company offering completely bespoke individualized solutions to your TB problems one farm at a time - I use high tech night vision cameras to gauge the most problematic areas in each farm and identify where my products will be best used in order to best combat TB, and also to provide farmers with the peace of mind that they are doing their part in reducing the spread of TB in

Foot-and-mouth crises to be averted with vaccination strategy Future outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) can be controlled effectively and quickly with vaccinations – saving millions of pounds and hundreds of thousands of livestock – according to research by the University of Warwick. r Michael Tildesley and Naomi Bradbury in the School of Life Sciences have discovered that a key issue for successfully containing and eradicating a FMD outbreak is to establish how many animals can be vaccinated per day, and tailor controls accordingly.

Using a mathematical model of the UK farming landscape, Dr Tildesley and colleagues simulated numerous scenarios of infection – to varying levels of severity and speed - calculating the most effective and efficient approaches to stave the spread of disease.

Many dangerous uncertainties exist when dealing with epidemics like FMD, such as: the efficacy of vaccinations, the time it takes for livestock to become immune after receiving vaccines, and the number of vaccine doses available.

Uncertainty leads to huge potential losses of both money and livestock.

The Warwick FMD model demonstrates that the major uncertainty to be resolved is how many vaccine doses are available. If this is known, the infection can be contained efficiently – even when faced with all other unknown factors.

The 2001 FMD outbreak cost the UK economy an estimated £8 billion

D

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

England.

If this sounds like a problem that you or somebody you know can relate to, you can speak to speak to Alan on: 07890 325264 or see his range of products at www.tbbusters.co.uk

and led to the culling of approximately seven million livestock.

Using the Warwick FMD model and confirming what vaccination capacity exists, the UK could save up to £50 million, and around 200,000 animals could be spared from culling in any future epidemic.

Furthermore, any outbreak using such tailored vaccination can generally be eradicated almost a week sooner than previous outbreaks.

Dr Michael Tildesley comments: “There is always uncertainty in the likely effectiveness of any control strategy for an infectious disease outbreak. However in the case of FMD, if we can accurately determine the daily capacity to vaccinate animals, we can potentially save millions of pounds for the farming industry.”

The paper, ‘Quantifying the Value of Perfect Information in Emergency Vaccination Campaigns’ is published in PLOS Computational Biology.

The research was carried out in collaboration with Pennsylvania State University, Vanberbilt University and the United States Geological Survey is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 21

| Machinery

M7-151 Standard, Premium, Premium KVT Equipped with Kubota's biggest features and greatest performance, this 148 HP machine with powerful transmission is ready to get to work on your land. ubota’s customizable Headland Management System makes headland turning easier and more responsive while an ISO-BUS monitor/controller and GPS/auto guidance system contribute to greater working precision. Plus, an ergonomic workstation engineered with instantly accessible levers and information centers make for a comfortable days work from the M7's wide cabin with virtually unobstructed views. Kubota V6108 The V6108 engine boasts the latest in clean-engine technology.

The CRS (Common Rail System) electronically controls the timing and amount of high- pressure injected fuel in stages for optimal combustion, which results in greater efficiency, better fuel economy, and less engine noise.

The SCR (Selective Catalyst Reduction) precisely injects DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) into the engine's exhaust system, which transforms the exhaust gases into harmless water vapor and nitrogen. The combination of these

K

two systems with a DPF muffler and an EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system ensures that the M7 not only meets the Tier4 Final emissions regulations, but dramatically exceeds them.

Power is the key to superior tractor performance, and the M7 has plenty of power to quickly and efficiently handle just about any task. But when PTO jobs, or transport, calls for more power, the M7’s power boost is activated, delivering more power to get you through the tough jobs and complete your task.

Time spent at the fuel pump is time you're not working on the job.

To let you work longer between refueling stops, all M7 models are equipped with large tanks for fuel (87 gal.) and DEF (10 gal.). 24 Speed Powershift (Standard, Premium) The M7 features Kubota's dependable, and automatic Powershift transmission that provides 24 forward and 24 reverse speeds across 6 speed ranges, that can be shifted without clutching. With so many speeds to choose from, it's easy to find the right speed.

22 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

The KVT (Kubota Variable Transmission) features a continuously variable transmission that offers an infinite number of forward and reverse speeds. This enables the M7 Premium KVT to operate at maximum efficiency at precisely the desired speed for the application.

Some jobs can't be done properly at typical working speeds.

That's why the M7 gives you 16 forward and 16 reverse creep speeds to let you do those jobs at extremely slow working speeds.

In addition to standard 40kph traveling speed (25mph), 50kph (31mph) is also available on both KVT and Powershift transmissions. Kubota Headland Control (Premium, Premium KVT) The M7 Headland Management

System, Kubota Headland Control, works with ISO-BUS compatible implements to provide customizable programs of fully automated operations. For example, when the end of a row is reached, the operator can simply press a button to start a sequence of operations to automatically stop the implement, lift it, and lower it at the completion of the turn. The Headland Management System frees the operator to concentrate on maneuvering and helps ensure more precise turns and greater work efficiency. Different programs are available for different tasks, and each can be customized and retained in memory to suit special needs.

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| LAMMA

Farmstar Limited Marr, Doncaster DN5 7AU T: 01302 786786

Market Weighton,York YO43 3GA T: 01430 875900

Brigg, North Lincs DN2 8NF T: 01652 654944 www.farmstar.co.uk

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

Sharnford Tractors Ltd Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 5EH T: 01455 209300 www.manitou.co.uk

Robert D Webster Ltd Owstwick, Hull HU12 0LH T: 01964 670251

Goole, N. Humberside DN14 7DZ T: 01430 430624 Driffield, E. Yorkshire YO25 4RF T: 01262 420226 www.robertdwebster.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 23

| Machinery

CLAAS JAGUAR with SHREDLAGE® technology is awarded "Machine of the Year 2017" At the "Machine of the Year 2017" awards ceremony held at SIMA, CLAAS won the Special Jury Prize for the JAGUAR fitted with SHREDLAGE® crop processing technology. A large audience watched the prize-giving held on the stand of the French agricultural magazine "Terre-net". he crop processing technology known under the brand name SHREDLAGE® originates in the USA and is a

T

pioneering form of maize silage treatment used by an increasing number of dairy farmers in regions with not much grassland. Typically maize is chopped at a longer chop length of 26 to 30 millimetres and processing the crop using the

24 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

SHREDLAGE® cracker technology is key to the entire process. The intensive conditioning of the material increases the surface area of the chopped product many times over in a way that is designed to significantly improve bacterial fermentation after ensiling and above all during digestion in the cow's rumen. The aim of this process is to substantially increase the structural effects of maize silage in the rumen while simultaneously adding to the availability of the starch contained in all plant parts, which could lead to an increase in milk yields. In addition, the rumenfriendly silage structure is believed to improve the health of the herd.

SHREDLAGE® offers dairy farmers other benefits as well, besides greater milk yield and improved animal health. Its optimum starch conditioning allows for a reduction in the use of concentrated feed while still improving the milk yield. The need

to supplement with highly structured fodder such as straw can be reduced or even eliminated altogether, producing even more savings. The SHREDLAGE® rollers are manufactured by CLAAS Industrietechnik in Paderborn, Germany.

This was the second year that the "Machine of the Year" awards have been presented at SIMA in a ceremony organised by the French magazine "Terre-Net" in cooperation with the German agricultural publisher DLV. The awards honour the world's best innovations in agricultural technology. A jury of journalists from several European countries specialising in agricultural machinery select winners in the competition's 17 categories. This year some 70 applications were received for consideration by the jury.

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Machinery

Keenan debuts its first self-propelled MechFiber machine at SIMA in France At the SIMA trade show in France’s capital, Keenan proudly showcased the latest in a string of innovations since its acquisition by Alltech in April 2016. The introduction of the MechFiber345SP, the first self-propelled machine in the range, marks a new path for the company and one that has been long-awaited. eenan customers have been requesting a self-propelled MechFiber machine, and the company has spent time perfecting its design, committed to delivering the very best machine possible. Long synonymous with excellence in nutrition and driving animal performance through optimising rumen health, Keenan focused on researching the loading and chopping mechanisms available on the market to ensure the best fit. Of highest importance was identifying a solution consistent with the core ethos of retaining forage structure. In Italian firm Storti, they identified a partner that can deliver this much sought-after, self-loading technology.

“When we announced our collaboration with Storti, some thought it was all about introducing a Keenan vertical auger to our range — that couldn’t be further from the reality,” said CEO Robbie Walker. “Keenan and Storti had been in talks for quite some time about this exciting development: a self-propelled machine with a loading mechanism that does not destruct fibre and delivers the quality MechFiber mix that is so important to us.”

With class-leading cutter head technology, the MechFiberSP range has been engineered to

K

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

deliver rapid loading of a vast array of products, leaving a clean, uniform face for optimum pit face management. The tungsten-coated blades feature a unique crossed arrangement, performing clean cuts without damaging the structure of the fibre, even with very compact silages. Engineered with a focus on speed, precision and versatility, the special placement of the blades and configuration of the loading channel allows the cutter to load in both directions and easily run in reverse if needed, while a high-speed loading belt drastically reduces mix preparation time.

Producing the noted MechFiber mix in 16 and 20 cubic meter outputs for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the MechFiberSP range offers left or right front discharge via an adjustable conveyor for homogeneous distribution of total mixed rations.

Available in both 25 kilometres per hour or high-speed “Plus” 40 kilometres per hour models, the operating system of the MechFiberSP range has been cleverly designed for ease of maintenance and features a mechanical drive to the six-paddle reel. This exclusive engineering system, by means of a specially designed gearbox and PTO shaft, transfers all the power from the engine to the

mixing system, thus reducing fuel consumption by up to 25 percent as well as reducing maintenance costs.

Fitted with the Keenan InTouch controller as standard, the MechFiberSP range is connected to the InTouch service, which provides real-time feed advice and ration formulation through a dedicated team of skilled nutritionists. InTouch is proven to deliver consistency in both feed and mixing to ensure improved milk yields and milk solids and better herd health in conjunction with monitoring and control of feed costs.

“Keenan now offers the complete range of feeding solutions: Farmers can choose from the MechFiber-producing horizontal paddle machine in both trailed and self-propelled options as well as twin and triple auger vertical trailed units,” said Walker. “Testament to the level of excitement about this launch of the selfpropelled range is that a number of selfpropelled machines have been pre-sold in continental Europe despite only being unveiled at SIMA. That demonstrates the trust our customers have in our attention to detail and commitment to delivering the very best quality machine and mix.”

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 25

| Muck & Slurry

26 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Machinery

New John Deere 5G Series specialist tractors John Deere’s latest 5G Series specialist tractor line-up includes four model ranges featuring 3.4-litre Stage IIIB engines with rated power outputs of 75 to 105hp (97/68/EC). his newly updated series has been specifically designed to provide high levels of comfort, power, hydraulic performance and manoeuvrability to customers who operate in orchards and vineyards, or for other applications which require a narrow tread width.

