ROBOCROP IN ROW WEEDER
THE COMPANY
ROBOCROP HIGH SPEED GUIDED HOE
The concept Robocrop In Row Weeder was first introduced to the press in 2004 and went to market in 2008. Since that time 100’s of machines have been built and supplied in the UK and around the world. This machine takes the crop location from the standard Robocrop High Speed Hoe and adds another dimension by locating every single plant to allow the computer to mechanically control the activation of the inter plant weeding units. The In Row Weeder is self levelling and self seeking to ensure it follows the rows and plants accurately, to perform this efficient operation. When working to its optimum, the
The company was initially formed in the mid 1950’s when local farmer, Norman Garford developed his own sugar beet harvester after spending considerable time hand harvesting sugar beet on the family farm in South Lincolnshire. The three point linkage mounted machine appeared at the British Sugar national beet demonstrations and orders followed. Because Mr Garford was a farmer and not a manufacturer, he went into partnership with an engineer and a local blacksmith and GBW was formed to manufacture and sell these harvesters. The present company was re-formed in the mid seventies with Mr Garford and his four sons working both on the farm and producing agricultural machinery. It was at this time that he decided to develop what is now the Victor sugar beet harvester range. In 1984 the company moved to its present location on the outskirts of the small market town of Market Deeping in south Lincolnshire. The company has evolved & grown and now, due to the reduction in the number of farmers growing sugar beet, further products have been developed and imported establishing the business in its position today as the only UK manufacturer of mechanical hoeing equipment. The reputation of the company in the weed control business strengthened in 1997 when it was approached by the then NIAE institute to assist in the development of a camera guidance system for hoeing. The Robocrop was born and Garford Farm Machinery is now recognised as the market leader in precision guidance weeding systems. The awarding winning Robocrop guidance system was further developed and in 2005, in conjunction with Tillet and Hauge, the Robocrop In Row Weeder was launched. This unique machine uses camera technology to locate individual plants in the field to allow mechanical weeding, both around the plant and between the rows. The Robocrop In Row Weeder has won many prestigious prizes and awards both in the UK and European markets and is exported to USA, Canada, Australia, China, Israel and the European community. The company prides itself on providing a bespoke solution to all clients’ precision weeding requirements using production built assemblies with a talented multi-skilled work force and worldwide after sales support.
The control of weeds is one of the most important requirements in the production of foods for yield, quality and reduction in contamination. The traditional method of hoeing weeds was labour intensive and time consuming but with the advent of chemical solutions, growers had little need for mechanical hoeing but today, all that has changed. The need to control our environment to protect wildlife and its habitat has meant that farmers worldwide have had to return to the control of weeds with more traditional methods. This is where the Garford Robocrop High speed guidance hoe is in its element. Whether you are growing cereals, maize, sugar beet, vegetables, salads, flowers, soft fruit, trees and shrubs, this machine can provide you with a solution for your weed control. The Robocrop High Speed Hoe can be built from 1.5m to 18m in working width and accurately work within 1cm of the centre of the plant at speeds of up to 20kph. The system uses a video camera to seek the crop foliage ahead and by looking at multiple rows is able, with the use of a computer and forward speed control, to accurately guide the hoe (via the hydraulically activated side shift) to extreme precision. The actions of the machine are all monitored in the tractor cab with a live visual feed.
machine can work at forward speeds of 3 to 4 plants per second and is capable of weeding up to 98% of the unplanted ground. The In Row Weeder is primarily designed to work in transplanted crops such a salads and vegetables as a great degree of plant spacing accuracy is required. However the machine is being used more and more now in precision planted crops to provide a near complete weed control. The In Row Weeder is ideally suited to the large production of chemical free salads and vegetables and provides the farmer with weed control at lower running costs than manual labour.
Garford Farm Machinery Ltd Frognall Deeping St James Peterborough PE6 8RP England Tel: +44(0)1778 342642 Fax: +44 (0)1778 348949 Email: info@garford.com
www.garford.com
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