Ten agricultural manufacturers and inventors are celebrating their success after winning prestigious technical innovation awards from the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society (RHASS).
Two gold, five silver and three commendations for innovation and development have been awarded this year.
Gold awards are presented to previous silver award winners for continuous outstanding merit, and this year Pollock Farm Equipment won gold for their rope scraper system, an innovative drive system which uses a hollow shaft drive unit, fitted with a torque spring and a micro switch for animal safety.
Also winning a gold award was Penderfeed Livestock Equipment for their Arrowquip Q-Catch 86 series squeeze cattle crush, which claims to be the quietest crush ever manufactured.
The minimised noise is achieved by using nylon bushes on the hinges and rubber absorbers on the access panel slam bolts and heavy-duty rubber flooring.
Merlo UK Ltd were awarded a silver for their eWorker telescopic handler, a fully-electric telescopic handler which reduces environmental impact as the sustainable lead acid 48-volt battery can give up to eight hours of uninterrupted working.
A nine-hour charge time means an overnight charge will see the eWorker ready to perform again the next day.
Also presented with a silver award were New Holland Agriculture for their T6 methane power tractor, the world’s first 100% methane-powered production tractor. It has comparable power output to its diesel equivalent and delivers up to 30% lower running costs so can help reduce farm vehicle CO2 emissions.
Brechin-based SoilEssentials Ltd earned a silver award for their SKAi smart camera, which uses artificial intelligence to detect and target spot-spraying of individual weed species.
It interacts with existing GPS and sprayer systems, and can be trained to recognise and map any target species for individual treatment, as opposed to blanket spraying across whole fields, so increases efficiencies, reduces inputs, and offers environmental benefits.
A silver was awarded to Stewart Agricultural Limited for their PS 22 29 H carrot trailer which is designed to deliver high performance, reduce wastage and operate safely in the field and on the road.
Featuring hydraulic suspension, hydraulic-electric spool valve, electric steering, automatic lubrication, hydraulic rear door, drop-down sides, a Hardox Body and a central tyre inflation system, the trailer was designed for specialised growers to transport carrots with minimum breakages.
Opico won their silver for their FarmDroid FD20, which is the world’s first fully automatic robot that both seeds and mechanically weeds. Solar-powered, it offers pesticide-free weed control with zero fuel bills and a zero-carbon footprint.
The FarmDroid uses ultra-accurate GPS to record exactly where it places each seed.
Calibrate Ltd earned a commendation for their Calibrate Analyser (CA), an innovative controller that has been developed specifically to help high energy use agri-businesses reduce their energy consumption costs and lower their carbon footprint.
Cotter Agritech won their commendation for the Cotter Crate system, a hardware and software solution that helps sheep farmers cut labour costs and tackle worm resistance, and a final commendation was awarded to T,A&R Laird for their Cambwell Easy Loader for sheep.
RHASS technical innovation steward, Christopher Shepherd said: “The focus on sustainability is clear this year, reflecting the importance those working within the agri and rural sectors place on looking for innovative solutions to reduce their environmental impact.”
Winners from 2020, 2021 and 2022 will be presented with their awards at a formal ceremony during this year’s Royal Highland Show.