Hummingbird and RKRS - Advanced crop analytics

We have recently teamed up with Hummingbird Technologies who provide advanced crop analytics on a 24hr turnaround, to operate a Sequoia equipped sensefly drone for them. This is very similar ot our own drone but is the new and improved version! This means that from us coming out to the farm and imaging the requisite fields you will have a bespoke targeted spray/fertiliser application recommendation within 24 hours. This can be viewed in the field on mobile devices, in the office on web software as well as integrating with a number of commonly used farm mangement software packages.

What does this give us?

1. improved endurance = greater area coverage/day
2. more sensors on board = less flight time required
3. faster product turnaround = application recomendations within 24 hours
4. detection of blackgrass
5. precision weed mapping

Head on over to their website Hummingbird for a fuller idea of what they can provide, or give us a call, we are always happy to discuss your requirements and how we could help make your farm more efficient and boost profit.

End of year update summary

We’ve been particularly busy over the last few months and while we have managed to update our Facebook page a bit more regularly, the news section here has taken a bit of a back seat when posting updates! As such we thought a little summary update would be interesting (pictures included) to show you what has been keeping us busy and also demonstrate the range of work we undertake and differing pieces of equipment we use/have access to as and when the job requires. If you have any questions or would like some similar work undertaking please feel free to drop us a line either through the contact page Contact Us or old school with a phone call.

Log Splitting

Starting off with some log splitting for a customer – this was all oversize oak that we first broke down using our 17 ton tractor splitter and then brought the processor in to cut/spplit it further into manageable 10″ logs ready for the fire. Our photography is worse than our work so unfortunately it was a bit dark when we took the photo of the log pile we produced, but suffice to say it should see the winter out, and a bit!

Small tractor feeds big tractor

Scrub clearance

Some different requirements initially with the tractor and chipper on a steep bank. This was to open up/return park land to its intended state while also having the added bonus of opening up a track which should allow it to dry out quicker and thereby prolonging it’s lifespan.

Bank work to clear hawthorn

Semi finished state

We have also had a tracked mulcher back onto a job where we cleared a decent area of scrubland to return to a useable field for grazing. The photo’s below show the machine as well as what we were workingour way through (which covered the whole site) and the finished fields – less their initial reed and hawthorn covering!

The tracked mulcher on a SSSI reed bed – making sure we don’t sink!

A clear path through the scrub

Before and after in the same shot…

The finished article – not a hawthorn bush in sight!

Felling and Extraction

More recently we have been busy felling some larger trees on a golf course. Here our lightweight equipment has come into its own, protecting the fairways from damagewhilst still being able to shift a significant amount of timber. The sale of all of this timber covered our bill so in effect the work was nil cost to the customer! As we say ‘we may have small kit but our output is still pretty mighty!’ The last photo in this run is of the amount of timber we cut/extracted in a 9 day period all the while staying out of the way of the odd stray golf ball.

Timber of the fairway

Tread lightly when on the course!

Small kit but Mighty output

Timber Haulage/Firewood

To keep up with our own firewood requirements we’ve also been updating our stocks of timber. Bringing in a slightly bigger trailer than normal (11 tons) we managed to haul some local timber back to the yard. This will all be split and stored over the coming months to fully season in anticipation of being sold next winter (17/18). We still have stocks of sesoned hardwood left for this winter, so please give us a call to arrange delinery and ensure the fires burn bright over Christmas.

Larger timber extraction kit

Some wiggly timber for firewood processing….

Canopy Raise

Our last photo in this montage…..

We were recently asked to raise the lower branches along a roadside, this was to try and stop lorries from removing them with their bodywork! Ahectic few days in hi viz saw us lift approximatley half a mile of roadside trees with the use of a MEWP access platform. This amde the work both safer and quicker for all involved. Branch material was chipped back into the hedgeline to leave a tidy verge and hopefully will ensure the trees remain damage free for a good few years from any passing lorries.

MEWP Canopy Raise

We think that sums up some of the things we’ve been up to recently and we would like to thank all our customers in 2016 and look forwards to working with many of them again in 2017. If you have any projects you would like our assistance with please feel free to get in touch and we wish you all a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year.