The 5GF, 5GN and 5GV Series tractors offer

T

customers the choice of an open operator station or a new cab interior and controls layout. Cab features include an electronic hand throttle and new reversing lever, new left and right-hand consoles, a new display, 10 per cent more space and an optional deluxe air suspension seat.

In addition the tractors have an improved turning radius of up to 15 per cent and an increased hydraulic capacity of up to 126

litres/min, utilising three hydraulic pumps.

The 5GL Series 75, 90 and 100hp four-wheel drive models feature a new ex-factory lowprofile cab, a narrow width of 1.4m and a new 24F/12R PowrReverser transmission. These tractors are particularly suitable for pergolastyle vineyard plantations and also feature the same increased hydraulic capacity as the other models in the 5G specialist range.

Landini goes back to basics for latest scraper tractor candidates Another candidate for yard scraping duties has been added to the Landini tractor range as distributor AgriArgo UK covers all bases for this daily task on dairy farms. ith the compact 2 Series, new 4-075D cabless model and open or cabbed 4-075C tractors, the Landini range provides a three-way choice of simple-spec machines to suit different circumstances.

“Any dairy farmer looking at the Landini range for their next scraper tractor is certainly not short of options,” says Ray Spinks, general manager and sales director at distributor AgriArgo UK. “The choice will be influenced by different yard and building layouts and whether the tractor will predominantly work outside or under cover – either way, we like to give them every option.”

The new-look Landini 2 Series – which has replaced the popular Mistral – comes with three power outputs of 43hp, 47hp and 54hp from Yanmar four-cylinder engines driving through a 12x12 or 16x16 creep transmission with synchro shuttle and four-wheel drive.

The diminutive size of the 2-045, 2-050 and 2-060 models – as little as 1.3m wide on a 1.76m wheelbase – means they can whistle in and out of cubicle buildings with ease and be steered precisely along passages thanks to the lack of hardware blocking the driver’s view.

However, if something a little more

W

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

substantial is called for – to handle a sand dispenser or other rear-mounted implement, for example – then the new Landini 4-075D is another solution, available in two- and fourwheel drive forms.

This model has been selected from a new range of utility tractors – the 4-D Series – developed by Landini manufacturer Argo Tractors primarily for markets where a basic tractor is the norm.

But sitting on a 2.1m wheelbase and axles that can get the tractor down to no more than 1.67m wide overall make it a good scraper option for dairy farms.

The 4-075D also has 12x12 and 16x16 creep gearbox configurations but from a bigger, more robust Argo transmission, operated by a forward-reverse synchro gear lever to the left of the driver and a four-speed gear lever to the right, where a short three-range lever is also located.

Rubber mats cover the footwells, bare metal surrounds the plastic upholstered seat and there are few electrics, so the tractor can be power washed with confidence to shift corrosive slurry deposits.

Low lifetime costs are promised thanks in part to the naturally-aspirated, mechanical fuel injection Perkins 1104D Series engine, which

has no add-on emissions equipment.

The same lower-cost power unit is used in the Landini 4-075C, which matches its smaller cousin on wheelbase dimensions but has a broader stance for added stability, with a minimum width of 1.75m.

It also has more advanced driveline features, with a new Hi-Lo two-speed powershift option adding to the tractor’s versatility by providing a shift-under-load 18% increase or decrease in speed.

This new feature is available with the 12x12 base transmission to provide 24x24 speeds or the 16x16 creep transmission to obtain 32x32 speeds. It can be installed when the wet clutch fingertip power shuttle is chosen to replace the dry clutch synchro shuttle.

Electronically modulated hydraulic pto and four-wheel drive clutches are also part of this package, along with a response adjustable transmission clutch.

The 4-075C and its 64-76hp counterparts in the 4C line-up – all available with two- and fourwheel drive – provide more driver comforts, especially when the spacious cab is fitted, and are a good option for a scraper tractor that will also be called on to handle light field and trailer work.

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 27

| Forestry

Först launches new machine Först, a leading supplier of high performance and robust woodchippers, has introduced a new machine to its 8” series range with the launch of the PT8. he new Först PT8 woodchipper, the fourth machine to be added to the manufacturers 8” series range, is a premium machine developed specifically for contractors, arborists, landscapers and farmers.

T

The PT8 is a robust and powerful woodchipper that has its own hydraulic system and reservoir, meaning the machine doesn’t need to be connected to a power unit’s hydraulic system. Compact in size and hugely effective, the PT8 builds on the Först 8” series reputation of offering outstanding chipping

28 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

performance combined with excellent build quality and a 3-year warranty as standard.

Classed as an 8”x 10” capacity machine, the new woodchipper is tight on the heels of other much larger 9” capacity units. The true compact performer is the perfect machine for arboriculture where a power unit is available. Its versatility means it is more than capable of operating efficiently in horticultural and agricultural markets as well as on the golf course.

The new machine is ideal for any professional with a power unit to drive the machine. Connectivity to a tractors trailer light sockets provides electrical power to Först’s unique Autointelligence Control system, which operates the ‘no stress’ function fitted as standard to the machine.

Doug Ghinn, Director at Först, commented: “Our aim at Först is to continue producing strong and durable woodchippers that deliver exceptional performance, reliability and true value to tree surgeons, arborists and contractors.

“The new PT8 woodchipper has been introduced into the market carrying the outstanding reputation of our existing range of machines.

The PT8 encompasses the features and benefits that the industry has come to expect with all Först machines, displaying a level of quality that we strive to maintain in the research and development of our new products.”

As with all Först woodchippers, the PT8 comes with the unique FörstGrip feedroller system that ensures exceptional crushing power.

The top feed roller climbs on an arc toward the timber, pulling material down toward the flywheel and naturally climbing butt ends to make the infeed grip exceptional to break the toughest of forks and limbs.

The machine also features an open top flywheel system with twin 10” blades ensuring chip is thrown, not blown, minimising blockages on wet material and helping to maintain increased velocity when chipping.

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Buildings

Spaldings Limited Lincoln, Lincolnshire T: 01522 507500 www.spaldings.co.uk

World of Power Buxton, Derbyshire T: 01298 213101 www.worldofpower.co.uk

Lakedale Power Tools Croydon, Dartford & London T: 020 8683 0550 www.lakedalepowertools.co.uk

Ermin Plant (Hire & Services) Ltd Gloucester, Gloucestershire T: 01452 526616 www.erminplant.co.uk

Charles H Hill Ltd Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire T: 01526 388281 www.charleshhill.co.uk

Mawsley Machinery Brixworth, Northampton T: 01604 880621 https://mawsley.stihl-dealer.co.uk

DM Chainsaws Arundel, West Sussex T: 01243 554065 www.dmchainsaws.co.uk

Davenport Western Yeovil, Somerset T: 01935 425311 www.davenportsaws.co.uk

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 29

| Buildings

Cattle

RIDBA Building Awards 2017: Shortlist The judges were very impressed by the high level of technical excellence demonstrated by RIDBA members delivering successful projects to their clients.

IDBA (The Rural and Industrial Design and Building Association) launched the RIDBA Building Awards in September 2016 to showcase the best in rural and industrial buildings and after receiving a record number of entries, RIDBA is delighted to announce the shortlist to the industry.

The revamped FAB Awards is now in its third year and superbly demonstrates the diversity of skills of our members, from schools and offices to cattle buildings and stables. As such, RIDBA has divided the entries across seven categories: Cattle, Commercial, Education and Research, Equestrian, Production and Process, Recreation and Leisure, and Storage.

Head Judge and RIDBA Technical Consultant, Martin Heywood, said:

R

“Congratulations to the shortlisted companies who have demonstrated their commitment to high standards and quality. The judges had a difficult task in choosing the winners and with the support of Farming Monthly, I am sure the RIDBA Building Awards will be a true benchmark for the industry.�

The winners will be revealed at the RIDBA Building Awards Dinner on Friday 17 March featuring a champagne drinks reception and a 3-course dinner. The event will be hosted by TV presenter and wildlife expert Kate Humble at the Radisson Blu hotel in Cardiff.

RIDBA would like to thank its sponsors: Kingspan, Marley Eternit, Joseph Ash, Filon Products, Metsec and Steadmans.

30 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

Lilburn Estates Company: Glendale Engineering Location: Wooler, Northumberland Completion date: November 2015 Description: Two cattle sheds

Middleton of Rora Company: Shand Building Design Location: Peterhead, Aberdeenshire Completion date: August 2015 Description: Robotic Dairy Shed

The Old Stackyard Company: Paul Huxley Construction Location: Llansaintffraid, Powys Completion date: November 2016 Description: Cattle holding shed Other RIDBA members involved: Cembrit, Thomas Panels & Profiles

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

Education & Research

| Buildings

Recreation & Leisure

Isel of Ely Primary School Company: A.C. Bacon Engineering Location: Ely, Cambridgeshire Completion date: May 2016 Description: New 630 place primary school

John Ray Infant School Company: A.C. Bacon Engineering Location: Braintree, Essex Completion date: September 2015 Description: New infant school

Marrick Priory Archery Deck Company: Yorkshire Steel Buildings Location: Richmond, North Yorkshire Completion date: November 2016 Description: Outdoor teaching facility for archery

Pensthorpe Play Barn Hills Road Sixth Form College Company: A.C. Bacon Engineering Location: Cambridge Completion date: November 2015 Description: New Maths and Performing Arts block

CUBRIC Building Company: Shufflebottom Location: Cardiff City Centre Completion date: Early 2016 Description: ÂŁ50m Cardiff University Brain Research Imagine Centre Other RIDBA members involved: Joseph Ash, M.J. Barrett

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

Company: A.C. Bacon Engineering Location: Fakenham, Norfolk Completion date: July 2015 Description: New build indoor playground Other RIDBA members involved: Marley Eternit

Kynren Company: S & A Fabrications Location: Bishop Auckland, County Durham Completion date: July 2016 Description: Open air theatre and surrounding buildings for a spectacular night show Other RIDBA members involved: United Products, Marley Eternit, Kingspan

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 31

| Buildings

Storage

Commercial Leighton Business Park

Featherstone House Farm

Company: Rose Engineering Location: Shepton Mallet, Somerset Completion date: November 2015 Description: New transport depot Other RIDBA members involved: Tata Steel, Thomas Panels & Profiles

Company: Timmins Engineering & Construction Location: Bilsthorpe, Newark Completion date: October 2016 Description: Temporary cold store and packing line Other RIDBA members involved: Wedge Group Galvanizing, Thomas Panels & Profiles, Tata Steel

Company: A.C. Bacon Engineering Location: Ely, Cambridgeshire Completion date: August 2016 Description: New retail building

Dalton Gates Farm

Little Kelham

Company: S & A Fabrications Location: Warter, East Yorkshire Completion date: August 2016 Description: Grain store Other RIDBA members involved: Steadmans

Company: Marley Eternit Location: Sheffield Completion date: April 2016 Description: New low carbon housing development

Stancil Farm

Wales Air Ambulance

Company: Timmins Engineering & Construction Location: Tickhill, Doncaster Completion date: July 2016 Description: Bulk potato store Other RIDBA members involved: Wedge Group Galvanizing, Thomas Panels & Profiles, Tata Steel

