Reesink Agri

 New machinery distributor Reesink Agri enters the Irish market with Kaweco high end slurry equipment from the Netherlands 

Dutch company Royal Reesink is a market leading international distributor and service provider in the field of high quality machinery, components and services in agriculture, landscape maintenance, Turfcare and warehouse equipment. The 238 year old Dutch giant was founded by Hendrik Reesink as a one man operation in the Netherlands in 1786 and today employs over 2,500 people in around 40 subsidiaries worldwide. 

Tomás Cooney explained that and the new Reesink Agri Division in Ireland will run alongside their existing Turfcare division in Nurney Co. Kildare and that the first product they are introducing is the Kaweco range of high end slurry equipment from the Netherlands. 

With a rich history Kaweco have been producing slurry tanks in their plant in Hengelo since 1969 and are part of the wider Royal Reesink Group. They excel at producing high end specialized slurry tanks for intensive users and contractors looking to maximise output and efficiency. They also specialise in slurry injection with applicator options of up to 12 metres wide for both tillage and grassland. 

He explained that with splash plate slurry spreading outlawed in the Netherlands since 1992 both tanker technology and application methods have reached a more advanced level there with 95% of slurry now applied through injection. Dutch regulations also oblige farmers to record all slurry application details on a central data base and with regulations also tightening here it is something Irish farmers are also expecting to see introduced in the future. 

Kaweco slurry tank range 

Kaweco produce a wide range of tanks to meet all customer needs including trailed, goose neck and self propelled units. The Profi I, II and III trailed tanker range varies in size from 2200 to 7000 gallons with single, twin, tandem and tridem axle options available. Trailing shoe options are available from 6 to 30m and disc injector models are from 5.6 to 12m for tillage and grassland applications. 

At the recent Irish launch event the company were using a twin axle KAWECO PROFI II 4000 gallon contractor model tank with a Liftmax premium linkage system enabling the machine to be used with both a 15m Bomech Trailing shoe and a Kaweco Opti-Ject 8m Disc Injector offering contractors plenty of flexibility depending on their customers needs. 

Most tanks are built to order and the integrated chassis and modular build of the tank makes it very easy to add additional options at a later stage. The machine is divided into 2 compartments and empties from the back first keeping weight applied on the tractor ensuring better balance and traction. 

Other notable features are the rotary lube pump which is positioned under the machine for maximum filling and unloading capacity. The flowmeter is mounted vertically to ensure a more even flow of slurry at start up and in combination with the Isobus system it ensures slurry flow is automatically regulated in conjunction with tractor forward speed and PTO rpm. 

For further details see Kaweco.com or contact Tomás Cooney directly on 087 2470684. The Reesink Agri/Kaweco stand at the Ploughing will be in block 2, row 1 stand 8. 

World’s largest batch milking farm unveiled

DeLaval has announced the largest robot batch milking farm is working well at Lønholm Agro near Kolding, Denmark. The 830 strong pedigree Jersey herd is being milked by 24 VMS™ V310 robots in a unique batch milking system which will enable owner Klaus Jakobsen to grow the herd to 1400 cows in the near future.

“We started milking in May this year and the cows adapted very quickly. Batch milking is the right system for our 700 hectare farm because we needed to reduce our dependence on skilled labour and have a milking method that could be scaled up easily and quickly,” he says. 

DeLaval launched the concept of batch milking in 2021 and there are now 150 VMS robots installed globally, with herd sizes ranging in size from 250 to 2000 cows. Batch milking requires only one unskilled staff member to milk a herd of up to 2000 which makes it attractive to markets where recruitment is difficult and skilled wages are high.

Commenting on the success of batch milking, DeLaval’s Jonas Hällman, Executive Vice President, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) says:

“The VMS batch setup is flexible and can easily be scaled up for a wide variety of farms, including very large ones. In addition, automatic milking requires little manual work, which can reduce labour dependencies and related costs.”

Batch milking has provided Mr Jacobsen with a system that can be managed from anywhere in the world. Using just a mobile device he can monitor the productivity and health of every cow using data sent by the robots.

