Royal Highland 2020 innovations award winners announced

A tractor-driven pressure washer and a state-of-the-art plant breeding programme have taken top prizes in this year’s Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) Technical Innovation Awards.

Despite the judging having to take place virtually, under coronavirus lockdown conditions, a record number of entries was received. The annual awards showcase and reward innovation and development within the agricultural sector.

See also: Find all our farm machinery content in one place

To qualify for a Gold award, the entrant must have previously won Silver awards and must show “continuous outstanding merit”, according to the event organisers.

One entrant to achieve this was Lambert & Dyson, based in Skipton, North Yorkshire, for its Landy PTO hot water pressure washer. Deriving all its power from the tractor’s PTO, the unit can operate at up to 3,000psi (206 bar) with a throughput of 30 litres of water a minute.

The Landy PTO-driven hot washer

It also has a 12v burner system which will heat the water to 90C, where this is required for particularly heavy cleaning. It can even be used for drain jetting.

The other Gold award went to Limagrain UK for it winter wheat breeding programme. The judges cited its innovative methods, from advanced trials design to double haploid and molecular biology.

The judging panel said: “Their breeding teams have produced varieties for growers, with enhanced agronomical characteristics and market opportunities, and have maintained their reputation for producing successful varieties for Scotland.”

Silver lining

The RHASS also granted six Silver awards this year to:

• Herd Advance for its Herd Advance Stockman computer system, which allows beef farmers to monitor an animal’s weight, water intake and body temperature in real time on a smartphone.
• Lely Holding for its Discovery Collector 120 – a cattle shed cleaner which vacuums up manure instead of scraping it, ensuring a cleaner floor and cleaner hooves.
• Murray Machinery for its gravel road grader, designed to reinstate gravel roads which have fallen into disrepair. The grader has been subject to a major upgrade, including the addition of a rear packer roller.
• Peel Tech for its Peel Tech filtration system, which can capture excess potato peel and starch, while recycling all the water used, thanks to its UV system.
• Polaris Britain for its Polaris Ranger XP1000 ABS – the world’s first utility vehicle to combine an anti-lock braking system with an active descent control system.
• Pottinger Landtechnik for its Pottinger Impress round baler, which boasts a lower power requirement thanks to the patented Liftup Rotor technology, whereby the crop passes over the feed rotor rather than underneath. 

RHASS steward Christopher Shepherd said the benefits of winning these awards were significant for each business.

The Pottinger Impress round baler

“The Technical Innovation Awards are a highly influential accolade that promote new ideas as well as acknowledging the work and commitment necessary to develop new products,” he said.

Given the cancellation of this year’s Royal Highland Show, the awards will be presented at Ingliston House at next year’s event.