Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 61 INDUSTRY NEWS HYBRID material technology o ers solution to water storage challenges DEPLOY Tech, which produces portable water tanks and bases for the agricultural and produce growers market, has launched two new products for growers. e new Deploy concrete tank, developed to store water, incorporates Concrete Canvas, a cement- lled geotextile. is means that the tank can be folded up for shipment and delivered to site in a timber crate measuring 2.5m by 1.2m. A two-man installation team then connects a compressor to one of the PVC-U taps to in ate the structure before the outer surface is hydrated and left to cure. e manufacturer states that it will be ready for use at the end of the second day and will give a weather-resistant service for 20+ years. ere are three separate sizes in the range, all two metres in height but varying in diameter. e second product revolutionises the “concrete slab” process, according to the manufacturer. e new Deploy Easy-Slab solution is available in ve sizes and arrives on-site folded. e Deploy team unfolds and pegs it to the ground. It is, in e ect, a concrete carpet. Tel: 07562 485471 Web: www.deploytechltd.com YAGRO Analytics joins Hartpury’s Tech Box Park YAGRO, a data technology company aiming to help growers make better business decisions, is the latest member to join Hartpury’s Tech Box Park – a new £2million pound facility dedicated to enabling the growth of innovative local businesses. Already partnering with farms covering nearly a million acres in the UK, the YAGRO range of products and services includes real- time intelligent tracking of crop performance software. Catherine Briggs, Tech Box Park Centre Manager said: “With the explosion of technology on-farm, data ownership has become a critical topic for UK agriculture. So, we are delighted to welcome YAGRO to the Hartpury Tech Box Park and look forward to supporting them to grow, develop and promote their data technology solutions to the region’s farmers and farming businesses.” Funding for the Tech Box Park has been provided by the GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership Getting Building Fund, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust. Customer Executive at YAGRO, Neil Cooper said: “We are in a huge time of change as the UKmoves into a new era of agriculture. Farmers are the most important people in this industry, and we want to support them to make more informed and better business decisions.” Solution to nutrient maximisation AS nitrogen prices continue at high levels and potato growers are looking for new ideas to maximise plant nutrient use, Olmix has released a new product in the UK which it says could provide a solution - Neosol. Olmix Sales Manager for the UK and Ireland, Grant James, said Neosol aims to restore soil health by activating the natural micro ora of soils. It has a mineral complex rich in trace elements - MIP SOIL - allowing it to humify organic matter and help correct issues a ecting soil function. “ ese include compaction, hydromorphy [wetness in the soil pro le] and sensitivity to drought. It reduces compaction and speeds up drainage of excess water. Crops are also more even which makes management easier.” Neosol is in pellet form and is suitable for use on all soil types from harvest until the end of autumn, he said. “We advise using it every year after harvest at a rate of 120-220kg/ha, depending on soil type. Farmers mostly apply 150kg/ha. Sandy soils tend to need a higher rate than clay soils as nutrient mineralisation is less e ective. “Our research shows it increases soil porosity by 21.4% and improves water retention by 8% compared with a control.” New canvas web to solve modern harvesting problems TO solve weight issues, family-owned machinery manufacturer Jones Engineering says Gri ’s canvas webs are the way forward for harvesters. “ e canvas is signi cantly lighter than traditional steel, meaning our customers are able to have bigger machines, without having to increase the weight so signi cantly,” said Mark Clayton, sales manager, Jones Engineering. “ ese new webs also don’t have the solid sides that a lot of other webs have, reducing the overall weight and giving our customers the ideal opportunity to switch to something that will improve harvest.” “We’re also keen to y the British ag at Jones Engineering, with more and more parts coming from other countries reducing the number of manufacturers in the UK. We believe in encouraging the use of British products, like Gri ’s canvas webs, in our machinery to promote e cient, high- quality British farming.” He said companies who use the new canvas webs have a signi cantly increased output.