I got a first drive of the new Valtra A series, which, if priced correctly, could make a big impact on this island. The company’s smart-touch armrest, which is being rolled out across its larger models, was also launched, and I found it to be a very user-friendly interface.

James Maloney drove the latest wheeled loader in the Schäffer range, the 9630T, and found it to be a master of all trades.

In the vintage section, I got the opportunity to look around a beautifully restored period silage outfit.

With Crops and Cultivations less than two weeks away, a large number of both static and demonstration exhibitors have now been confirmed and it looks like it will be a spectacular event.

In other news, the possible banning of splash plates on slurry tankers could be an expensive rule change.

A requirement to change the whole country’s fleet of splash plate machines to dribble bar or injection system would be a massive undertaking.

There may be some help from TAMS grants to soften the blow, but a close eye needs to be kept on this possible rule change.

Pöttinger to bring new wave disc technology to Ireland

Pöttinger is bringing its latest 6m drill to Crops and Cultivations in Oak Park later this month.

This machine comes with Pöttinger’s wave disc. The company claims the wave disc offers a clear advantage in heavy, damp soil conditions, which are very common in this country, making it possible to drill seed in borderline conditions.

This will be the first time this drill will be seen in Ireland. It will be available in 3m and 4m guises on the Irish market.

New robot to aid inter-row weeding

French company Naio Technologies has released a robotic weeding machine which is capable of carrying out inter-row weeding.

Called the Dino, it is controlled by RTK GPS which gives the accuracy required.

The wheel spacing can be adjusted from 1.4 to 1.8 metres for differing crop spacing.

Currently, the robot is being sold to vegetable farmers, but one of the first production models has been sold to a Danish company which plans to trial the machine on other more popular field crops.

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