Company: Shufflebottom Location: Llanelli, Carmarthenshire Completion date: Summer 2016 Description: New airbase and headquarters Other RIDBA members involved: Kingspan, Brett Martin, M. J. Barrett, Hadley Building Products

32 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

Richard Designs

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

Production & Process

| Buildings

Equestrian

Rathmoy Stables (Barn) Great Dunmow Waste Transfer Station Company: A.C. Bacon Engineering Location: Great Dunmow, Essex Completion date: November 2015 Description: New build five-door waste transfer station

Galvanising Plant Refurbishment Company: A.J. Lowther & Son Location: Stoke-on-Trent Completion date: 2016 Description: Refurbishment of existing galvanising building Other RIDBA members involved: Filon Products

Company: M.D. Anthony Location: Newmarket Completion date: Spring 2016 Description: Barns to house racehorses Other RIDBA members involved: Wedge Group Galvanizing, Tata Steel

Houghall College Equestrian Centre Company: S & A Fabrications Location: Durham Completion date: September 2016 Description: New equestrian centre at East Durham College’s Houghall Campus

Other RIDBA members involved: Kingspan, Tata Steel, Kingspan, Briarwood Products, IAE

Ancre Hill Winery

Green Oaks

Company: A.J. Lowther & Son Location: Monmouth Completion date: 2015 Description: New building for the production and storage of wine

Company: Yorkshire Steel Buildings Location: Catterick, North Yorkshire Completion date: March 2016 Description: New build and refurbishment of ex-county farm into a new racing yard

Other RIDBA members involved: Briarwood Products, Steadmans

Linx House Company: A.C. Bacon Engineering Location: St Ives, Cambridgeshire Completion date: February 2015 Description: New offices, warehouse and laboratories for Linx Printing Technologies Other RIDBA members involved: Kingspan

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

Rathmoy Stables (Ring) Company: M.D. Anthony Location: Newmarket Completion date: Spring 2016 Description: New covered racehorse training facility Other RIDBA members involved: Wedge Group Galvanizing, Tata Steel

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 33

| Buildings

Grain Store – creating the perfect storage solution Planning for harvest is a lot like planning for Christmas. You spend months preparing, sewing, growing and harvesting and then once it’s complete, the process must begin again. With many crops taking some 11 months to grow, it is essential that all of that hard work is followed through by providing the perfect storage solution. raham Heath Construction has many years experience, producing a wide selection of agricultural buildings, with Grain Stores being one of the most requested throughout the winter months, as farmers make preparation for the expected harvest. There are many external factors that can affect a crop once in storage; from moisture, fungi, mites and general hygiene, through to pests and structural issues, such as bowing walls and leaking roofs. As such, it is essential that suitable storage conditions are created to minimize waste and maximise return.

Storing grain in tired buildings that allow all weathers to get in will only bring problems. These damp conditions act as a breeding ground for many common species and although drying the grain after combining will slow down insect development, it is essential that moisture content is kept to 12% or below to reduce the risk as much

G

as possible. The structure itself is a vital factor in this and one that needs to be well considered.

With advances in agricultural building materials, a new grain store offers a clean, dry, wellventilated and watertight construction, but how is this achieved? Starting with a high quality CE Marked steel frame and the best quality roofing materials ensure that the building prevents rain and other such weather to penetrate the building. Decent roofing will also reduce or eliminate the entry of birds and pests into the building.

Concrete panels are a key feature in Graham Heath Construction Grain Stores, playing an essential role in the creation of the perfect grain store. They are easy to clean, hygienic and exceptionally durable, withstanding the force of a grain harvest with ease. Concrete panels are also quick and easy to install, without the need for foundations as they just slot in between steel supports.

Graham Heath of Graham

34 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

Heath Construction comments: “Store preparation is a key stage in ensuring safe grain storage, whether it’s being held for a temporary period or longer. We offer farmers the best chance of success by providing them with a clean, dry, durable and weatherproof building. From the steel frames to the concrete panels, the key elements are produced on our UK based site, with our experienced design teams creating bespoke buildings with a

high quality guarantee.”

Manufacturing the steelwork on site at its Cheshire plant allows Graham Heath Construction to manufacturer to customers’ exact requirements. Concrete panels are also manufactured on-site by its sister company Concrete Panel Systems.

To find out more about Graham Heath Construction products and prices visit www.ghconstruction.co.uk

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Buildings

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 35

| Buildings

A new supplier of metal roof and wall cladding for countryside buildings Keith Green, Business Development Manager, Joris Ide UK. n May this year Joris Ide demonstrated its commitment to the UK agricultural construction market, by investing significantly in its UK operations. As part of an international group, Joris Ide UK provide sales and customer services based in the UK and manufacturing facilities in the UK, Belgium and Germany; delivering high quality, competitivelypriced metal roof and wall cladding.

Joris Ide Group is one of the leading European manufacturers of cladding products for buildings, with a significant presence in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Germany.

The expanded UK operation will provide a fast, reliable service and good quality, affordable products, for all kinds of buildings, both new-build and refurbishment.

Joris Ide products are CE Marked and comply with the CPR, being manufactured under quality management systems accredited to BS EN 9001:2008. Products include: Single skin profiles roof & wall, Insulated roof panels, Insulated Wall Panels, Smooth & Crimped Curved Sheeting, Galvanized profiles, Tiles, Floor decks, Trays, Purlins and a complete range of complimentary accessories.

So, what is it that Joris Ide does that will

I

36 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

provide a competitive advantage, better products and service, and ultimately contribute to countryside life and the farming industry?

Now employing more than 1000 people, Joris Ide has continually invested in manufacturing, logistics and commerce, improving product quality and customer experience for more than 30 years. Industryleading manufacturing and logistics are a given but Joris Ide has also invested in enhanced technical support. This provides valuable advice and guidance, as well as direct answers to questions and solutions to help overcome challenges. With such a wide range of products the high levels of service and support aid in the selection of the ideal products to fit specific project requirements.

Great manufacturing, logistics, service and support is enough to set Joris Ide apart. Even so, the benefits that this new UK business represents do not end there. Joris Ide has evolved over 3 decades thanks to strong values that have enabled the company to develop: Listening to customers is of key importance to the group. A word given is a word kept; A strong paternalistic identity, which conveys the values advocated by the founder of Joris Ide and which the group has carried for 30 years; The desire to always innovate is something

that helps focus on the perpetual journey towards perfection, constantly striving to improve products and services; The ability to react rapidly provides customers with a unique response when it comes to manufacturing & delivery times, utilising the pan-European network that Joris Ide Group offers.

Last but certainly not least, Joris Ide prefinished steel has been specifically developed for roof and wall cladding within the agricultural sector. Plastisol and polyester coatings are available in colours specifically developed to harmonise with the rural environment, offering good performance at competitive prices.

The wide choice of colours and external finishes helps to achieve a functional, attractive building that is delivered affordably. The Dripstop condensation control fleece and the Agrivent and Agrilight vented wall sheets are examples of the commitment to countryside construction and the relevance of Joris Ide products to farm and country buildings.

For further information, feel free to get in touch. We look forward to working with you.

Telephone: +44 1452 412069 Email: sales@joriside.co.uk www.joriside.com/en-gb/

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Fencing

Prestige Fencing range gallops ahead of competition for equestrian sector Prestige Scallop Post and Rail Fencing from M&M Timber combines durability, high performing specification and superior aesthetics to deliver a popular application for landscaping, boundary and equestrian fencing. Its widely specified for stabling enclosures, paddocks, racing yards, ménages and in sporting venues. ccredited by the Wood Protection Association (WPA), M&M Timber are sector leading, providing robust timbers that deliver for fencing projects every time.

Strong and elegant, with chamfered tops, the Prestige scalloped post and half round rail is highly recommended by professionals for its ease of installation and versatility. The specially selected kiln dried redwood timbers are selected for ultimate quality and is pressure treated to preserve against insects and fungal decay ensuring this timber performs for the long-term.

The range includes a choice of standard or premium weight rails and two, three or four rail scalloped post options. The four-rail option is often used for equestrian stud farms to eliminate the risk of young foals escaping and at zoos and country parks to contain smaller animals. Its smooth surface reduces any contact risk of harm to both public and livestock.

Its defining features include: • Chamfered tops: adds elegance to

A

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

appearance • Pressure treated: prolongs timber life • Specifically design scallop to house rail and hide fixings • Uniform Diameter • Cylindrically straight: no bent or twisted posts • No taper posts: ensure no water pocket • No quibble 15-year warranty: ensures peace of mind From their 25 acre site at Clows Top, near Kidderminster, M&M Timber is now the UK’s leading manufacturer of machine rounded timber products and the supplier of choice to the equestrian, agricultural, utility, commercial, landscaping, land owner and play market sectors.

When it comes to pressure treatment and preservation, M&M Timber holds a unique position in the industry. For the fifth consecutive year the business has achieved the WPA Benchmark of quality for treated wood.

Independent verification of the quality and performance of treated products is the only way to preserve confidence in wood as the best

material for fencing and outdoor landscaping.

M&M Timber was first awarded the WPA Benchmark Certificate for 15 years desired service life but has recently raised the bar to achieve certification of products treated to deliver a 30 years desired service life. Verification of this kind is still very rare for the industry – signifying M&M Timber’s exclusive position and ongoing commitment to quality.

Fraser Hall, M&M Timber commented; The Prestige Fencing by M&M Timber is a 100% British grown and manufactured product – something we’re extremely proud of. Its quality, robustness and versatility are all boosted by the WPA accreditation. From paddock fencing, farm entrances to racing yards, the premium scalloped Prestige fencing is the expert timber for equestrian needs.”

In addition to Prestige Fencing, the M&M Timber collection includes Agricised long life posts and AgriPost machine rounded stakes and strainers.

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 37

| Muck & Slurry

38 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Security

STIHL adopt Micro-Cesar STIHL, have become the first leading manufacturer of outdoor power equipment, to adopt MicroCESAR, an equipment security marking system designed to provide added security for their customers. eveloped by the Construction Equipment Association (CEA) using Datatag security marking technologies and back-up, MicroCESAR is the latest addition to the hugely successful CESAR Scheme which protects larger plant and equipment.

STIHL announced at the Executive Hire Show that they will be fitting the MicroCESAR System as standard to their range of cutoff saws including all TS models which includes their best-selling TS 410 and the new Lithium-Ion powered TSA 230.

MicroCESAR was first announced at the Combined Industries Theft Solutions (CITS) conference and is designed to protect small power tools from theft just as the CESAR System has proved to be a powerful theft deterrent and an invaluable aid in recovery for both compact and larger agricultural and construction equipment.

STIHL Managing Director, Robin Lennie, says, “Over recent years we have seen an increase in incidents of theft in the industry.

With loss of equipment, damage to property and insurance issues – the impact on the dealer is huge.

As a leading equipment manufacturer we feel it is our duty to respond and help our dealers protect their stock and offer their customers peace of mind. We are confident that this partnership with MicroCESAR will help reduce crime in the industry,” says Mr Lennie.

