Have you ever been in that situation where you've asked how something works, it's been explained in the simplest of terms at least twice, you still dont get it but you do the classic "ah yes, I understand"? Well that's me when Jasper explains how the Treescout system actually works from a software perspective. Luckily, I (and you) just see the end result and somehow the worlds fanciest technology is simplified to something even our glorious leader operated with ease.

Aurea have been at the forefront of the orchard scanning industry for a long time, with drones the initial focus. This created a low barrier of entry service whilst still providing highest quality outcomes, looking at blossom mapping and tree vigour.

How times change. Now comes the Treescout system. This is a tractor mounted camera system that takes high definition images of every tree in every row to take this process to the next level. They are still doing blossom and vigour mapping whilst moving onto fruit counting too...a real breakthrough for accurate crop estimations.

These services help reduce cost inputs by only spraying where it's needed, as defined by the customer, and creating a homogenous orchard of high cropping fruit.

We're so impressed by Aurea and their flexible, highly professional approach that we're absolutely delighted to partner with them and can't wait to see where their next futuristic brainwave takes them.

In the meantime for additional information and really rather more polished videos, browse their website and get in touch to see where it can integrate into your current set up!

Sometimes the future is hidden in plain sight and who would've thought Munckhof would keep innovating...

Following on from their stunning 3 row sprayer, one row airbag sprayer and (previously new) Muller spray computer; Munckhof have pulled many a new machine out the bag. Each time the question of whether you can perfect perfection is asked, the answer is always yes. Munckhof span a large chunk of the outdoor sphere and produce machines which keep your trees free from disease and pests and then help pick the red (and sometimes green) balls of money with less damage and more productivity.

Let's start at the start. The new kid on the block is the vision spray technology which utilises technology that Star Wars would be proud of. Clever one they ares. Laser technology is used to scan the row of trees in 25 places at 4000 times a second to tell each nozzle whether to spray and at what rate. This fully optimises the coverage and doesn't waste a drop of the liquid gold (price not colour) by spraying where a tree isn't. The system uses the PWM nozzle and a not insignificant amount of witchcraft to save between 20-40% on chemical use as well as optimising coverage which is vital to controlling scourges like scab and woolly aphid. This is available on all one row airbag sprayers

Take a look at this video for some more info and a look at it working: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pod-BKgHyvY

Next up! 3 row sprayer developments. This is more evolution than revolution; our best seller gets better. Now, with the breath of client's feedback still hot on our ears there have been updated options for the 3 row sprayer including: automatic shut off filling valves, load sensing hydraulics to keep your tractor's oil nice & cool, smart cleaning program, PWM nozzles for variable rate spraying and automatic airbag adjustments. Give us a call, email or Whatsapp (if you're feeling millenial about it) to discuss what these actually mean!

Lastly, (if you got this far, i'm proud of you. Too many words, too much (or little) information) let's talk about pluk-o-traks. The OG picking machine from which many a young pretender has been copied from. We heard what you've been saying about petrol engines, global warming & your love of batteries so we've created a fully electric (or hybrid..) picking machine to silently (I genuinely had to check it was still running at the dealer day...) and with much less strain, pick your entire crop. "Peter...." we hear you say "that's great but we don't know what size and colour the apples we've picked are though and it's getting us down". Fret not fictionally sad, but polite fruit grower, we have that covered too with the incredible M-Connect vision box which tells you who picked the bin, how many apples are in there, what colour, size and star sign (optional extra) they are before they even reach the cold store! This can be retrofitted to lesser picking machines of different colours by the way.... Information sheet below

If any of the above has tickled a pickle, or piqued an interest don't hesistate to get in contact and we'd be more than happy to chat through in much more detail and hopefully more clarity than the above.

Until next time, fine folks, stay safe and enjoy the sunshine

Good things happen to good people and there are very few better than everyone up at Newling Fruit Growers. These marvellous mortals had an amazing new pre-sizer installed in the Summer of 2022 (see our gushing blog post about that) which revolutionised the way they grade and pack their fruit and they haven't stopped there. This Winter they upgraded their iQS system from the performance package to the performance plus.

