Potato Review

28 POTATO REVIEW NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 HARVESTERS Minimal ridge disturbance What is it about Grimme’s latest self- propelled models that works for the High yer potato operation? One major advantage, he explains, is that the o set front wheel means that the harvester is not running in the crop so there is minimal disturbance to the ridges. e oating topper works well without the need for depth wheels running through the crop which can cause damage in wet conditions, he adds. “Manoeuvrability is good and the Varitrons have very good otation, leaving the land in good order, which is important for us because we have a large rented-in land base, normally around 70–80% of our acreage. We have to look after our landlords and they like to see machines like this turning up in the eld.” Andrew has been impressed with further advances in cab technology, improved lighting and an enhanced camera system which simulates daylight conditions even when working after dark. “With the new console you can make a lot of adjustments very quickly using nger-tip control, the automated camera system will highlight a blockage and the ability to reverse most functions is very useful. “We feel that double MultiSep cleaning works best for us on our stronger land but in dry times the cleaners are really just acting as conveyors. We like the canvas bunker which actually holds more than a machine with a metal oor and with the ring elevator tted with Optibags you can carry more crop up to the bunker quickly. e machine has a light, spacious inspection area but nding seasonal sta is not getting any easier, he said. “Pickers are not there at the drop of a hat. We have found, for example, that with the big Amazon warehouse at Peterborough just up the road they start drifting o there at this time of year to begin packing for Christmas. If we get rained o for a prolonged period of time we can struggle to get them back. “We’re continuing to mechanise all the time to reduce our reliance on labour,” he added. ‘We’ve dropped the number of harvesters from nine to eight and now to six, and we’ve reduced the number of tractors and trailers to just 16 where we used to have 50+.” How do Andrew and his partners view the level of capital investment needed to keep the business pro table. “ ere is no secret there, no-one can a ord to pay for this kit outright,” he said. “We nance our machines over ve years and if were happy with them we will run them longer – the rst Tectron we had for nine seasons. e longest we’ve kept a Varitron is around ve years but because we have a high-end product, the residual value far outweighs what’s left on nance so you can mop everything up and start again with some equity to put into the next machine. “What Grimme is nding now is that because these machines are so much money and there are fewer of us growing potatoes, decent second-hand harvesters coming onto the market are few and far between. Where there is a machine which has been well looked after like ours, it will always be very much in demand and Grimme will have sold it on before we even realise it.” By the time this journal went to press Andrew was planning to have two four-row machines and four two-rows at work. “We traded out our two trailed GTs and thank God we did for this season,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to talk down trailed machines but we certainly favour self-propelled. We’re very pleased with the new harvesters and we love the Tectron but because it’s an older model and we have the new Varitron 470 coming through I wanted to move on the next stage.” “I wouldn’t want to talk down trailed machines but we certainly favour self-propelled.”