Irish innovators racked up three winners’ awards and three certificates of merit for products displayed at LAMMA 2015.

The show, which was held at the East of England Showground in Peterborough on a 125-acre site, also saw the announcement of a new farm safety innovation award supported by IAgrE, Swedish Steel and the Farmers Guardian. The first winner will be announced at LAMMA 2016 and they will receive a trophy, £300 and a trip to Swedish Steel’s headquarters in Stockholm.

The feedback from Irish exhibitors was very positive, and good leads were generated at the show. Approximately 40,000 people attended the show over the two days.

Picture one

Shanks Engineering Ltd, Drumgurra, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, was awarded a certificate of merit in the mechanical crop production category. Shanks developed the Farm Hitch automatic hitching system.

Farm Hitch is a tractor-mounted device designed to enable the connection of farm equipment that uses a three-point linkage without having to leave the tractor cab. Steven McKevitt is pictured collecting the award for Shanks Engineering.

Picture two

James Geoghegan from Agriknives received the top award in the mechanical and livestock production equipment category. Agriknives also received a certificate of merit in the innovation award in association with the Farmers Guardian. The product uses cooled sharpening to protect the knife, and has the ability to sharpen serrated edges. The unit costs €2,150 plus VAT.

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Padraig Fay received the award for innovation in association with the Farmers Guardian. The Trakjak can be used on any make or model of tractor. It is designed to make wheel changes easier and safer on larger tractors. The tractor is driven over the unit and the tractor lift arms are connected to a set of pins and raised. An adjustable large shaft sitting on rollers engages with the underneath of the tractor, raising it as the tractor’s three-point linkage is raised. This also engages two steel wheels to support the tractor. The tractor rear wheels can then be removed, as they are lifted clear of the ground.

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Meredith Engineering was attending its first LAMMA show. The family-run company from Stradbally, Co Laois, produces a range of fertilizer bogies for fertilizer spreaders. It also makes combine header trolleys, and meal buckets for loaders with hydraulic opening and closing. It reported strong leads from the show for its products in Britain.

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Horsch’s BoomControl Pro, a system fitted to its Leeb trailed and self-propelled sprayers, won the show’s top award, best new product or innovation, as well as the best new product or innovation in the mechanical and crop production equipment category. The BoomControl Pro system offers an exact positioning of the boom, keeping it very close to the target area even at higher speeds and on hilly terrain. Developed in-house by Horsch, BoomControl Pro uses two fast-acting air rams working in opposition to deliver very smooth boom movement. Gyros and boom-mounted sensors feed data back to an advanced proportional control system that counteracts virtually all yaw and roll.

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A very interesting trailer from Staines Trailers in Britain. The trailer is 10m in length with the added feature of hydraulic folding side bars that eliminate the need for tying down bales when transporting. The sides can cater for a load of round 4X4 bales stacked three high. Barry White is the Irish importer for Staines Trailers. The expected price is €20,000 plus VAT.

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The Case IH Magnum Rowtrac, which won the 2015 tractor of the year, was displayed for the first time at LAMMA. Case claims this tractor has all the advantages of a tracked tractor, with the flexibility of a conventional tractor. The tractor comes with a new multi-controller, CVT transmission and a LED lighting package.