Over 100 top fruit growers and vineyard managers travelled from across the UK to attend NP Seymour’s two-day specialist fruit and vine machinery demonstration event on 18 and 19 July 2024.
Alongside celebrating the Kent-based machinery dealership’s 50th anniversary and 40 years of working with Fendt to supply and service the manufacturer’s specialist 200 V/F/P tractors, growers could see a range of specialist machinery in action.
Hosted with the kind permission of Clive Baxter at JL Baxter and Son’s Amsbury Farm in Hunton, demonstrations were held on Thursday in the orchard, while Friday focused on viticulture machinery in the vineyard.
Thanks to support from NP Seymour’s suppliers, attendees were able to chat with representatives from manufacturers including Fendt, AirJet, BMV, Braun, ERO, iMETOS by Pessl Instruments and Perfect van Wamel, as well as Nick Seymour, his daughter Claire Seymour, and the rest of the NP Seymour team.
While the weather was scorching, visitors could cool down with delicious refreshments from local producers Kentish Mayde, Biddenden Vineyards and Solley’s Ice Cream.
On the orchard day, owners, managers and machinery operatives could watch a Perfect van Wamel T180 mower and OCLL QWector sprayer set up for spray-mowing operations.
While time is one of the driving motivators, combining operations in the orchard or vineyard is not just about efficiency.
By running two machines in a single pass, growers can save on fuel usage, reduce the hours their tractor works in a season (meaning fewer servicing and maintenance costs), and limit compaction in the alleyways. For some growers, there is also the potential benefit of not investing in another tractor or finding, training, and paying another operator.
On the mechanical weeding front, the orchard day also featured a demonstration of the Fischer variable-width swing wing mower, which suppresses weeds by getting right up to the trunks. This was followed by the Braun mechanical weeding cultivator with tillers, with the Braun team on hand to talk through its application and optimal set-up.
Growers could also see a Munckhof VariMAS 3-row sprayer a Fruit-Tec REDpulse orchard defoliator, and compare the different Fendt models and specifications side by side.
One of the most intriguing machines featured on both days was the AirJet ground aerator from Bury Turfcare. Owner and designer of the machine Peter Knight explained to growers how he had originally built the AirJet, which injects compressed air into the ground, for waterlogged golf courses and football pitches, but has since had significant interest from fruit growers looking to relieve compaction in the rows. The double-sided machine targets the air right into the soil near the roots, on both sides of the alleyway, every couple of metres.
On the vineyard day, the team from Braun started the morning by giving a thorough run-through and demonstration of the range of different mechanical weeding solutions available to vine growers. This started with the front-mounted double over-row stem cleaner, also fitted with a rear-mounted Braun Alpha mower equipped with double-sided finger weeders, before moving on to the mid-mounted disc plough and finally the front-mounted UKR universal frame fitted with LUV Perfekt cultivator with rotary tillers.
The next demonstration was led by Ralf Licht from ERO, Germany’s leading manufacturer of specialist viticulture machinery. ERO produces the double-row VITIpulse Combi defoliator and double-sided ELITE vine trimmers that were at the event.
It’s widely well-known that good ventilation in the fruiting zone reduces the risk of botrytis and other fungal diseases, improves spray targeting and efficacy, and increases the berries’ exposure to sunlight, leading to better colour in red fruit and aromas.
With the VITIpulse Combi, more targeted defoliation results can be achieved as the roller removes the external leaves, allowing the air blast to penetrate more deeply into the inner part of the canopy.
Later in the day, Stefano Borio from BMV showcased the Italian manufacturer’s E600 single-sided vine trimmer, better suited for small acreages.
From a sprayer point of view, the OCLL APUS5 gave growers an excellent chance to see the effective coverage provided by this simple and economical tractor-mounted air blast directional sprayer.
Finally, covering frost protection and crop monitoring, David Whatoff from iMetos UK was on hand to demonstrate the nMetos Frost for simple wet and dry bulb readings and the advanced iMetos 3.3 for a range of weather data readings. David also showed the Dualex, a small hand-held device that can provide instant information on vine health, such as nitrogen balance index, chlorophyll, flavonoids, and anthocyanins.
“As the UK wine industry continues to grow and develop, it was not a surprise that the viticulture day was the busier of the two days,” said Claire Seymour, NP Seymour’s Sales and Marketing Director.
“We are deeply thankful to everyone who attended and showed their unwavering support, especially as we celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2024. More growers want to see the results these machines can provide in person and having an opportunity to discuss their capabilities with the manufacturers, our team and fellow growers is an even better bonus.”
For more information on any of the machines mentioned, please give the sales team a call on 01580 712200 or email sales@npseymour.co.uk