“I can see milk yield, when and why it has fluctuated, monitor pregnancy using the robot’s progesterone testing module, and also use cameras to observe the cows being at rest and during milking,” he says.

DeLaval suggests that whilst herd sizes are growing worldwide as farms consolidate, batch milking offers a solution to managing growing herds with less dependence on labour and the benefit of more data to improve productivity.

Engineers Ireland

About Engineers Ireland

Engineers Ireland is the trusted voice of the Engineering profession, with 26,000 members. They will exhibit at the National Ploughing Championships for the first time this year, with the theme ‘Engineering Your Future’.

Dr. Edmond Harty, President

Dr. Edmond Harty (ex Dairymaster) is President of Engineers Ireland and a well-known Engineer.

As you may know, Edmond previously won the prestigious title of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Edmond will be on site throughout the event, being Engineers Ireland’s primary spokesperson and he will answer any questions about engineering.

President Michael D. Higgins – Honorary Fellow

President Michael D. Higgins is an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Ireland. 

Key Focus Areas at Ploughing

Careers

Engineers Ireland will be joined by academic partners, including Heads of Schools of Engineering from universities across Ireland. They will showcase career pathways and opportunities in Engineering via third level and apprenticeship routes.

‘ENG-E’ the Robot, serving Ice Cream

One of the key attractions at Engineers Ireland’s stand is ‘ENG-E’, the ice cream serving robot, who has been created specifically for the National Ploughing Championships to demonstrate the innovation, creativity and potential of the engineering sector in Ireland. The Engineers Ireland robot will also showcase the talent and creativity of our third-level Engineering students.

ENG-E has been developed by a team of researchers at MTU Kerry. Team members will be on site to demonstrate how robots can work alongside humans, allowing us to solve more complex engineering problems-all whilst serving delicious ice cream! 

Formula 1 Type Student Racing Car

Engineers Ireland is collaborating with TU Dublin to showcase their Formula Student Racing car on site, which previously raced at Silverstone. This car was built by third level students in the Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering programme at TU Dublin.

Cyclone Machine

A Cyclone Machine will also be in the stand to engage visitors in the importance of sustainability and innovation, with the title ‘Our climate is changing and we all have a role to play’. Visitors will enter the cyclone machine and try to catch the coloured ball. This will be a fun and interactive educational experience, learning about the role of Engineers in developing innovative solutions to some of society’s more challenging issues.

 

Family firm joins global leader Hiab.

One of Southern Ireland’s most established truck body manufacturers has been named as an official partner of a global leader in heavy lifting equipment.

Gleeson will already be a familiar name to many companies in the region having grown from a small agricultural equipment provider in 1968 to become a cutting-edge manufacturer of bodies.

Its five decades of market experience have now been recognised by Hiab, the world leading provider of load handling.

The Tipperary-based company will continue its growth as it becomes a leading Hiab sales and service provider in Southern Ireland. Gleeson will be showcasing its partnership at the National Ploughing Championships, taking place 19th to 21st September in Ratheniska, Co. 

Gleeson’s stand will be packed with the latest in Hiab’s product offerings including MULTILIFT and the brand-new HIAB iX 158 HIDUO crane which is set to hit the UK market later this month. The crane is designed to be lighter and stronger than previous generations of Hiab loader cranes and promises customers improved safety, cost efficiency, and performance reliability. 

PJ Gleeson, owner, said: “We already have a very strong reputation here in Southern Ireland having been in operation for 54 years. The partnership with Hiab will help take us to the next level, which is being well known nationally. Hiab is the biggest crane and heavy lifting operator in the world, their products are the best of the best. Customers across Ireland buy them because of the Hiab name. 

“Partnering with Hiab is the perfect fit: we have an established name here in Southern Ireland, and they are known globally so this is the best of both worlds.”

John Carnall, Vice President and Managing Director of Hiab UK & Ireland added: “Gleeson Truck Bodies are a valued partner, and we look forward to working with them to expand our service offering in Southern Ireland. This is yet another step forward for our ambitious plans to continue growing our authorised service centre and dealerships in both the UK and Ireland.

“We will continue to work closely with Gleeson, and other strategic partners, to grow the Hiab footprint so that customers can benefit from local access to our products and service engineers.”