D

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

MicroCESAR uses Datatag security marking technologies to give each piece of equipment a unique and permanent ‘fingerprint’ that thieves cannot remove. Using a combination of a unique Datatag RFID transponder and a tamper proof warning/registration label with an integrated QR code MicroCESAR provides the Police with quick and easy verification of ownership without the need for special equipment or lengthy laboratory testing.

As an added bonus the Datatag technology used in the MicroCESAR system can also be used to assist in stock management helping companies track tools in and out of jobs and allowing users to easily access online health and safety advice and user manuals through the unique QR code and mobile enabled MicroCESAR website.

Datatag Managing Director Kevin Howells comments, “We’re delighted to start 2017 with such positive news. I’m confident that MicroCESAR will be the next game changer in the fight against crime.

We’ve already received overwhelming industry support and STIHL’s adoption opens the door for other leading manufacturers to follow suit”.

MicroCESAR is poised to make a similar impact protecting small construction tools that CESAR, launched in 2007, has had protecting larger items evident in its contribution to a 70%+ reduction in theft. CESAR has been adopted by a veritable ‘who’s who’ of leading equipment manufacturers including Doosan,

JCB, John Deere, Manitou and Merlo and STIHL will be the first to adopt MicroCESAR. Many other leading manufacturers are set to follow protecting a range of

construction and landscaping equipment such as power tools, cut-off saws, hand-held hydraulic breakers and compaction plates.

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 39

| Energy

Energy storage comes of age for farmers Energy storage is being rolled out in the renewable energy sector, meaning farmers can save money by storing energy for use at peak times, when it’s most expensive to purchase, as well as maximise profitability when selling power to the grid. nergy Storage is coming of age,” said Nina Skorupska CBE, chief executive for the Renewable Energy Association (REA), speaking at The Energy Now expo in Telford, on February 8 and 9.

“Depending on the business model, investing in storage could be making farmers money in the next three to eight years,” she added.

Peter Robinson, senior energy specialist, Carter Jonas, said that farmers only need one or two acres to have a commercial scale storage facility on-site. “It doesn’t need to be on good quality land, it can be on a brownfield site or scrubland.”

Also speaking at the event was Ray Noble, senior advisor for solar and storage at the REA. He said that storage can not only save farmers money on their own energy use, but it also presents a

E

lucrative opportunity for those exporting to the grid. “All capacity can be put into battery storage and be sold to the grid at an appropriate time, at certain times of the day it can make up to six times more than other times.”

He explained that when ground mounted solar, on-shore wind and storage come together in two to three years-time, they will provide the lowest cost energy available.

“Ground mounted solar is the cheapest to install and when working in tandem with a storage facility, it could lead to selfsufficiency in terms of electricity.

Solar will become even more important in the near future,” added Ray. “The dash for cash is over,” said Welsh hill farmer and renewable energy engineer from Westflight, Chris Brooks. “Solar’s most viable if you have a large on-site consumption. We’re now adding in battery storage at the farm in order to cover the night time hours and

40 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

even without subsidy, this will pay,” he added.

Energy storage is a hot topic at the moment, but farmers still want to find out more, so much so that the dedicated storage sessions at the Energy Now Expo were so packed that the walls had to be taken down to let more people in.

Event director, David Jacobmeyer said he was very pleased with the turnout of the annual show, and that while many subsidies had been cut, the event welcomed a record high of 3246 visitors over the two days, highlighting that there’s still huge demand for renewables.

Energy storage was hugely popular with numerous farmers attending specially to hear about it. If you think about a solar scheme on a dairy farm, a lot of power is being produced while farmers aren’t using it, during the day when they might be working elsewhere in between milking sessions.

Nina Skorupska

“If they can generate it during the day and use it when needed it’s going to solve a lot of problems for them,” added David.

Energy storage was just one of many exciting topics of interest brought up at the event, conference sessions were put on for every different type of renewable energy. The impact of Brexit on the renewables sector as well as the continued development of the sector in a low or postsubsidy world where discussed in depth throughout the show.

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Energy

Miscanthus fact box

Unlocking the potential of marginal land Are you interested in the benefits that the low maintenance, highly profitable crop - miscanthus - offers? …. Read our handy beginners’ guide to find out whether it’s the right diversification option for you… iscanthus is a crop that is rapidly growing in popularity with both farmers and landowners. With energy prices continually rising and increased pressures on the UK government to meet carbon reduction targets, there is a need to find plentiful, clean and secure alternatives to fossil fuels. It is here that UK grown biomass sources, such as miscanthus, play a crucial role.

Growing miscanthus Miscanthus is a perennial energy crop that can grow to heights of up to 12 feet and can produce yields of 15 tonnes/ha, with average returns considerably higher than arable crops, at £528/ha, based on an average yield over 15 years.

The crop is grown on over 8,000ha of marginal land in the UK and the area is increasing rapidly. This is due to the rapidly growing demand for heat, as biomass. And because miscanthus is harvested in spring time, it doesn’t conflict with peaks in arable crop rotations, but it uses the same harvesting machinery, meaning no extra expense for equipment.

A further benefit to growers is that the crop requires little or no inputs, once established.

M

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

This is because the root stock, known as the rhizome, recycles nutrients back into the soil, so no fertiliser application is required.

As miscanthus only has to be planted once, in the spring, is harvested annually between March and April, and goes on for 20 + years, growers consider it a long term, low maintenance investment that provides an assured income well into the future.

Expanding the miscanthus industry at a rapid rate is miscanthus expert Terravesta, a company at the forefront of miscanthus supply chain expertise and research and development.

Terravesta works with growers throughout the UK, facilitating planting, providing free agronomic support, securing lucrative markets and offering long term index price linked contracts.

Establishment According to Alex Robinson from Terravesta, the crop virtually looks after itself once it’s established, but it’s essential that growers invest time and effort into successful establishment, as this determines the speed to maturity, ground-fill and overall return.

“Planting takes place in spring time, and weed control is crucial when establishing the crop and it’s vital that fields are cleared of perennial weeds before planting.

• Miscanthus is a low input biomass energy crop, requiring little or no fertiliser inputs, and thrives on poor grade, marginal land • Miscanthus offers significantly higher than average arable returns with an average price of £528/ha based on 15 years • The crop is currently grown from rhizome (root stock), that’s planted once, harvested in the spring and has annual yields as high as 15 tonnes/ha for well-established crops, with a potential 10 to 20 plus year life cycle “It’s important to remember that miscanthus requires minimal herbicide inputs once established, as the crop suppresses annual weeds such as blackgrass, because the high canopy of the crop out-competes it,” says Alex.

Alex advises that because a miscanthus crop only needs to be planted once, farmers only have one chance to get it right. “Miscanthus is a long term commitment with long term returns, so starting off well will deliver the best results,” he adds.

The market The market for miscanthus is always growing and Terravesta is currently working with a number of different end users including whole bale power stations, horse and poultry bedding manufacturers and biomass boiler manufacturers.

Even though the energy production process requires the miscanthus to be burnt, it’s a carbon positive crop, meaning that there is no net increase of CO2 into the atmosphere. This is because miscanthus plants absorb more carbon during crop production than is released when burnt. Additionally some further carbon is sequestered in the soil from the rhizome and, this helps to diminish the volume of greenhouse gas emitted by the land use sector.

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 41

| Energy

Create power from Biomass There are many different types of CHP, however, gasification tends to get the limelight. ecently the technology featured heavily at the Energy Now Expo, (one of the UK’s best energy tradeshows) despite it providing high outputs and great returns, gasification CHP is notorious for the maintenance it requires, with many opting to employ a full time engineer to keep the machine in check. So why are the options for CHP so limited?

That’s where Novalux Energy comes in; they have introduced the running of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) to South Wales and and since the Energy Now Expo, have seen a great influx of customers from across the country wanting to learn more. The system works by harnessing heat from a biomass boiler, to generate electricity. As heat would normally be wasted by the boiler, power is generated at no extra cost.

Novalux are going into their 7th year of business and have become somewhat pioneers of the technology, currently they are installing their own 1.2MWth,

R

65KWe site, which will be operational by mid April, in addition to several other sites for their customers.

Crucially the system can be a fantastic option for those wanting to generate power from an already existing biomass boiler, as 10KWe outputs can be produced from just a 150KWth boiler. By choosing to create power from your existing technology you’ll also tap into a tariff uplift of 4.2p for the next 20 years.

There have traditionally been drawbacks to biomass boilers, primarily their reliance on high quality wood chip for which we cannot predict the future price.

However, Novalux energy continue to deliver the best renewable systems by co-designing a biomass boiler which can burn waste wood, adding value to an already extremely profitable investment. The boiler burns A, B and C grade wood without causing extra emissions, or damage to the machine. Now with the option to attach an ORC it seems the simplest solution to heat and power needs.

42 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

A winning team Dragon Drilling (Water & Energy) Ltd are not only specialists in drilling boreholes for water and groundsource heating systems but were winners of a national Daily Post Business Award in November of 2016. ith it’s sister company, Dragon Drilling (Landfill) Ltd they have a fleet of 9 drilling rigs with rig 10 scheduled for this year.

Dragon Drilling (Water & Energy) Ltd installs water boreholes for domestic and commercial use and employ scientists for the treatment of water, including sterilisation and removal of contaminants. They offer an annual routine service and maintenance package for those who already have a water borehole no matter who did the initial drilling.

Their internet shop is accessible 24 hours, 7 days a week with the onsite shop being open 8am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday, selling filters, fittings and associated items.

“Ground-source heating systems are becoming increasingly popular and attract a worthwhile financial government payment incentive via the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme. We work with local and national installers and have a domestic show property for the public to see both a water borehole

W

and a ground source heating system in action,” says sales manager Sam Ellison.

“These heating systems are an expanding technology for heating in domestic and commercial properties using renewable and carbon positive energy. Old properties can be upgraded and existing radiators can often be used.

We have a solution to overcome the issues these properties have with being unable to install under-floor systems and we employ qualified geologists for the evaluation of the energy capacity of the ground.

Farmers are regular customers as commercial ground source heating is increasingly used in animal housing such as chicken sheds and an independent water supply can save dairy farmers thousands of pounds.”

The group also drills boreholes for the protection and monitoring of the environment from industrial activity.

Telephone 01824 707777 or visit www.dragondrilling.co.uk for a free quotation and site visit.

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Energy

Landia’s pasteurizer and mixers help Fre-energy’s Next Generation Agriculture Describing your highly innovative technology as ‘a slurry tank with a lid on’ is unlikely to win any marketing awards, but with nine successful farm-based AD plants in the UK and a new worldwide patent, Fre-energy’s simple grit-removal system could make it the must-have agricultural installation. y preventing the gradual accumulation of silt in the digester, Fre-energy has ensured that farmers benefit from having the full volume of their digester sustained for optimum operation. Grit, sand, ash, soil, glass, metal and other inorganic contaminants from the tank do not enter the process. This has proved especially advantageous when using chicken litter as a feedstock, which typically has very high levels of grit. The capability to extract grit and silt also extends to root crops, food waste, slurry from cattle bedded on ash, sand and other high grit inputs. In short, there is never a need to stop the digester to empty it.