Woodland Thinning – Farm woodlands

We have been flat out recently undertaking some woodland thinning on Farm woodland scheme plantations. A busy few weeks has seen a good few acres heavily thinned which has had the following benefits:

1. More light has been let down to the woodland floor improving biodiversity as other species can grow ( while the tree canopy is still open)
2. Remaining trees have more space and less competition so should put on more timber (more valuable final crop)
3. Improved access into the woodland
4. Better access for habitat management and the management of game birds using the area
5. A large supply of Firewood to keep houses warm this winter!

Woodland edge prior to thinning

Woodland middle before thinning

Woodland edge after thinning

Woodland middle after thinning

Looking down a newly created ride post thinning

Low impact thinning

All of the work was undertaken with the intent of causing the minimum amount of disturbance and damage possible (excluding the removal of the trees). Felling was undertaken by hand cutters using chainsaws and all extraction was completed using our low impact tractor and trailer to keep ground damage to a minimum. One of the advantage of using hand cutters over machinery is that it allows us to tidy up the branch material “brash” to the edge of the ride to leave a clear access track if required. Machines although faster tend to leave the brash in the middle of the ride and run over it, although they can then go back later and tidy it up too.

Removing timber without leaving a mark

The result is a woodland that has better future growth potential through more space for the remaining trees, improved habitat for wildlife and a large supply of firewood to keep the home fires burning in what we hope at least is a chilly winter this year!

For more pictures of the work and its results please visit our Facebook page.

New Equipment

We are continuously striving to improve the service and value for money we are able to offer our customers and this involves investing in new equipment to make us more efficient in the work we do. As well as improving the finished product this equipment invariably saves time (and therefore clients money), as well as our body – allowing us to do more in a day!

This recent investment comprises of 2 main pieces – a new forwarding trailer and a post knocker to go onto the alpine tractor.

Post Knocker

The post knocker has already proved it’s worth, going out on a job the very same day we took delivery. A small package it still packs quite a punch with a 180kg weight putting in posts far quicker than we could manage by hand.

Compact post knocker

Its small dimensions mean that we can get the machine into small paddocks and onto sites that are not suited to larger farm based equipment. On this particular job we had to go through a gap in the hedge of the customers garden, which you can just see to the front left of the tractor.

Threading through the garden

Forwarding Trailer

We have also upgraded out forwarding trailer to make the most of the power the tractor has. The new trailer is able to carry up to 3 tons but with the flotation tyres still leaves minimal impact of its passing.

Dog sheltering from the sun

Oak trunk being recovered

The whole set up is still easy to transport as we had it custom made, it cleverly shrinks to fit onto our flatbed and can be towed to site by us.

Loaded up for movement to site

If you would like to talk to us about the new equipment and any operations we can undertake using it, please feel free to drop us a line.

Benefits of Aerial Imagery

There are numerous benefits of aerial imagery in modern precision agriculture. A recent study from Russia showed how a reduction of fertiliser applied to a field by 20% was possible through the use of a drone like ours.

The drone that we use to capture images for Precision Agriculture.

You can watch a short video summarising the study here Fertiliser reduction by 20% At 3:29 long the video is easy to watch while having a break from paperwork.

The video also demonstrates how modern technology can work alongside old technology – in this case the tractor and use of tractor driver ability to create straight tramlines or lack of!

Benefits of Drones/Precision Agriculture explained by Ohio University

We also came across this slightly longer video (7:19) produced by Ohio University Drone Benefits explained.  This video outlines some of the uses and associated advantages from using UAV’s in agriculture and how images taken from above can help decide future farm plans for cropping and management. Whilst a bit long winded it does demonstrate the different uses and advantages that aerial imagery provide. Whether you would like to also look at potential soil type or map crop health using Near Infra Red cameras there are all sorts of possibilities.

The end goal from all of this is to provide the farmer with more information that allows them to grow their crops more efficiently by targeting fertiliser/chemical applications where they are required and can give the most benefit whilst minimising both financial and environmental costs.

If you have any queries on using a UAV to assist with your farm/crop management plans, please feel free to contact us either from the site or through email/phone. Details of which can be found here. We are more than happy to discuss bespoke options for aerial imagery, if you would like to view something other than your fields and forests from above.

Timber forwarding

We are starting timber forwarding for a customer so as to build up their stock of firewood in anticipation of this winter.

Although this may seem a little bit early to start collecting timber for the winter it does allow the stacks time to season. The key reason for this is to reduce the moisture content of the log prior to burning. This means that the firewood is just providing heat from the combustion process rather than losing energy by evaporating excess moisture out of the log prior to combustion = less heat in the room!

