The Innovation Awards Arena at Ploughing 2016 attracted huge attention once again this year, with more exhibits than ever covering a range of farming and food innovation topics. The new innovation ideas spanned from a robotic ploughing tractor to a high-speed bale trailer for wrapped bales, to Nano-sensor technology for animal disease diagnosis, plus a range of new farm software systems.

This provided huge interest at the event and this was reinforced by large numbers who voted for the People’s Choice online at www.farmersjournal.ie in the weeks leading up to Ploughing 2016. Monday of the Ploughing week was when the judging panels finally got to grips with the ideas being presented and each participant was subjected to two interviews during that day. Machines and concepts were examined thoroughly and then the value of the innovation was further fleshed out in a full team meeting.

The final result of the overall winner was made on Tuesday at the Innovation Arena and Kilkenny farmer and engineer, Tom Carrigan, took the top award for his EuroTec Designs bale loading and transport trailer. Tom’s design was also the winner in the agricultural engineering startup section.

Tom’s impressive bale trailer is designed to load and transport 16 wrapped bales and stack them two high without any damage to the plastic film. The machine has been over four years in development and is awaiting further automation by Tom, who runs a pedigree herd of Ayrshire cows at Clara, just outside Kilkenny city.

During field trials with local contractors this year, the EuroTec bale trailer was shown to transport and stack upwards of 490 bales in an eight-hour day.

The machine has telescopic sides to take account of different bale sizes during loading and transport.

The trailer section splits during unloading so that the bales are stacked two high in two tipping cycles. Tom Carrigan’s design has attracted some interest among manufacturers and his gold medal award for the overall machine at the Innovation Arena – sponsored by Enterprise Ireland, the National Ploughing Championships and the Irish Farmers Journal – is sure mean ever more attention for his impressive machine.

Overall winner

  • EuroTec Designs – bale trailer.

    • Agricultural engineering: startup category

  • Gold medal: EuroTec Designs – bale trailer.
  • Silver medal: EcoVolve – electric dumper power unit.

    • Agricultural engineering: established company category

  • Gold medal: Major Equipment – 3.2m cyclone mower.
  • Silver medal: RotaSpiral – one-pass soil preparation and destoner system.

    • Agricultural engineering: international award

  • Gold medal: Cross Agri Engineering – triaxle double chaser bin.

    • Sustainable agriculture: startup category

  • Gold medal: MicroGen Biotech – soil microbes for promoting crop growth and health.
  • Gold medal: MagGrow – magnetic spraying technology.
  • Silver medal: Eirechrom – food, environment and forensic testing solutions.

    • Sustainable agriculture: established company category

  • Gold medal: NutrioBio.

    • Agri-technology: startup category

  • Gold medal: Firmwave – mobile software for agricultural devices.
  • Silver medal: Farmflo – Farmflo Agronomy management solutions.

    • Agri-technology: established company category

  • Gold medal: Forcefield Active – new generation battery powered electric fencer.
  • Silver medal: Herdwatch Ringside – cattle sourcing, selling and buying online.

    • General awards: research emerging from third level

  • Gold medal: Tyndall National Institute – nano-sensor systems for farm disease diagnosis.

    • Design partners: safety award

  • Gold medal: OCE – three-point linkage quick-hitch.
  • Silver medal: Joseph Hyland - modified mobile hydraulic cattle crush.

    • Young innovator award

  • Patrick Lane – simple mobile meal feeding device. The award was presented to Patrick by Kieran and Eugene Hogan.

    • Special awards

    There were two special awards: the Alfred Cox Founders’ Cup and the Anna May McHugh Female Leadership in Agriculture Perpetual Trophy. The Alfred Cox Founders’ Cup Perpetual Trophy, went to Tom Carrigan of Eurotec Designs, recognising his contribution to the agri-engineering industry. Tom also won the award for the best overall startup. The Anna May McHugh Female Leadership in Agriculture Perpetual Trophy was presented to Clodagh Cavanagh of Abbey Machinery Ltd.

    The People’s Choice Award will be announced at the Innovation Arena on Thursday 22 September at 4pm. Visitors to the Ploughing will have the opportunity to vote for the innovation of their choice up to midday on Thursday on iPads at the Innovation Arena. The original listing for the people’s choice of over 60 entrants was narrowed to the top 10 finalists in the week leading up to Ploughing 2016. By Tuesday of the Ploughing week, over 10,000 votes had been cast. You can vote on http://www.farmersjournal.ie/innovation-arena-peoples-choice-award-221037

    Here is the leadership ranking as the event opened this week:

    1 Fenu Save.

    2 Tri Axle.

    3 X500R.

    4 Masterson.

    5 MRF mobile.

    6 AgriKids.

    7 Infrared.

    8 Lactoshield.

    9 KO Caesarean.

    10 Agri CMS.