Look, we know its not about how many cameras you have, it's how you use them but sometimes more is just better. The upgrade of the system adds a plethora of new infrared cameras which allow the system to view defects in even more detail and across even more wavelengths to look slightly under the skin of the fruit, in order to detect the freshest of bruises. This is absolutely perfect for Newling as those sadistic sapiens like to handle the most delicate and difficult of fruits which, navigating where many others fear to tread.

The worst offender is Bramley, which as Natasha Beddingfield says, bruise easily so be gentle when you handle them. This system helps accurately identify all the emotional and physical damage as they come fresh off the tree and onto our GREEFA Combisort and into the water channels.

This is the first of such a system in the UK and just goes to show how Newling are forging the way for others to follow.

As always thank you to everyone at Newling (Rach, Edward, Edgars and Marcin) and also GREEFA too for the seemless installation (Sander and Martijn).

And breathe.......

It's safe to say this year has been rather action packed with countless installations and infinite machine services under our belts we will now let our little elves have the rest of the year off and prepare for our adventures in 2024. 

For your info, we break up from school on the 22nd December and hibernate until the 4th of January. For any urgent matters, please call the normal telephone numbers.

As always we'd like to thank everyone for their custom and friendship in 2023 and look forward to more of the same in 2024. In the meantime we'd like to wish one and all the warmest of seasonal greetings and hope you have a fabulous festive period with those you hold dearest

Feliz Navidad Amigos!

Aye Aye Aye Aye - thats right, it's Fourayes making a wonderous debut to our timeline.

The fine folks down in Sittingbourne, now part of the Puratos UK group have decided enough was enough and it's time to get a wet infeed for their peeling line. It's a fully stainless steel construction, meaning time and tides won't age it and it conforms to the highest food safety standards possible. 

Many thanks to Hugh Hamlin for making the great decision to purchase this marvellous bit of kit and Joan van Burg for helping get everything over the line. The installation was taken care of by Joan's Uncle, the stunningly speedy Piet van Burg who had everything in and running quicker than sending a thankyou card from NL to UK.

We look forward to working with Fourayes for many moons to come and thank them as always for the ongoing business

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F W Mansfield's first year of their palletisers running saw lines 5 & 6 left out; the problem children with lumps of coal for Christmas whilst the other were wrapped in cashmere with silver spoons in mouths. Well no more, come in from the cold little ones and enjoy the sweet embrace of end of line palletising. We always loved you really.

This has meant a reconfiguration of various aspects of the previous project, a perfect game of tetris has been completed to fit better than OJ's glove. The empty box infeed has switched sides and an additional strapper (I said strapper...) has been placed next to the first one to increase capacity to keep up with the palletisers. This now means there is a full pallet coming off the strappers every 4 minutes, so in the time it's taken to write this article 4836 pallets have been produced and strapped.

This plus the additional 2 palletisers means all lines are taken care and nearly fully automated. One or two more aspects and we can switch off the lights and walk away whilst the product goes from tree to shelf seamlessly without touching human hands. The last piece of the puzzle is case packers and BURG have finally created the perfect machine for the job, so watch this space for them to install and dominate the market for years to come.

This is but another part of Lee's master plan for the top fruit packhouse and my deary me how well has it come together! It's almost like he knows what he's doing...

You won't have to wait long until the next project at F W Mansfield's so keep your eyes peeled and your wits sharp. 

ACH farming have gone from strength to strength in recent years going from a relatively small shed full of graders running flat out, to a huge shed full of graders and packing machinery running flat out. Their unshakable bond with LIDL has been at the core of the rapid but controlled growth they’ve had in the past few years; not even covid could keep them apart.