No downtime. No health and safety risks associated with the opening of the tank.

Big numbers tend to dominate renewables headlines, with seemingly the more Megawatts being generated the better? - but you won’t find Fre-energy’s name in those news-grabbing figures. Instead, for Welsh organic dairy farmer Richard Tomlinson, his goal when seeking to introduce AD to generate all of his heating and electricity was to complement his farms’ organic milk production - not to create a rural power station. He sought true sustainability.

Under the umbrella of Fre-energy (Farm Renewable Environmental Energy), Richard’s closing of the loop comes in the shape of nine extremely efficient AD plants that support the core business of farming. In addition to the company’s de-gritting technology is the highly reliable Landia pasteurization and pumping equipment it has invested in. Combined with dynamic organic waste management and a very efficient slurry management system, the results make a very convincing case for any dairy farmer with over 300 cows to introduce an AD plant as the key to sustaining their business – particularly in rural settings. In the international market, with so many small farms working together with a centralized AD plant, the Fre-energy model with its very low energy usage, is hard to beat.

Fre-energy’s Technical Director, Chris Morris said: “In the UK, FITS (Feed-in-Tariffs) is not our driver. We see the electricity, heat and fertiliser we produce as natural fit by-products that whilst not making headline figures, are now an integral part of our sustainable business”.

At Lodge Farm in Wrexham, Wales, the first of the nine Fre Energy sites, a new separate lagoon was constructed within the larger storage lagoon in order to store the slurry and pump it underground to the digester half a mile away on a fortnightly basis. This not only ensured that slurry would be delivered to the digester as fresh as possible, but provided a clean and convenient solution, rather than transporting the slurry across the land or by road.

In the reception pits at Lodge Farm, two Landia long shaft chopper pumps (7.5kW) with integral mixing nozzles chop and blend the tank’s contents; initially processing 25 tonnes of slurry per day from the organic dairy herd, as

B

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

well as chicken litter (6 tonnes per day) before pumping the liquid into the 1000m3 digester.

Each Landia pump is designed with a knife system that prevents breakdowns by being able to deal with higher dry matter content such as straw, commonly found in liquid manure.

In 2015 Lodge Farm became a licenced food waste site. Now, in addition to the farm wastes, materials from local food manufacturers and a nearby hotel is first treated by a 5m3 Landia pasteurizer (hygienisation unit) tank that conforms with ABP (animal by-products) regulations. Designed with an integral heating jacket and an externally mounted side-entry propeller mixer and chopper pump to reduce particle sizes, the pasteurizer heats the liquid to the required 72 degrees for one-hour batch processes. There are no moving parts inside the pasteurizer, so there is no need to enter the tank to carry out maintenance. There is also a 7.5kW Landia submersible mixer (300rpm) in Fre Energy’s post-digestion store.

“Despite the high dry matter content, the Landia equipment works very well”, added Freenergy’s Chris Morris. “It’s simple, modular and it does the job, especially the ABPapproved pasteurizer, which is recognised by Natural Resource Wales and State Vet as a quality piece of kit. We like the side-entry mixer because it is both the manway and the mixer, reducing costs because only one aperture is required, rather than two.

“None of the Landia equipment requires intervention from us. It passes the test every time and very much fits in with what we do.

Our AD process with our patented de-gritting system is also low on energy use. Our digester is mixed using less than 7kW of pump capacity – running at only 30% duty – so only 2kW of mixing energy is required for our 1000m3 digester”.

He continued: “I also like the fact that Landia are a long way removed from pump salesmen who’d worry about getting their shoes covered in mud at a farm. Landia

understand what we and farming are about and when necessary won’t hesitate to roll up their sleeves to help us”.

Based on the results in Wrexham, Landia’s pumps and mixers now feature strongly in Freenergy’s nine-strong and expanding network of successful farm-based AD plants.

Lodge Farm’s small-scale non-headline but totally consistent energy generation is 160kW of electricity and 200kW heat. Approximately 30kW of electricity is used on site to power the engineering business, the Fre-energy office and the farmhouse, whilst around 60kW of heat is used to heat the cow slurry and chicken litter in the digester up to 40°C. The rest is used to heat the house and office, with surplus electricity exported to the National Grid.

Top quality digestate is also a fundamental part of the Lodge Farm ethos. The digestate goes through a separator and then stored in a lagoon (that has 6 month storage capacity) before being spread onto grassland.

The solid digestate, which contains a higher proportion of the phosphate and potash, is transported by road to land used for growing winter crops to feed the dairy herd. Trials conducted by Bangor University have demonstrated that the BOD (biological oxygen demand) of the digestate is reduced by up to 90%, representing a substantial benefit to the environment. It also has around 80% less odour than typical cow slurry, thus making the spreading of manures far more socially acceptable.

The commitment to the closed loop system begins right at the entry gates to Lodge Farm, which are powered by the AD outputs. Here in this part of North Wales there is conclusive proof that investing in AD will reduce your carbon footprint and drive agriculture forward.

Kilowatts might not make the same eyecatching headlines as Megawatts, but the simple yet highly effective solutions in Wrexham are true next generation agriculture that sets a great example.

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 43

| Feature

Nanoparticles could be the future of agriculture Microscopic particles that have always been considered a pollutant are being studied for a range of agricultural uses. outh Australian researchers are working on a number of novel uses for engineered nanoparticles including efficient fertilisers, agricultural ‘amendments’ and a unique way to clean-up contaminated land.

Engineered nanoparticles are currently used in a range of industrial materials, such as ceramics and advanced polymers, and are also commonly used in the production of household materials, personal care products and clothing.

These particles are considered a pollutant risk if they are able to accumulate in the environment.

With a maximum diameter of just 100 nanometres, it is easy for the particles to be widely dispersed across soil and accumulated by plants.

As a result, nanoparticles have been considered a pollutant and eco-toxicological risk to both plants and wildlife.

But researchers at the University of South Australia have found that the very same nanoparticles could also prove beneficial to the growth of plants.

A glasshouse trial conducted by Dr Elliott Duncan, Dr Gary Owens and Nazanin Nikoo Jamal involved exposing rice plants to titanium and cerium nanoparticles.

Dr Elliott said that instead of proving toxic to the plants, the nanoparticles aided the growth of the rice plants.

Current laboratory tests have focused on rice plants, but Dr Duncan said the same particles could also be used to benefit other grain crops and horticultural species, with tests expected to

S

44 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

begin on wheat later this year.

“There’s a lot of concern in terms of whether engineered nanoparticles are toxic, whether they’re accumulated by plants and what the end effect is for humans and the environment,” he said.

“But we found these particles may actually provide some benefits for the plants, and, if we could harness those, this could be a big deal for the agriculture industry.”

The experiment demonstrated that some nanoparticles had the potential to be used as an agricultural supplement, although Dr Duncan said it was still unclear how exactly these particles helped the growth of plants.

“The mechanisms behind it and predicting whether it is going to occur and how best to harness it is still unknown,” he said.

His team will continue with glasshouse experiments to test the safety and effect of the nanoparticles.

Dr Duncan said there was also the potential for specially designed nanoparticles to be used as a way to delivery fertiliser more efficiently.

“With current fertilisers, a lot of the nutrient isn’t available to the plants – essentially the plant can only use 30 to 50 per cent, so up to 70 per cent of the fertiliser expense is just wasted,” he said, “The idea would be that if we can improve that, you can get away with applying a lot less, which then has benefits for the economics of the farm and the environment.

“This stems from the fact that the nanoparticles are small, which means they’re quite mobile in the environment so they should be able to interact with plants a lot better than

more traditional bulk fertilisers.”

The size of nanoparticles also means they possess unique properties such as a high surface-area to volume ratio, which could also make them effective for cleaning up contaminated land.

Dr Duncan is also researching the effectiveness of nanoparticles in binding to toxic chemicals such as lead and arsenic.

“To remediate a site is often quite destructive, you cause quite a big change to the environment if you’ve got to say dig it up, it’s quite labour intensive and so on,” he said.

“So this could be a faster, simpler way to remediate a site than current technologies, so we want to see whether these particles can reduce the bio-availability of contaminants, which should reduce how much is available to plants and also how much is lost into watersources.”

Dr Duncan said more understanding was still needed around the ease with which nanoparticles could move into soil, plants or wildlife, and that long-term toxicity was also an important safety factor to evaluate.

However, if his research continues to yield positive results, he said there was the potential for a commercial product for the agriculture industry.

“We need to do it in an Australian context to see how it’s going to potentially impact our industry,” Dr Duncan said.

“We’re aware that there are risks involved with nanoparticles, but the reward could also be great too.”

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Slurry

Technology injection for Centreliner Teagle Machinery has been the UK distributor of the Centerliner range of Fertiliser Spreaders since 2010. orking alongside Tulip Industries, the family owned manufacturer based in Holland, the partnership has successfully developed sales of the Centerliner and a range of Cultivation Products through the Teagle UK dealer network.

For the 2017 season, after a season of field tests, the top end of the Centerliner range has been extended to incorporate a new series of electronic control models with capacities extended to 3,650 litres. The new SXe and SXi models will adopt the popular and straightforward set-up procedures established over many years and apply the fertiliser through the reliable quadruple overlap system. These

W

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

tried and tested features consistently deliver accurate application and coverage.

SXe Models: The New SXe models have been equipped with the Easytronic control system for regulation and monitoring dependent upon tractor speed. The speed is taken to the Centerliner direct from the tractor speed sensor or alternatively via a Centerliner Wheel Sensor Kit or GPS system.

SXi Models Topping off the range, the new SXi Models are also equipped with the Easytronic control system. In addition, two weigh cells are integrated into the chassis to provide automatic calibration and weighed application rate according to tractor speed.

Easytronic can be extended to provide headland management and the latest variable rate technology including GPS communication and ISOBUS protocols. Easytronic control units can also be used with the Teagle Polymat Seed Drill.

The new SXe and SXi models will adopt the popular and straightforward set-up procedures SXe List Prices start at ÂŁ10,815. For more details contact Jim Squires UK Sales Manager, Teagle Machinery Tel: 07794 689899 / e-mail jim.squires@teagle.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 45

| Slurry

Hi-Spec slurry tankers meet all needs Hi-Spec slurry tankers have long held a high reputation for their build quality and strength. Available in a wide range of sizes from 800 gallons (3,600 litres) up to 4500 gallons (20,250 litres), all Hi-Spec vacuum tankers are manufactured using 6mm high quality British steel and incorporate internal implosion rings and a collared dished end as standard to ensure the strongest possible construction. ll tanks are mounted onto a complete chassis frame to ensure that the tank is completely supported without any weak points. Without this complete chassis, the barrel of the tank can be under increased stress and this will lead to a premature failure or corrosion of the barrel. Hi-Spec Engineering shot-blast all tanks as standard to provide an excellent key for the enamel paint finish, thus giving a high quality long lasting paint finish. Alternatively vacuum tankers can be galvanised to ensure a longer life On the larger tankers, to keep ground compaction to a minimum, these can equipped with a high speed tandem axle, that incorporates commercial specification braking and a steering rear axle. To meet the differing needs of customers, Hi-Spec is also able to offer a wide range of specification options, so ensuring that the tanker is able to fully meet the customer’s requirements.

