Farming Monthly National August 2018 | Page 13

Rapid expansion calls for Gibbons Agricultural Fans rebranding

When Gibbons Agricultural Fans launched a range of steel and aluminium crop-conditioning fans last year , the Essexbased company couldn ’ t have envisaged just how quickly the business would grow .
| Arable

A s Gibbons began supplying its 0.13 – 2.2kW graincooling pedestal fans to farmers across the UK and beyond , it became clear that there was so much more that it could offer to help before , during and after harvest .

A determination to assist farmers with all aspects of their electrical and mechanical requirements has led to the gradual addition of several time and energy-saving solutions to the Gibbons portfolio .
In the space of just 18 months , Gibbons has transformed its agricultural offering into one of the most comprehensive in the marketplace . To properly reflect the complete range of solutions it
now offers , Gibbons Agricultural Fans has been shortened to simply Gibbons Agricultural , with a new logo revealed as part of the rebranding .
The Gibbons Agricultural range is suitable for new and existing crop stores and includes : Plug & Dry™ A selection of time and energysaving accessories including fan starters , thermostats and extension leads which are designed to be fully compatible with the Gibbons Agricultural fans range . Each of these ‘ plug-andplay ’ solutions can be quickly installed by the user , removing the cost of having an electrician attend site . Gibbons offers full after-sales support , with engineers available to answer technical queries .
Plug & Cool™ Barn System
A packaged solution of grain fans , pedestals , starters and extension cables that allows users to automatically manage crop temperature from a single control panel . Once the desired temperature is set , wireless probes placed in the grain pile communicate continuously with the fully-equipped panel to ensure consistent and accurate temperature control .
Every Plug & Cool™ Barn System is bespoke designed , with the capacity for multiple fans within crop stores of all sizes . Farm services A comprehensive range of bespoke electrical services for grain stores and other farm buildings , including wiring , door controls , lighting and control panels . Gibbons also supplies ,
installs , maintains and repairs all makes and models of electric motors , pumps , gearboxes and variable-speed drives .
Gibbons Agricultural Manager Josie Pickard says : “ We know that having access to this complete range of grain products and services from a single provider means farmers pay less than they would by sourcing individually , not to mention the time saving .
“ Using a single contractor also means less disruption while equipment is being installed compared with having multiple providers on site .”
For all enquiries , call Gibbons Agricultural Manager Josie Pickard on 01621 868 138 or email josie @ gibbonsgroup . co . uk

UK Potato Processors ’ Association responds to Government announcement of support for farmers during dry weather

UK potato processors ( crisp and French fry manufacturers ) have welcomed the Government ’ s commitment , in reaction to the current hot and arid weather conditions , to allow flexibility for farmers in the application of the rules on water abstraction .

W hilst this is an important step , this will not in itself resolve the issue . The reality is that the UK potato processing sector faces significant challenges this year , resulting from the current weather conditions , and especially as a result of the 10 consecutive days in July where recorded temperatures rose above 300C .

Whilst it is too early to give a definitive view of the impact on the yield and size of this year ’ s crop , from the recently published AHDB figures on area plantingii it is clear that volumes will be significantly lower than average , and it is extremely likely that there will be serious issues in terms of availability of potatoes that are suitable for processing .
We believe that there will be an impact on potato size , dry matter and potentially an increase in defects such as cracking and bruising . It is also likely that there will be less crop going into storage , and not all stored crops will be of optimum quality . This will mean that impacts for UK potato processors will last well into the first half of 2019 .
Similar weather conditions have been observed across mainland Europe , and it will limit surplus materials available for import . The lack of a definitive position on potato and potato seed importation , post-EU exit on 29 March 2019 only adds to the challenges that we face .
UK potato processors will of course take a pragmatic and flexible approach wherever possible , but we are limited to a certain extent by legislation and physical characteristics of specific varieties used for crisps and French fry production .
www . farmingmonthly . co . uk August 2018 | Farming Monthly | 13