Demand for mechanical weeding expected to soar

The mechanical weeding equipment was demonstrated at Kverneland's development centre in Soest, Germany.

The big machinery launch getting tongues wagging this year at Kverneland’s development centre in Soest is the announcement that the firm will enter the mechanical weeding space, with the launch of not just one, but three new products.

Bosses at the firm see such potential in the market, that they expect the market for mechanical weeders will quadruple within the next decade as mounting pressure and new legislated targets to reduce chemical use in the European tillage sector leave farmers with few other options to maintain yields.

Herbicide ban

Responding to a question from the Irish Examiner at the press conference, Kverneland’s director of arable systems Lars Rotseth, said: “We are still expanding and developing our portfolio, but we believe that we can expand this usage a lot.

“It is one of the areas that will grow the most aggressively in the future.

Mostly, because of the herbicide bans that will come. The organic farming target of 25% in the EU is also a major driver.

“We expect it to double within four to five years, and then another doubling after that.”

Farming organically

Kverneland acquired BC Technique last year.

The firm was founded by Mathias Bounon, a farmer based north-west of Dijon, France, who has been working his land organically for almost 25 years.

The interchangeable implements were developed for use on his own farm to overcome the challenges of farming organically.

The brand became very popular in France; however, Bounon recognised he lacked the access to the international distribution network needed to sell his inventions overseas.

The mechanical weeding equipment is designed to work with interchangeable tines and be fully adjustable to suit different row widths and crop types.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, product application specialist Marcel Wieditz, said: “He knows everything about mechanical weeding, but he is a farmer at heart.

“He says, ‘I have the best mechanical weeder on the market, but I have no connection to the complete distribution network’. He is a farmer at heart and he still farms; he is not a sales guy.

“In the last six months, we have been trying to transfer all of Mathias’ knowledge about mechanical weeding — the technique.

“On one hand, this product is a cultivator, but on the other, it is also a crop care product. It’s two machines in one.”

The mechanical weeding equipment was one of the most exciting launches this year.

The range has certainly been built with practicality at its heart.

The rotary hoe’s cast iron “star wheels” allow good penetration into heavier soils, one of the biggest challenges for weeders to overcome.

The machines also come with interchangeable tines, with different shapes designed for different crops and jobs.

The distance between can also be adjusted to suit different row widths.

“The inter-row cultivator Kverneland Onyx works in case of resistance and can be used in row crops and cereals,” junior product manager Maxime Georges, explained.

It will get as close to the plants as possible without damaging the crops by ensuring a straight line within the row.

“For different crops and row widths, a quick adaptation is possible thanks to a strong modular concept on this machine.” 

Add to this, the soft control option with lateral movement of up to 25cm to adapt to the undulations of the ground, meaning it’s not just built to perform on the bowling lawn style plots used at many test centres.

Policy

Mr Weiditz believes mechanical weeding is something every farmer will have to consider within the next few years. “In the future, farmers won’t be allowed to use as many chemicals on-farm. The target is to reduce chemical used by 50% and to increase the area farmed organically to 25% by 2030,” he said.

“If you see what’s going on on the policy side, the Government says you have to reduce your chemical use; so then for sure, if you don’t want to lose your yield on the farm, farmers will need to do something about weeds on the farm, and they will need solutions like this.

“The steering interface device is very precise and that’s the reason why we say you can drive through a cereal crop with a row distance of 12.5cm without damaging the crop. It also is very fast and can go up to 18km/h in a cereal crop.

I think that every farmer, especially in Europe has to think about mechanical weeding.

“There is no way around it. Especially, if you see how many herbicides farmers were able to use in the past and how many we can use now, and it will be an even bigger problem in the future.”

Ready for full launch

Director of marketing and sales, Dirk-Jan Stapel, explained: “The first implements have been in field all over Europe this season for presentation and training of the Kverneland distribution network.

“We are very happy with the high quality and convinced by the strong performance in the field, and are ready to go for the full launch.”

Readers can see the new mechanical weeding range for themselves at the National Ploughing Championships in September.

Work is also underway to allow the Kverneland Onyx will be able to be combined with the Kverneland iXtra LiFe for band spraying or the application of liquid fertiliser.

It will also be capable of working alongside Kverneland’s a-drill and front hopper f-drill to allow solid fertiliser to be applied while mechanical weeding is also completed in one pass.