Three Equipment Innovations Recognized as well as Technology Innovation
Five innovations were recently celebrated as winners of Canada’s Farm Show Innovation Program. Canada’s Farm show is known for its innovation and the year 2021 was no exception, even if the Show had to be held virtually.
Three winners were chosen in the New Equipment Innovation category:
• The CLAAS/6800 Lexion APS SYNFLOW Threshing System
• Full-Floor Hopper Bin Aeration System
• Retracting Transfer Auger for Air Seeder
Below is an overview of each of the new equipment innovation winners.
The CLAAS/6800 Lexion APS SYNFLOW Threshing System has a redesigned threshing system with improved crop flow and increased capacity in a walker combine. This allows for improved threshing performance in multiple crops, improved grain quality, improved grain handling capacity, a larger grain tank and unloading rate. The system has enhanced integration of CEMOS, and an improved operating system. The Lexion 6800 allows for more adjustment from the cab, such as changing corn/beans and header functions.
The Full-Floor Hopper Bin Aeration System was brought to the competition by Norbin and was invented by Francisco Zacharias. The patent-pending, Full-Floor Hopper Aeration system has an ingenious revolutionary design for hopper bottom-bins. Zacharias says the hopper bottom grain bin aeration system is like no other because it offers a “full floor” aeration system where the entire hopper is aerated.
According to Norbin, the design will aerate the entire hopper cone to eliminate wet pockets in a farmer’s grain bin. The system includes a second, perforated floor inside the hopper cone. The air is then equally distributed between the hopper cone and pushed through the perforated floor. As a result, grain bins do not need to be filled to the top for the aeration system to work. The farmer’s grain will always receive even airflow.
The third winner in the New Equipment Innovation category was an add on kit for air seeders that has a Retracting Transfer Auger from Rodono Industries, invented by Darren Grose. The add-on kit is for existing air seeders with a retracting transfer auger. The Rodono Kit makes it easier to unload hopper bottom trailers into an air seeder cart. This gives farmers the benefit of being able to extend out under a hopper bottom trailer, as well as swing from one hopper to another once it is under.
The kit rides conveniently on top of the existing auger on the air seeder and retracts and swings electrically and augers hydraulically.
Two winners were selected in the New Technology Innovation Category: South Country Equipment’s Crop Intelligence software and RcFarmArm.
South Country Equipment’s Crop Intelligence is a software application developed in Regina, Saskatchewan that brings agronomic insights to in-field soil moisture and environmental sensor data. Soil moisture and rainfall are important determinants of yield potential in-field crops such as wheat and canola. According to South Country Equipment, Crop Intelligence utilizes site-specific weather station and soil moisture information throughout the growing season to track Water Driven Yield Potential and support the data-driven decisions of farmers and their agronomists.
Up to this point, Crop Intelligence has focused primarily on dryland farming, however, South Country Equipment says that irrigation farmers have also expressed an interest in utilizing the software.
RcFarmArm gives farmers the safe control of their tractor when they need to be standing while performing stationary PTO tasks. According to RcFarmArm, the invention by Vincent Pawluski, overlays onto a farmer’s armrest controls, and ignition key in minutes, with no wiring. RcFarmArm says farmers just need to secure both modules and plug into the tractor’s accessary power port.
RcFarmArm says it can control engine starting and stopping; can engage/disengage PTO, has 2 hydraulic functions on/o. and six user-customizable functions. PTO engage and engine start have a safety interlock, therefore requiring two buttons to be depressed together to perform these functions.
The team at Canada’s Farm Show (CFS) says it is this new, cutting edge technology that is the heart of CFS.
Headline photo courtesy Rodono