For potato grower Ollie Dennis, of Dennis (Haddenham) Limited, running a successful 700ha arable farm that includes 400ha of potatoes grown annually for the crisping, chipping, packing and processing markets is about attention to detail and using the best technology and equipment to keep production costs as low as possible.
Ollie, who manages the family business alongside his father Jonathan and uncle William Dennis said: “In the eighty years since my great grandfather first established the business, I’d argue that the last 10 years have seen as much change as the previous 70.
“However, as farmers, we often have to remind ourselves that external factors such as unpredictable weather, Brexit, inflation and larger geopolitical events such as the war in Ukraine are out of our control, so it’s all about focusing on the elements we can control, and that includes keeping on-farm production costs as low as possible to ensure the business remains profitable.”
An early spring task is nematicide application, but given that the cost of nematicide has increased by over 50% during the last 10 years, accurate application to maximize the efficacy of the product and minimize wastage is as important as it’s ever been.
In 2014, Ollie ditched an old chain-driven applicator following calibration and maintenance problems and invested in the first of three Maxicast nematicide applicators from manufacturer Techneat Engineering.
“The key benefits of the Maxicast are that it has lower running costs than most other applicators, it’s simple to use, quick to set up, and uses the same Garmin GPS electronic rate controller as other Techneat machines – cab mounted and designed for easy output monitoring,” he said.
Ollie added that applying the nematicide is safe, accurate and straightforward thanks to a closed transfer filling system and the twelve fishtail outlets, spaced at 450mm intervals along the full width of a 5.4m boom, which he explained deliver the product precisely where it needs to be within the three-bed system via a powerful hydraulic fan.
“To further improve accuracy this season, we will be investing in an ISOBUS controller for better variable rate control and adding an auto shut-off system for more accurate headland control.
“The large 400l hopper that ensures we stop to refill less often, and with an all-weather cover to protect the machine, the Maxicast has extremely low running costs and offers a high level of accuracy. It can also be used to apply cover crops, and, since we have recently decided to minimize ploughing in future establishment, we’ll be adding a cover crop mix to improve our potatoes by putting more nutrients back into the soil and improving our soil structure from this autumn.
“Technical back-up and service support from Techneat has always been excellent with each Maxicast serviced pre-season alongside its annual National Sprayer Testing Scheme compliance test” concluded Ollie.
For more information go to www.techneat.co.uk