There are more than 30 new inventions and ideas on display at the enlarged Innovation Arena at this year’s Ploughing.

The stand is located at number 326 on row 23, close to the Irish Farmers Journal and National Ploughing Association stands towards the centre of the huge site.

Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Farmers Journal’s www.Toplink.ie advertising website have joined forces with the National Ploughing Association this year to bring a bigger, new-look Innovations Arena. It is a one-stop-shop for farmers and agri-inventors to seek out ideas and advice to support the development of new farming technology.

The revised layout includes consultation booths and a forum centre. Enterprise Ireland is assisting with general enquiries, the Patent’s Office will have a stand and www.toplink.ie and the Irish Farmers Journal are offering media campaign advice.

There are indoor and outdoor exhibits, with the bigger machines in the outside display area. The best 30 innovations, from an initial entry of more than double that number, will showcase an exciting array of farm innovation talent from across the country.

The range is impressive, from computer games to animal handling equipment to sophisticated animal monitoring devices and smartphone farm management apps. There are some interesting safety innovations among the finalists also, all with a practical application on the farm.

The top innovator will receive a prize of €1,500 from Toplink.ie towards the costs of attending the British LAMMA Show with their innovation in January 2015. They will also receive valuable business development mentoring from Enterprise Ireland and a free stand at the 2015 National Ploughing Championships.

All finalists will receive vouchers to promote their innovations on www.toplink.ie, bringing the overall value of the prize fund to close to €50,000.

Here we feature some of the items on display at the arena.

Cleaner troughs

Advance Farm Services based in Castlemaine, Co Kerry, will be showing its innovative water trough system that allows the farmer to empty the trough quickly without getting their hands wet. The sloped trough has a 100mm (4in) outlet at the bottom and when the bung weight is pulled out the water comes out the side of the trough, completely emptying it very quickly, flushing out any sediment to leave a clean trough. Lactain Spring of Advance Farm Services has a patent pending and a copyright on the idea. “The 170 gallon trough costs €250 including VAT, which includes a ball cock and has been selling well since we launched them earlier this year,” says Lactain.

InTouch with Keenans

Richard Keenan and Company Ltd of Borris, Co Carlow, has entered the Keenan inTouch system. Keenan is best known for making a feeding system, using a paddle feeder, for dairy and beef animals. The company has developed a nutrition system that it claims can link the supply chain from farm to processor to retailer to ensure the farmers get more from their feeds through precision feeding and nutrition. Cloud technology is used to link machines working on farms around the world directly to the nutrition team in Kilkenny. The data flows in real time through the cloud to Kilkenny, creating an action for the nutrition team when the data falls outside a particular range.

Game on farming

Galway-based JP Vaughan of technology company Rocket Rainbow Ltd entered a new farming game. Hay Ewe is described by JP as a casual farmyard puzzle game full of characters and colour. It is used to entertain and de-stress with your iPad or iPhone after a long working day. JP believes the puzzle editor is a great way for kids to develop analytical thinking in a safe social environment. 

New barrier locking system

Willie O’Connor and Paul Barraclough of 2SecureBLS Barrier Locking Systems have entered their barrier padlock system. Some years ago they identified problems with locking barriers where there are multiple users. They set about finding a solution. “Along the way we developed three models, a single, double and multi lockbox to accommodate padlocks,” says Willie. “Using this system, the padlock is located into its own housing and cannot be removed during everyday use,” he adds.

Vibro post driver

Engineer Denis Doyle from Heath Farm, Athy, Co Kildare, entered his new vibro post driver unit, which is claimed to give excellent accuracy and is suitable for all types of excavators from 5t up. The hydraulic clamp on the machine prevents posts twisting when being driven. The clamp pressure can be altered to suit different materials. It can fit both round and square posts and can also be used to remove the posts if required. The machine is claimed to be suitable for one-man operation and to be quieter and safer than current models by other manufacturers.

Fence panel

O’Donovan Engineering based in Coachford, Co Cork, developed a free-standing fence panel that cannot fall and which has four stands of electrified wire between two vertical ends. Damien O’Donovan said the unit, which is lightweight to lift, can be used for directing animals around the farmyard. Each unit has a set of wheels, one on each end for easy manoeuvrability.

Milk pasteuriser

Unison Engineering Services Ltd from Unit 5 Enterprise Centre, Kilmallock Road, Limerick, entered a new small-scale milk pasteuriser unit called the Unison HTST Farmhouse Pasteuriser. It is a continuous pasteurizing meaning a shorter working day. Paul Sheehan of Unison says the unit can be cleaned in place meaning that the product gets to the market much faster. He says it is up to 90% more efficient than batch pasteurizing.

Coal kit

Adrian Rothwell of Old Flame Engineering Ltd in Ballyrue, New Ross, Co Wexford, entered a coal dispenser which helps collect coal with ease. At present it is being used by two partially disabled persons, and senior citizens. Adrian believes it is of benefit to every farming household from a health and safety point of view as it eliminates the lifting of heavy bags of coal.

New dairy security products

Lir Agri will be showing its new range of dairy bio-security products designed to help farmers to maintain high milk quality. The company, based in Granard, Co Longford, has invested more than €1m in a new research and manufacturing facility. Lir Agri, has partnered with Athlone Institute of Technology’s (AIT) Bioscience Research Institute to develop a range of efficient products to help destroy thermoduric bacteria. These spore-forming bacteria have the potential to cause considerable damage to the Irish dairy industry if levels on farms are not maintained.