Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 13 FERTILISATION Unique nature farmland Originally fromWisbech in Lincolnshire, Ricky spent seven years working for RG Herbert, which had its factory just a stone’s throw away from Stocks AG. “Having spent considerable time looking at what was available to us, I knew we needed something different to what was commonly used on the mainland. We needed something that would suit the unique nature of Jersey’s farmland,” Ricky said. The challenge was accepted, and just a few weeks after receiving the enquiry, Stocks AG’s R&D team had successfully customised a Rotor Meter to deliver what Ricky was looking for. Stocks AG developed the Rotor Meter in the 1990s as a gravity-fed, metered one, two or three outlet applicator. For more than 30 years, the Rotor Meter has been popular with growers applying seed, granules, pellets and micro granule fertiliser. ForThe Jersey Royal Company, which required higher output rates, Stocks AG developed a way to mount and control a fourth hopper. David Goodale of Stocks AG’s Technical Sales team said: “We engineered a way to place four hoppers on a planter, with each hopper having one outlet.” The Jersey Royal Company first used the Rotor Meter set-up for 2016’s season, achieving a 15% reduction in fertiliser use. Ricky and the team were so impressed that they ordered four machines for the following year’s planting. An additional two units were added in 2020 and 2022. In 2020 Stocks AG developed the i-CON system to control and maintain pre-set application rates and subsequently fitted it to The Jersey Royal Company’s machines. Further reductions in fertiliser use followed. Reduced fertiliser use “As part of the government’s water management plan, each of our fields is graded red, amber or green for the presence of nitrates,” said Ricky. “We farm 1,600 fields, with an average area of just two acres. Each field’s nitrogen grading is stored in the cloud, and the driver accesses this remotely via a tablet or phone. Then with just a few selections on the touchscreen, they’ve set the i-CON FACT FILE: PRIOR to 2016, at peak times of the growing season, nitrate levels in Jersey – which largely come from fertilisers applied to the land – had reached double the EU limit of 50 mg per litre of water. Just one year after the water action group was set up, this had already decreased by 15%. There is a range of soil types across the Jersey Royal Company’s business and soil testing done in every field twice a year. N placement technology is used on 90% of the cropped land. Nitrogen use has been reduced by 10% by using Precision Farming techniques on JRC land. “Having spent considerable time looking at what was available to us, I knew we needed something different to what was commonly used on the mainland. We needed something that would suit the unique nature of Jersey’s farmland.” Ricky Gallon, Engineering Manager, The Jersey Royal Company “The Jersey Royal Company wanted to see its fertiliser working at the point of sowing and not running off the surface during rainfall.” David Goodale, Technical Team Member, Stocks AG system to deliver the right application rate to suit their location. We save so much time by having a touchscreen and access to remote information. It’s a fantastic system for us and makes the Rotor Meter so easy to use.” The 24 Rotor Meters that The Jersey Royal Company operates have enabled the team to reduce their fertiliser use to just 1,000 tonnes per season, a 15% reduction compared to 2016. “We are really happy with how the Rotor Meters perform, and the cost savings they have created means they pay for themselves in just one season,” said Ricky. “Over the six years of using the Rotor Meter in this way, I think we’ve saved over £300,000 in fertiliser costs. Perhaps even better than the financial benefits is that since introducing the Rotor Meters, the presence of nitrates in our fields is now under 40 mg per litre. “I think the next step will be to see if we can use GPS data to plot fertiliser application in even more detail, which will reduce the amount we use even further, leading to better water quality and further financial savings.” David said other growers are expected to followThe Jersey Royal Company’s lead as they seek to lower input costs. “With fertiliser prices rising rapidly in 2022, reducing input costs has become a priority for all farmers, not just The Jersey Royal Company,” he said. “Running in parallel with cost savings is a desire to increase precision while at the same time looking after the land. “The Jersey Royal Company wanted to see its fertiliser working at the point of sowing and not running off the surface during rainfall. We used our engineering experience to develop a solution that achieves both objectives. It’s great to know that the water quality in Jersey has improved and that The Jersey Royal Company has managed to save over £300,000 since using the Rotor Meter in this unusual but effective way.”