For filling, to keep filling turn-around time to a minimum, tankers can be fitted with a number

A

46 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

of filling options. Larger tankers can be equipped with a 11,000 litres/minute vacuum pump, filled via a 6 inch diameter Autofill arm that is hydraulically operated from the cab.

The intake system can also incorporate a Vogelsang Rotacut 5000 chopping unit to avoid any potential blockage to the injectors caused by straw or silage in the slurry. The chopping unit itself features an auto-reverse function to avoid the risk of potential blockage.

One of the problems with surface application of liquid slurry is the loss of ammonium nitrogen into the atmosphere. To avoid this, HiSpec Engineering is able to provide a complete range of spreading and injection options for its vacuum tanker range.

All the tankers can be supplied with a unique low profile spreading system which will achieve a spreading pattern up to 12 metres wide. The downward splashplate not only increases controllability, but also decreases air pollution and unpleasant smells and helps to ensure all slurry nutrients are directed onto the soil. .

Alternatively a wide range of Bomech trailing shoe or disc injectors and Vogelsang dribble

bars up to 24m wide can be used in conjunction with the tankers.

4500 gallon transport tanker The key for contractors operating specialist high capacity trailed and self-propelled machines for spreading or injecting digestate, slurry and other liquid waste, is to ensure that downtime waiting or having to return to the farm to refill is kept to a minimum.

The Hi-Spec range also includes a 4,500 gallon (20,450 litre) capacity service tanker for ferrying liquid waste to the spreading vehicle in the field.

To spread the weight, the tanker is carried on triple, high road speed axles with hydraulic braking and fitted with 600/50-22.5 tyres. The tank is manufactured from 6mm thick steel and mounted on a full frame chassis to ensure that it is completely supported.

For filling, the tanker is fitted with a high capacity 14,000 litres per minute pump, while at the rear of the tanker there is an 8 inch pipe and cone to accommodate the filling boom from the spreading vehicle.

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Slurry

Engine driven pump units from Tramspread Earlier this year TRAMSPREAD, the slurry and digestate handling specialists, launched two new engine driven pump units to complement their existing range, and are pleased to report they’re working hard to keep up with orders for both models. he first, launched at LAMMA ’17 was the TRAMSPREAD ‘Fast Tow’.

With an auto reverse overrun ball hitch, the fully galvanised chassis is mounted on twin braked-high speed axles, enabling the pump unit to be towed comfortably behind a 4x4. The Bauer SX2000 slurry pump is powered by a 170hp engine and controlled via a top spec SIL Vision IV remote control, available exclusively through TRAMSPREAD, giving the operator unparalleled information and control via the large colour displays on the pump and mounted in the tractor cab.

TRAMSPREAD Contracting has been using the first machine as a boost pump, monitoring the allimportant inlet and outlet pressures from the tractor cab which enables the operator to fine tune the engine revs for maximum efficiency.

The second and very popular, is an evolution of TRAMSPREAD’s

T

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

original ‘Slow Tow’ pump.

A newly designed extended chassis incorporates a front mounted 140cfm compressor, eliminating the need to tow a compressor separately. All units built so far have been equipped with new 175hp Iveco engines and full SIL Vision IV remote control complete with divert valve, enabling true one man operation of an umbilical system, further enhanced with the optional facility to start and stop the compressor remotely through the Vision IV console. However, when specified with a used engine and compressor, it’s a very cost effective option.

TRAMSPREAD engine driven pump units can be manufactured to individual requirements and specifications - from a small basic skid mount to a large twin axle ‘Contractor Pump Trailer’ with 5” delivery pipework, 2000m hose carrying capacity and 900 litre fuel tank.

For more information and advice, contact TRAMSPREAD on 01449 766133

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 47

| ATV

Polaris

partners the Scottish Gamekeepers Association

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) has secured an exclusive partnership with all terrain vehicle specialists, Polaris, as the organisation celebrates 20 years of representing gamekeepers. he arrangement will see SGA members and supporters given the chance to win a Sportsman 570 in the organisation’s annual raffle; the Polaris Sportsman being the best selling ATV in the world.

Officials are delighted to announce the new partnership which will see ticket funds going directly back to the SGA to help its members at a key time for workers in the game sector.

Tickets for the Sportsman 570 will be on sale for the first time at the SGA’s 20th anniversary AGM at McDiarmid Park, Perth, on Friday 3rd March.

Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Roseanna Cunningham MSP, will address members at the Fair City event,

T

48 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

which is set to attract a large audience.

SGA Chairman Alex Hogg said: “This new arrangement with Polaris is hugely welcomed by everyone at the SGA. Our annual ATV raffle provides a considerable chunk of the fundraising income we need to bring in each year to give the members the type of representation they deserve. The Sportsman 570 is an excellent product which many members, and others, will be very keen to win the keys to. We hope, together with Polaris, we can enjoy a long and fruitful partnership which benefits everyone.”

The Sportsman 570 is the latest addition to the Polaris Sportsman range and can cover the harshest terrain due to its powerful 44hp engine, smooth suspension and All-Wheel Drive on demand.

It has a durable steel frame, lots of storage space and 557kg of payload capacity.

Sarah Johnson, Polaris Marketing Specialist, said: “Polaris is delighted and proud to support The Scottish Gamekeepers Association. We have a specialist dealer network in place to meet the strong demand for the Polaris range of ATVs and UTVs, from gamekeepers and estates across Scotland, and we’re very pleased to be able to provide the Polaris Sportsman 570 as a great ATV prize for this year’s raffle.”

The SGA was formed in 1997 and provides a strong voice for 5300 gamekeepers, stalkers, river and land ghillies, wildlife managers, rangers and country sports enthusiasts. Polaris Britain: 0800 915 6720 www.polaris-britain.com

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| ATV

Honda ATV

Load and passenger carrying capability with all the Honda advantages Honda’s new Pioneer utility vehicles share much of their well-proven technology with the company’s best selling range of conventional ATVs, but provide a new option for those with larger loads or up to four people to transport around the farm. here are two versions; the 700-2 with two front seats and a single piece rear loadbed and the 700-4 with an adaptable rear loadbed, part of which folds to form two additional rear seats. The clever design also allows for situations when just one rear seat is needed, leaving a larger area available for load carrying. Honda’s ‘QuickFlip’ seating system allows conversion from seat to loadbed and back, in just a few seconds.

Proven technology Power is from an economical 680cc, single-cylinder petrol engine driving through a threespeed torque converter transmission, both from Honda’s TRX680 Rincon ATV. The automatic transmission has electronic management which selects the ideal gear for the working situation, reducing fuel use and maximising performance.

For gamekeepers in particular the petrol engine offers significant advantages over diesel alternatives with lower operating noise and quicker throttle response. Whatever the use and operating environment, farm and estate users will appreciate the smoothness and flexibility of

T

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

Honda’s 680cc power unit and its compact size has allowed mounting well forward and low down in the frame, optimising centre of gravity and stability.

On the dashboard; one lever selects forward, neutral or reverse and another selects 2wd, 4wd or 4wd with differentials locked- for the toughest off-road conditions.

Mechanical drive through the

transmission and by shaft direct to the front and rear axles means system power losses are minimal so almost all the engine’s power is available at the wheels.

Superb off-road ability The Pioneer copes easily with deep rutted farm tracks and demanding terrain with 270mm ground clearance provided by the independent front and rear suspension. Dual damper shock absorbers contribute to the smooth ride and electric power steering reduces operator effort at lower speeds and minimises kickback from obstructions.

The large flotation tyres are almost identical to those on Honda’s largest ATVs and operate at very low inflation pressure, maximising grip and reducing ground damage and rutting, even with heavy loads on board.

Load bed capacity is 386kg and, on both models, a hydraulic strut-assisted tipping system allows easy emptying of loose loads by just one person. The Pioneer is ideal for larger trailed loads too and, with its optional trailer hitch, maximum trailer

weight is an impressive 680kg.

All seats have three-point, retracting seat belts and if any seat is occupied but the belt isn’t worn a speed limiter restricts the Pioneer to just 15kph. Rollover protection is standard and there are weather protection options available including a choice of front screens, doors and weather proof roofs. A heater can also be specified, keeping the top specification cab warm on frosty winter mornings.

Whether you are interested in buying a conventional ATV or a larger load carrier, then a visit to your local Honda main dealer will prove worthwhile. Most Honda main dealers have already taken delivery of their Pioneer demonstrators and staff have attended sales and service training and will be delighted to discuss the options available. Operator training through the European ATV Safety Institute (EASI) is included with every new machine helping ensure safe operation and compliance with Health and Safety requirements. www.stalhameng.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 49

| ATV

TGB

take new road with Dualways

TGB (Taiwan Golden Bee Co Ltd) are one of the World`s leading manufacturers of scooters and ATVs.

ith their headquarters and primary production facilities in Taiwan the brand demonstrates an unparalleled history of outstanding products and production techniques.

Originally producing the fabulous and massively respected Vespa for the Italian giant in the 1960’s and then being responsible for the design and development of the first CVT clutches they currently produce award winning models of their market leading ATV’s & Scooters.

One of the few manufacturers that still develop their own engines and supporting technologies, TGB’s ATV range is their flagship offering, an outstanding range of high performance engines from 425cc to 1000cc, that have been relentlessly tested using professional riders to ensure both market leading performance, and handling to match.

The TGB 1000cc boats a huge 83BHP in Derestricted off road set up.

With dealers and customer support networks in over 50 countries the TGB ATV range has already hit the mark with European riders dominating the markets in Germany and France as one of the top brands of choice.

Dualways Ltd is a midlands based Wholesale Company that operates from a 51000 SQ FT newly refurbished warehouse/office facility. The

W

50 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

company directors have over 30 years combined experience in the ATV import & distribution industry and maintain a team of experienced dealer support staff and specialist mechanics.

Dualways will be investing heavily in the further development of the TGB brand in the UK, a combination of traditional and online advertising for brand awareness is planned in 2017.

Eventure, an experienced online marketing agency has been appointed for the awareness campaign and the website development.

Account manager, Stuart Gordon commented “We are very excited about the opportunity to work the both Dualways and TGB on the development of the brand and also the online communication, end user experience and dealer support technologies. We are developing a combined traditional and online campaign that will have outstanding reach. The beauty of working with a brand & range like TGB is the quality and performance is so good the ATV’s already stand out from the crowd, our challenge is simply to let people know the products are available and fully supported by a strong dealer network with top level warranty and aftersales support” Sales director Henry Maplethorpe had the following to say about the new partnership with TGB

“I have been in the ATV industry for a long time and have always followed TGB`s development and products very closely. They are and always have been a company that paves the way with new technologies and products to suit market trends. We are very excited to be working with TGB, and we are keen to mirror the success that the brand has achieved throughout the world. We will be working closely with current TGB dealers, plus also increasing the dealer network in certain areas to make strong promotions within the market” 2017 will see the launch of 5 new TGB models including a new 600 EURO 4 EPS model plus a new version of the popular AR model. This is the quad with a tipping back body.