Small Timber Forwarding Kit still equals Big Effect

The equipment we use allows us to bring in larger pieces of timber (which is more efficient) which can then be processed into firewood at the customers chosen location, this also minimises multiple handling and thereby cost to the customer.

It is surprising just how much we can shift in a few hours, even with our low impact kit, the photos above show what was recovered over the course of a day and this is despite quite a long drive from the woods to the timber stacks.

Some of the benefits of the equipment we run are:

1. We can get to smaller parcels of woodland that may not be accessible for bigger equipment. This allows us to extract the valuable timber and recover it for you, with minimal fuss and mess, direct to where you need it.
2. Low cost of transporting the equipment to and from site.
3. The equipment is particularly stable on steep slopes and undulating ground. Safer for us and you.
4. We can do everthing from felling the trees, extracting and recovering the timber to a specified site and then converting the tree lengths into useable firewood.

If you would like to discuss any woodland operations please feel free to Contact Us

Clean Kit… minimising pests and diseases

We’ve cleaned everthing off ready to go out again… doing our bit to keep pests and diseases out of woodlands.

Clean kit about to go out to the woods

Not solely to keep everything looking nice a shiny and out OCD cleaning….

One of the key reason’s for cleaning the equipment we use in the woods is to ensure biosecurity between sites. This is to ensure that no pests or diseases (if present) are transferred from one site  to the next, thereby minimising the potential risk of transferring non native invasive species (eg. Himalayan Balsam) or diseases (Ash dieback, Chalara Fraxinea). For more info on keeping it clean please take a moment to have a look at the Forestry Commission’s information page linked here.

With the global trade in timber products we are seeing lots of timber being imported into the UK, which has not always been treated sufficiently prior to arrival to ensure that there are no living pests/diseases arriving with it. There are a number of things you can do ranging from buying locally produced firewood (rather than imported because it’s £5 cheaper) to managing neglected woodlands (Phytophthora ramorum – often affecting larch – flourishes amongst rhodedendron and dark woodlands with limited arirflow. Ideal conditions for the disease to establsih and spread from).

If you have some woodland or pests and diseases that you are concerned about or would like to bring a wood back into a managed state, get in touch via the contact us page here and we will do all we can to help.

Forest Mulching

The Bobcat Machine we have had in this week to complete the forest mulching/ride clearance has been a tracked one – Handy in some of the wetter areas that we have encountered over the last few days. The amount of work that we have done with this mulcher set up has been exceptional and we have created some cracking new habitat areas for the local wildlife to enjoy. This will create areas for wildlife to warm up in the suna nd dry off after the rains we seem to be having at the moment. The grass should now come back having been given access to light – so long as we can keep on top of blackthorn/bramble regrowth – there isnow a lot of rides to mow so looking at the grasss growth already we hope to be busy over the summer!We managed to convince a budding Spielberg to join us in the woods today and we have added a slightly better video to our Facebook and Youtube pages (click here for Facebook and YouTube) . I can assure you that our forest work is better than our camera work though!

A few new pictures to keep you interested too…..

A perfect spot for breakfast:

Before:

After:

The last stint before completing the woodland…..

Ride clearance

We have been busy over the last few days doing some ride clearance.

This work allows some other flora and fauna a chance as opposed to everything being overtaken by brambles. The pheasants in particular are loving the work,

happily rooting around about 10m in front of the working machine. This will benefit game drives and despite what some say about disturbing the birds during the season they seem to be quite unconcerned and happy with their new space!

There are some more photo’s and a couple of short video’s on our facebook page Click Here so please feel free to have a look.

if we can assist your shoot/woodlands by creating some breathing space for trees and wildlife please drop us a line or click here Contact to be redirected to our contact us page.

Scrub Clearance

A quick update on some recent Scrub clearance works

We’ve been doing some clearance to let some light (and water) back into a pond site. The removal of the trees has also allowed the water back into the pond and it is filling up again – quite quickly with the wet weather we’ve been experiencing recently!!

Before

During

Finished works with some of the timber still to be removed.

To facilitate the scrub clearance we took our tractor mounted chipper onto site and chipped the smaller diameter timber in situ to save time and money for the landowner. The tractor and chipper all go onto the back of a flatbed trailer and can easily be moved to site and then due to the lighter footprint of the machine it is able to get into sensitive sites that may not be possible with larger or tow behind equipment.

If you have some unloved areas of your own that coud do with a tidy up, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are more than happy to come and have a look and advise on potential options.