- Following the Government’s recent announcement that it is making £27 million available to farmers to invest in productivity-boosting equipment, LH Agro has confirmed that a range of its Topcon precision farming technology is eligible for grant funding
On Tuesday 19th November, Farming Minister, Victoria Prentis announced that farmers and growers in England can apply for ‘Farming Investment Fund’ grants to buy new equipment and infrastructure which will help to improve production efficiencies.
LH Agro, Topcon’s preferred distributor in the UK, has subsequently confirmed that the grants can be used to offset the costs of the following eligible equipment:
- Topcon CropSpec canopy sensors: £11,250 grant funding
- Topcon sprayer ECU (section and variable rate controller): £1,850 grant funding
- Topcon yield monitoring ECU (for combines and root crop harvesters): £1,850 grant funding
- Manure spreader ECU (section and variable rate controller): £1,250 grant funding.
“At a time when input prices such as fertiliser are at an all time high, it’s pleasing to be able to announce that financial assistance is available to reduce the cost of investing in an array of precision farming equipment which can help to reduce input usage,” explains LH Agro Managing Director, Richard Reed.
“The time and money saving benefits of RTK and GPS enabled auto-steering and implement guidance systems are well documented, with improved accuracy and reduced drilling overlaps and misses at the crop establishment phase a given,” Mr Reed explains. “But precision farming technologies can also improve the accuracy of fertiliser and spray applications later in the cropping calendar, with real-time crop sensors such as Topcon’s CropSpec system (now available at a starting price of just over £1,000) enabling growers to ensure fertiliser inputs are applied at the right rate, the right time and in the right place.
“Aftermarket sprayer control ECUs and manure spreader controllers which add variable rate and section control capabilities to existing implements can also improve farm production efficiencies, as can aftermarket yield monitors which feed vital harvest information back into the farm manager’s office.
“We’re pleased to see that the Government recognises the value and benefit of these technologies and look forward to working with farmers to take advantage of this latest grant scheme.”
