Entries for the technical innovation awards must be a machine, appliance, technical component or important ancillary equipment. All entries are judged by a panel of judges from the RHASS board taking into account feedback and product features among other aspects.

“The Technical Innovation Awards are a highly influential accolade for manufacturers, distributors, providers and inventors. They provide a respected stage to promote new ideas and acknowledge the work and commitment necessary to develop new products,” according to RHASS chief steward of technical innovation, Christo Shepherd.

Gold status

Vicon iXclean Pro

The first winner of a gold status award is the Vicon iXclean Pro, which was invented by Vicon. It is designed to ensure that crop sprayers are thoroughly rinsed when changing chemicals, with a fully automatic rinsing system. It is available on Vicon sprayers and front tanks with ISOBUS control. The system will leave minimal residual liquid and a chemical content of less than 1% when complete.

Clipex metal fence system

The second winner is McVeigh Parker and Co Ltd for their Clipex metal fence system. The standard Clipex posts are 6ft in length and manufactured with high-tensioned hot-dipped galvanised steel in a Y-shape to give the post its strength. Posts are fitted with stainless steel clips with 10 openings allowing sheep wire and two strands of barbed or electric wire on top.

The posts also have a steel hook at the bottom to help retain posts in the ground and prevent them pulling upwards. They are driven with a simple round steel bar that protects and prevents wire from catching when driving. The round steel bar can be used if driving with a post driver. There is also a longer, heavier and wider Y-post called a “beefy post” that can be used to provide extra stability where there is a slight turn in a fence or wire needs to be pulled down in dips/hollows.

Silver status

Birnie Bale Safe

The Birnie Bale Safe trailer was developed by SIB Services from Aberdeenshire and has received a silver award. The hydraulic mechanism forms part of the side of the trailer and grips the bales in place to create a neat and secure load, eliminating the need for straps to keep bales secure.

The system means that bales can be loaded up to three high. The system can be retrofitted to existing trailers also. Prices for the system start at £9,800+VAT.

Scotsqueeze

Scotsqueeze also received a silver award. The sheep handler catches and holds sheep automatically through the use of sensors. The system has electronic tag reading and electronic weighing compatibility, it can also be used for dagging, dosing and treating feet among other jobs. Drafting lambs that are fit for slaughter could be another use with manual and auto-drafting features. It is a mobile system which can be loaded/unloaded in about three minutes.

Moocall Heat

Moocall Heat is a collar developed by Moocall that is worn by a stock or a teaser/vasectomised bull. At the same time Moocall eartags are attached to all cows and heifers. The collar then uses cow/bull proximity, mounting behaviour and bull activity levels to determine to an extremely high level of accuracy when a cow or a heifer is in heat. Not only can it be used to detect cows in heat if AI is being used but it can also be used to predict due dates if a bull is running with cows/heifers.

Kverneland Siloking eTruck 1408

The Kverneland Siloking eTruck 1408 is another winner of the silver award. It is a 100% self-propelled vertical feeder mixer which comes in three different capacities. The machine can be used for mixing, transporting and feeding out with very low operational costs.

Heatpump grain and grass drying system

The final silver award goes to Calibrate who developed a heatpump grain and grass drying system. The system is a continuous loop which means that it requires a lot less energy than a conventional drying system. The system uses heat that is naturally occurring in the ground, the heat is then increased with the heatpump.

The system can be bolted onto an existing grain dryer or can be purchased as a complete system. It can be used to dry bedding.

Certificates of Commendation

KORE

The first certificate was awarded to SoilEssentials Ltd who have developed KORE. This is a cloud-based precision farming tool box which gives agronomists, land managers and farmers the opportunity to manage clients and their land more effectively. They use satellites and crop models, drones and robots, sensors and software to deliver real life solutions to problems that farmers face.

KisanHub

Developed by Cambridge, KisanHub is a crop intelligence platform and data analytics tool for farmers. Again, it is a cloud-based software that is supported by a mobile phone app. Currently the system has 3,500 users worldwide. The main aim of the system is to bring in disparate data sources, which are external to the farm system and integrate with internal farm data.

Hampton Metal Strainer Systems

The final winner of the Certificate of Commendation is Hampton Steel Ltd with their metal strainer system. It includes a stainless-steel strut connector making changes in the fence direction simple. Multiple struts can be attached to any strainer post. The strainer is suitable for fence heights up to 2.6m high.