For more information please contact www.dualways.com tel: 01623 708 607 or email sales@dualways.com

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| ATV

Can-Am

The Traxter’s little brother makes big jobs look easy

BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products) is expanding its 2017 side-by-side vehicle (SSV) line-up with the addition of the new mid-range Can-Am Traxter HD5.

he unit has been developed to meet the demand from users for a versatile lower HP SSV that excels at hauling and towing heavy loads and has the ability to handle multiple terrains, from boggy fields to rocky trails.

This innovative SSV has the comfort and control of the original Can-Am Traxter combined with the performance of a 38hp petrol engine. Together with a 40-litre fuel tank, it provides users with a work ready vehicle that can spend more hours out in the fields simplifying the toughest jobs.

Marc-André Dubois, global marketing director, Can-Am Off-Road, says, “The 2017 Can-Am Traxter HD5 provides full-size functionality and unmatched versatility at an attractive price point.

The addition of the handy Traxter HD5 packages will help us expand the line-up to meet the demands of the marketplace and assist in the growth of the Can-Am brand in the highly popular utility-recreation segment of the industry.”

The HD5’s Rotax engine has been calibrated to supply excellent power and torque for working on the farm and in the field. It also requires no break-

T

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

in service and remains maintenance-free for one year or up to 1,865 miles (3,000 km) or 200 running hours. Additionally, the durable continuously variable transmission (CVT) comes equipped with engine braking, drive belt protection and a work-ready low range as standard. In addition, the HD5 is built around a dependable high-strength, low-alloy steel chassis and comes with double A-arm front suspension, Torsional Trailing A-arm (TTA-HD) rear suspension and twintube gas-charged shocks that supply 10 in. (26.7 cm) of travel at the front and rear of the SSV. It also has 10.5-inch (26.7-cm) of ground clearance, selectable 2WD / 4WD Visco-Lok auto-locking front differential and 25-in. (63.5-cm) Maxxis tyres on 12in. (30.5cm) wheels for superior off-road capabilities.

The Traxter HD5 also has the ability to tow up to 1,500 lbs. (680 kg) and a payload of 1,200 lbs.

(544 kg). The heavy-duty cargo box has intuitive adaptability to go with its 600 lbs (272 kg) rated capacity, tilting bed and fully functional tailgate. It also has the industry’s largest fuel tank, at 10.6 gal. (40 L), so that more time is allocated for work and less time is spent refuelling.

The vehicle’s roomy, intuitive cockpit is designed to be fully functional and comfortable with cab pillars pushed forward, an open-dash configuration and a truck-inspired VERSA-PRO bench seat that accommodates up to three adults and flips up for additional space in the cab. The Traxter DPS HD5 package features up to 10.4 gal.

(39.5 L) of on board storage including cup holders, under-dash storage and a water-resistant toolbox, which is an industry exclusive. The cargo box’s integrated design elements including the LinQ quick-attach system, built-in anchors and tie-down points and many recesses for easy box separator solutions make it easy for the user to customise it for the job at hand.

The 2017 Traxter HD5 side-by-side vehicle is available in two packages (base and DPS) and up to three available colours, including an optional, water-dipped Mossy Oak Break-Up Country camo finish. There are also 160 genuine Can-Am accessories, providing owners with a variety of options to customise their SSV to suit the job requirements.

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 51

| Motors

New limited edition Jeep Renegade Desert Hawk announced Plans to continue the success of the remarkable Jeep Renegade have been announced with details of a new limited edition Renegade ‘Desert Hawk’ version. ollowing in the tyre tracks of the popular Night Eagle and Dawn of Justice versions, the new Desert Hawk will carry on the Jeep Renegade tradition of introducing new and exciting variations as it builds on its reputation in the UK. More than 11,000 Jeep Renegades were sold in this country last year.

Designed to enhance Jeep Renegade's popular and striking design, the new Desert Hawk version takes the Renegade Trailhawk’s rugged appearance and best-in-class capability a step further with exclusive features and functionality inspired by the desert.

It will be limited to just 100 examples for the UK when it goes on sale today (23 February).

Available in Alpine White, Anvil, Black or – exclusive to Desert Hawk – Mojave Sand, the Jeep Renegade Desert Hawk features 17-inch Low Gloss Black wheels, exclusive bonnet and rear body panel decals.

Inside, the Renegade Desert

F

Hawk is enhanced with exclusive seats in black leather and fabric – the seat base features a Moab desert map logo – with electric lumbar support for the driver.

There is also a leather wrapped steering wheel, dual zone climate control, DAB UConnect radio with 6.5-inch touchscreen, Live services, Bluetooth and satnav, 7inch full-colour thin-film transistor (TFT) cluster display and cruise control.

The Renegade Desert Hawk, like the Trailhawk, delivers best-inclass Trail Rated 4x4 capability with standard Jeep Active Drive Low with 20:1 crawl ratio; SelecTerrain system which includes a Sand mode and an exclusive Rock mode, 8.7-inch ground clearance, skid plates, 8.1-inch wheel articulation, Hill-descent Control and 19-inch water fording.

The Renegade Desert Hawk comes as standard with a 170 hp 2.0-litre MultiJet diesel engine paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission. It costs from £28,995 OTR for the 2.0 MultiJet II 170hp 4WD. "Designed to enhance

52 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

Renegade's already very strong appeal in the UK, and capable of delivering Jeep’s legendary offroad capability, the new Renegade Desert Hawk version is an attractive proposition for buyers," says Damien Dally, head of brand, Jeep UK. "Sporting and agile on-road and rugged and capable off it, this limited edition newcomer fits perfectly into Renegade's highly successful family."

Jeep unveiled the new Renegade Desert Hawk by towing one of the UK’s top sandboarders through a series of stunts and tricks on Braunton Burrows sand dune, North Devon.

British board-rider and instructor Alex Bird helped mark

today’s launch of the Renegade Desert Hawk by becoming the first participant in his sport to be towed by a car in the UK. In extreme conditions, the Jeep Renegade again displayed its famous offroad capabilities helping Alex to reach speeds of 40mph and negotiate several grind rail stunts, jumps and 90-feet sand banks.

“I’ve never done anything like that before,” says Alex, 34. “It took time to get used to being towed at such speeds but I do a lot of wakeboarding and it was principally very similar. The car performed incredibly well on such deep sand; if it wasn’t so good offroad there is no way I could have got up to 40mph and nailed the jumps and stunts.”

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Motors

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 53

| Motors

New generation D-Max range & pricing The new generation D-Max arrives in the UK this Spring and Isuzu are delighted to announce the range line up and pricing for the new truck.

he range line up from the much-loved D-Max is retained; Utility, Eiger, Yukon, Utah and Blade with a range of single, extended and double cab variants available.

The entry-level Utility D-Max, priced from £15,749 (CVOTR) comes equipped with LED daytime running lights, Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control, Bluetooth® connectivity, power windows and air conditioning.

Eiger double cab (from £20,499 CVOTR) adds a reversing camera, 16-inch alloy wheels, body coloured bumpers, audio system with CD player and 6 speakers.

Yukon (from £20,499 CVOTR) adds 18-inch alloy wheels, silver side steps, new 7-inch multifunction touchscreen, LED rear lights, Cruise Control, rear load liner and a leather steering wheel.

Utah (from £24,149 CVOTR) takes comfort up a notch with keyless entry with push button

T

start, Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™, satellite navigation, DAB digital radio, roof bars, leather upholstery with heated front seats, rear parking sensors, automatic air conditioning.

The range-topping Blade (from £26,999 CVOTR) adds tinted windows, 9-inch multifunction touchscreen, remote locking lower tailgate, Blade puddle lamps, front and rear parking sensors, and a colour-coded Aeroklas canopy or sports bar with roller cover.

D-Max has been extensively overhauled with the biggest changes under the bonnet. A brand new 1.9 litre turbo diesel engine has been fitted, which produces 164 PS and 360Nm of torque. The engine builds upon D-Max’s workhorse character and retains the 3.5 tonne towing capacity and 1 tonne payload whilst providing a quieter, more refined and economical driving experience. Another key benefit is that the new engine meets Euro 6 standards without the need for addition of AdBlue.

As per previous D-Max models, Shift-OnThe-Fly 4x4 is a key feature of the 17MY truck.

The rotary dial allows the driver to select fourwheel drive on the move as well as low range gears.

Finally, the D-Max comes with a five-year / 125,000-mile warranty, and was the first pick-up in the UK to be offered with such a comprehensive peace-of-mind package.

Running costs are kept down by 12,000-mile or 24-month service intervals, five years’ recovery and European cover, a three-year paint warranty, and a six-year anti-corrosion warranty.

ARCHIE MOSS Leicestershire 01530 553 785 www.archiemoss-isuzu.co.uk

DUCKWORTH ISUZU Lincolnshire (South) 01205 449 758 www.duckworthisuzu.co.uk

YORK VAN CENTRE North Yorkshire 01904 275 211 www.yorkvancentre-isuzu.co.uk

BOB GERARD Leicestershire 0116 259 2224 www.bobgerard.co.uk

GARLAND MOTORS Hampshire 01252 884 026 www.garland-isuzu.co.uk

MARK WEATHERHEAD LTD Cambridgeshire 01954 574 562 www.markweatherhead-isuzu.co.uk

BURRELLS MOTOR GROUP South Yorkshire 01302 515 763 www.burrellsmotorgroup-isuzu.co.uk

JEFFRIES OF BACTON Suffolk 01449 424 758 www.jeffriesofbacton-isuzu.co.uk

HOLDCROFT ISUZU Staffordshire 01782 484 954 www.holdcroft-isuzu.co.uk

DUCKWORTH ISUZU Lincolnshire (North) 01673 799 393 www.duckworthisuzu.co.uk

SOLENT ISUZU Hampshire 01962 866331 www.solent-isuzu.co.uk

BULLDOG TWYFORD Berkshire 0118 932 0922 www.bulldogtwyford.com

54 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Motors

MTC Subaru

Cambridge Subaru

Cambridgeshire 01733 822 943 www.mtc-subaru.co.uk

Cambridgeshire Tel. 01223 841 616 www.cambridge-subaru.co.uk

Perkins

Central Motors

Essex 01371 483 379 www.perkins-subaru.co.uk

Somerset 01460 64747 www.centralmotors.co.uk

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 55

| Motors

56 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Motors

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 57

| Motors

What the F-PACE Coming from the same stable as the ubiquitous Land Rover, the Jaguar F-PACE, as a 4x4, might be expected to demonstrate the offroad ability and mud plugging feats synonymous with the famous brand...but that would be missing the point.

Yes, there's definitely a smattering of Land Rover heritage here but the F-PACE is built on underpinnings derived from the XF – it isn't as much about traversing the sticky stuff as about coping with it whilst looking exceptionally good...and throwing in an entertaining drive with it!

