First robotic tractor makes Suff olk debut
The UK’s fi rst commercially available ro- botic tractor started work on a Suff olk farm earlier this year. The Robotti 150D from Danish man-
ufacturer Agrointelli took to the fi elds in April at Home Farm Nacton on the out- skirts of Ipswich. It is weeding vegeta- ble crops, including leeks and onions, using a harrow. “A large amount of our produce is or-
ganic, so we are increasingly limited in how we can control weeds,” said farm director Andrew Williams. “Mechanical weeding is repetitive
work, as is manual weeding, and sourc- ing seasonal, overseas labour is becom- ing increasingly diffi cult. We wanted to future-proof the farm and Robotti is per- fectly suited to our set-up.” The Robotti 150D is autonomously
controlled by GPS via an onboard com- puter. Rather than depending on a hu- man driver, it follows a pre-programmed route in the fi eld and can automatically detect obstacles. The model at Home Farm has two
Kubota 75 HP Diesel or bio-fuel engines. The leſt engine propels the machine and powers a conventional three-point hitch which can be fi tted with standard im- plements. Gordon Cummings, of farmer-owned
cooperative Fram Farmers, helped bring the machine to the UK. Other fresh pro- duce growers are expected to purchase similar machines in the near future, said Mr Cummings.
Anglia Farmer
In print and online at
www.angliafarmer.co.uk
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AUGUST 2021 •ANGLIA FARMER 29 23/07/2021 10:19
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