After initially putting in 3 packing lines, Tom decided this wasn’t enough for the surging business and has now installed a 4th line, another BFI to add to the collection. It stands proudly next to it’s brother in arms and the crowded packhouse becomes yet more populated! This increases the capacity for flow wrapping considerably, adding another 80 ppm behemoth to the repertoire of packing possibilities for which ACH Farming are so flexible – switching between packing bags, trays and trayless packs with ease.

As well as the new BFI there is now a bagger on a roll (https://www.burgmachinefabriek.nl/en/machines/bzv-bagfiller/) to fill the new, unquenchable thirst for 2kg bags, whilst still having the ability to do any bag from 0.5kg to 3.5kg should the mood strike. This is fed quite cleverly, by the existing polybagger machines counting the apples and moving them onto a batch belt then into the BZV. This gives a capacity of around 18 bags per minute for 2kg bags and up to 30 for lower kg bags. This kind of speed with no human intervention exponentially increases efficiency and reduces cost per bag for yet further automated packing.
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As always, a big thank you to Tom Hulme for the order, Tracy Briggs for her astute eye during proceedings and our dear and fluffy Joan van Burg for his usual expertise. We look forward to our next project together with ACH Farming in the very near future! 

Is your sprayer purring like a kitten? Well that’s a sign of imminent death and you should contact us immediately for a complete overhaul. Only kidding (probably). We stand ready, willing and able to handle all sprayer servicing needs you have to throw at us this season from the trusty trailed sprayer to the gentle giant of a 3 row. We have all the parts at the ready to give the sprayer a once over and make sure all commonly perishable parts are renewed in time for their winter hibernation and spring awakening.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us today to organize your sprayer NSTS, service or purchase and we will book you into our high tech wall calendar. 

Those who book a service and NSTS simultaneously will receive a 10% discount on the NSTS certificate giving you even more reason to call us today on 01227 765069 or ping us an email at [email protected]
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Until next time, my wind demon jockeys…

Come closer, look who’s converted to the way of the Munckhof. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, the crushing realization that the green sprayers rule the windwaves comes to us all at one time or another and this is Hugh’s enlightenment. Welcome to the cult, Mr Boucher.

As Hugh’s farm evolution has progressed and his rows turn from conventional layouts to the now ubiquitous post and wire form so has his mindset in terms of spraying them. Gone are the times of infinite amounts of air and infinite amounts of spray; this is the age of the precise sprayers. We aim to penetrate the canopy of the tree to just beyond half way, ensuring when all is said and done the spray stays exactly where it’s intended, the leaf. This produces the best coverage and thus the best protection for the precious trees, optimizing health and vitality ready to bear the optimal amount of fruit.

Hugh and Gavin had engaged conversations about exactly what they’d need to balance value for money and future proofing and we have come up with the perfect package. They are now the proud owner of a fabulous sprayer which keeps them at the forefront of top fruit farming for the present and into the future thanks to the Muller computer and it’s multi-functional abilities.

If you want eternal salvation from spraying sins, it all starts with a phone call (01227 765069)
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All hail Munckhof

Well well well.....the love story continues and this time we're taking it outside. It's more of a love triangle really as Munckhof are more than a small part of it, delivering 2 brand new 3 row sprayers to F W Mansfields to continue the race towards efficient, futureproof spraying. This time the decision was taken to step into a more all encompassing multiverse and incorporate TOPCON's all singing, all dancing XD+ screen and joystick set up. This allows for the spray operator to personally create spray boundary maps which the computer remembers and can interract with any overlayed prescription maps from folks such as our friends over at Aurea imaging. This means more control over tasks and the ability to keep more in house rather than relying on other to do it for you, which always comes at a cost!

This TOPCON system was installed by the excellent LH Agro who can even log in remotely to solve any computer related issues and get you up and running ASAP as well as our fabulous engineers who can attend site and observe, diagnose and solve any problem thrown at them. 

These sprayers are without doubt the best on the market and Munckhof's relationship with Kent Fruit Services continues to blossom and bear fruit. We send our thanks to everyone at Munckhof and Craig Rook at F W Mansfields and look forward to our next project together