The on-demand 4wd system mainly drives the rear wheels, only engaging the front (up to 50%) when conditions demand. Whilst not a truly capable off-roader then – certainly not in the Land Rover's league at any rate, the Jag will still do better under more challenging conditions than you'd imagine.

And it is lovely to look at – especially in the guise of our test vehicle, the 3.0l V6 diesel S. Options fitted include panoramic roof and 22” wheels, making this car a real stand out.

Taking styling cues from the FType sports car, the F-PACE, as I said before, is a real looker and in

its ideal habitat – on the black stuff – it drives more like a sports car too. The power plant has no lack of ‘oompf’ and delivers torque right through the rev range, making eating up the miles a very enjoyable experience.

Added to this, the handing for such a large SUV is sublime, delivering confidence in the bends with very little body roll and providing a sharpness lacking even in the other upmarket rivals.

Being built on an all-aluminium platform helps here, ditching some of the dead weight which in return, provides a slick, quick, balanced drive. The standard suspension delivers a very smooth and comfortable experience on most reasonable surfaces, however, bumpy roads or stretches of uneven surface provide a challenge and upset proceedings a little – especially on the 22” wheels fitted here. The optional adaptive suspension should help in this respect. Of course, the turning circle is also compromised a bit on those huge rims...but they look great.

Also great is the 8 speed automatic gearbox, standard on this 3.0l model. Gear changes are smooth and effortless and it

responds very quickly when pushed. There's very little noise from this engine, indeed, it's more of a growl when tapped, and when cruising (which this car does very easily) the engine is refined – positively wafting down the road.

Of course, there is also a smaller and less powerful 2.0l ingenium engine available which we haven't tested but should provide better numbers in terms of mpg and CO2.

Inside, the cabin is mostly well finished and is a comfortable and spacious place to be. Surprisingly, there's not much to complain about here – there are plenty of cubbyholes and storage around, the seating position is very good and the leather seats are comfortable and supportive (and electrically operated on this model). Dashboard layout is excellent and incorporates a very clear and easy to use infotainment system. It was a very quick and easy procedure to link my iPhone too. Full marks there.

I suppose one gripe would be the use of below par plastic for the door bins – this could easily be rectified and does detract from the overall quality feel to the cabin as a whole. Scratchy plastics have no

place in a £50,000 + car.

There's ample rear legroom too and you can accommodate 3 adults in the back easily. You'll have to look elsewhere for a 7 seat option though.

The boot is surprisingly large – bigger than most rivals I'd wager, which presents a bonus if carrying passengers and their luggage.

There are 12v sockets scattered around and useful usb ports for all those phones & gadgets.

Overall, the F-PACE won me over. From the sporty drive to the comfortable interior to the practicality. And let's not forget the looks.

Chuck a towbar on there and it would pull just about anything, I think – and you'd arrive wherever you were going in style...and probably stand out in the sea of Range Rovers.

At £51,450 OTR (£59,665 as tested including options) the FPACE presents reasonable value, especially when considering residual values.

Test drive one and I’m sure that you will have a smile on your face at the end (except when parting with the cash!).

Andrew Poulton, Editor

Key Facts Engine Transmission Performance Weights Fuel Economy

6 cyclinder, 2993cc, 300ps 8 - speed Automatic AWD with torque vectoring 0-62mph 6.2s Top Speed 150 Gross weight: 2570kg Towable weight: 2400kg Combined: 47.1mpg CO2 Emissions: 159g/km

Price OTR

58 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

£51,450

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Motors

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 59

| Motors

ALL-NEW DISCOVERY

BECAUSE ONLY 0.021347% OF THE WORLD’S SURFACE IS TARMAC

The ingenious All-New Discovery is equipped for just about any driving situation. Activate the Terrain Response 2® system and it’ll reconfigure the transmission, suspension and traction settings accordingly, providing optimum performance whatever the surface conditions.

Perfect for exploring those parts of the world that aren’t tarmac.

Contact your local dealer for a test drive.

Official Fuel Consumption Figures for the All-New Discovery range in mpg (l/100km): Urban 19.9-36.2 (14.2-7.8); Extra Urban 30.4-48.7 (9.3-5.8); Combined 26.0-43.5 (10.9-6.5). CO2 Emissions 254-171 g/km.

Official EU Test Figures. For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ. Drive responsibly on and off road. *Terrain Response 2 system comes as standard on All-New Discovery HSE Luxury and First Edition.

60 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Motors

Kentdale Kendal

Guy Salmon Knutsford

01539 814444, www.kentdale.kendal.landrover.co.uk

01565 632525, www.guysalmon.knutsford.landrover.co.uk

Barretts Ashford

Duckworth Land Rover, Boston

01233 506070, www.barretts.ashford.landrover.co.uk

01205 449758, www.duckworthlandrover.co.uk

Barretts Canterbury

Duckworth Land Rover, Market Rasen

01227 475475, www.barretts.canterbury.landrover.co.uk

01673 799393, www.duckworthlandrover.co.uk

Rybrook Huddersfield Land Rover

Conwy Land Rover

01484 516016, www.rybrook.huddersfield.landrover.co.uk

01492 580000, www.conwy.landrover.co.uk

Rybrook Copley Land Rover

Stafford Land Rover

01422 363340, www.rybrook.halifax.landrover.co.uk

01785 214140, www.stafford.landrover.co.uk

Lloyds Kelso

Yeovil Land Rover

01573 224345, www.lloyd.kelso.landrover.co.uk

01935 426600, www.yeovil.landrover.co.uk

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 61

| Motors

Introducing Range Rover Velar The fourth member of the Range Rover family has arrived. he Range Rover Velar brings a new dimension of glamour, modernity and elegance to the Range Rover family. Designed to fill the white space between Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport, Velar offers levels of luxury, refinement and all-terrain capability never before seen in the mid-size SUV segment. This is a new type of Range Rover for a new type of customer.

Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director, Jeremy Hicks said: “The new Range Rover Velar is a stunning addition to the Range Rover family, it enhances a model line-up that originally defined the luxury SUV segment and continues to do so. Velar brings increased choice to new and existing customers in a growing SUV market. It leads the way in terms of design, usable technology, new materials and of course Land Rover’s legendary go anywhere, do anything capability.

“The whole team is enormously excited about bringing the new Range Rover Velar to customers across the UK.” Velar is defined by a visually reductive approach and meticulous attention to precision in every detail, which evolves the Range Rover DNA. Velar’s design is beautifully balanced, from its powerful proportions to its continuous waist line through to the taut tapered lines of the rear.

The generous wheelbase contributes significantly to its elegance while helping to provide a spacious interior.

The large alloy wheels – in particular the range of 22-inch designs – optimise the vehicle’s stunning silhouette, while further enhancing Velar’s dramatic presence.

Advanced technology is pivotal to the contemporary design: the full-LED headlights are the most slender ever to appear on a production Land Rover vehicle. The flush deployable door handles emphasise Velar’s reductive, sculptured form, and contribute to the low drag coefficient from only 0.32 – this is the most aerodynamically-efficient Land Rover ever produced.

Look inside Velar’s interior and you will see elegant simplicity, sophistication and refinement. An unwavering belief in reductionism has been fully employed, with switches being kept to an absolute minimum to help create a calm sanctuary.

T

62 | Farming Monthly | March 2017

Design-enabling technology has been engaged fully to create the new Touch Pro Duo infotainment system which is the centrepiece of Velar’s interior. Touch Pro Duo features two 10inch high-definition touchscreens integrated seamlessly behind secret-until-lit surfaces.

These slim, intuitive displays work in harmony with the cabin architecture while adding an overall sense of modernity congruent with the vehicle’s exterior design. All of this is equalled

by Velar’s practicality: luggage compartment volume is an impressive 632 litres-litres including a reduced-section spare wheel as standard in the UK. Unique in the segment, Velar offers a sustainable, premium textile seat material as an alternative to leather. The Dapple Grey material was developed together with Kvadrat, Europe’s leading manufacturer of high-quality design textiles, and is complemented with Suedecloth inserts in Ebony or Light Oyster.

The light, stiff, aluminium-intensive body, together with double-wishbone front- and Integral Link rear suspension provides the perfect basis for agile handling, superior ride comfort and outstanding refinement. It also delivers exceptional levels of crash protection, and Velar has been developed to meet the most demanding crash test regulations worldwide.

Combined with a comprehensive restraints system that includes six airbags, and a suite of advanced driver assistance systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist (standard on HSE) and an Adaptive Speed Limiter, Velar integrates the latest safety technology.

Velar features a sophisticated all-wheel drive system, four-corner air suspension, (available on 300PS Diesel and 380PS Petrol engines) class-leading ground clearance of up to 251mm (213mm with coil springs), classleading wading depth of up to 650mm (600mm with coil springs) and Land Rover’s unmatched suite of traction technologies including Terrain Response 2 (optional) and All Terrain Progress Control (optional). Velar – like all Range Rovers – offers world-class all-terrain capability.

Exceptional performance and efficiency come from the range of six petrol and diesel powertrains, all matched to smooth-shifting ZF eight-speed automatic transmissions and allwheel drive with Intelligent Driveline Dynamics.

Clean, refined four-cylinder Ingenium diesels are offered in 180PS and 240PS variants, noted for their low 142g/km CO2 emissions and high 500Nm torque output respectively. These engines are joined by the new, highly-advanced four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine which delivers 250PS and enables acceleration from 0-100km/h in just 6.7 seconds (0-60mph in 6.4 seconds). An even more powerful, 300PS version of this engine will join the Velar range later in the year.

The V6 diesel combines an extraordinary 700Nm of torque for effortless acceleration and off-road capability with CO2 emissions of only 167g/km. The 380PS supercharged V6 petrol engine combines exhilarating performance with a unique soundtrack and enables Velar to reach 0-60mph in only 5.3 seconds (100km/h in 5.7 seconds) before reaching an electronicallylimited top speed of 155mph (250km/h).

The Velar and Velar R-Dynamic core range comprises Standard, S, SE or HSE specifications. Customers can also specify Black and Luxury Exterior Packs for an even more distinguished appearance.

Of all Velar models, the most exclusive of all will be the First Edition, which be available worldwide but strictly for one model year only.

Even more luxurious than the HSE specification, this model is powered solely by the 3.0-litre V6 petrol and diesel engines and features a wealth of extra features as standard, including full extended leather interior trim to complement the perforated Windsor leather seats in Nimbus or Ebony, 1,600W Meridian Signature Sound System, Matrix-Laser LED headlights and 22-inch Split-Spoke wheels with diamond-turned finish.

Exterior paint colours for the First Edition are Corris Grey, Silicon Silver, and Flux Silver – a unique satin finish exclusive to the First Edition for the first model year only – which will be meticulously hand-sprayed at Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations’ Oxford Road Technical Centre in the UK. Designed and engineered at Jaguar Land Rover’s development centres in the UK, Velar will be produced at the company’s Solihull production facility, UK. It goes on sale in midJuly in the UK and Europe and in over 170 markets worldwide.

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

March 2017 | Farming Monthly | 63