Valagro’s biostimulant TALETE scoops award

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Valagro’s biostimulant TALETE scoops award: Valagro, a leading company in the development, production and marketing of biostimulants and specialty nutrients for crops, has been recognized at the 2021 Crop Science Awards for the innovative biostimulant TALETE, which has been awarded Best New Biological Product (Biostimulant).

In its history, which is more than 10 years long, this prestigious annual event (previously known as Agrow Awards) has honoured the most successful scientific, technological, and leadership initiatives in the field of innovative crop protection inputs and digital agriculture industries from all over the world.

Valagro’s biostimulant TALETE scoops award

Valagro’s biostimulant TALETE scoops award

TALETE, developed by means of our proprietary GeaPower® technology, helps crops enhance Crop Water Productivity, the economical or biophysical gain for each unit of water used in crop production. Composed of biomolecules of plant origin, TALETE acts directly on plant physiology, promoting sustainable production in both conditions of adequate water availability and of permanent or temporary water scarcity.

Giuseppe Natale, CEO of Valagro:

“We learn with great pleasure about the prestigious Crop Science Award received by TALETE, as it testifies to and celebrates Valagro’s work in creating a sustainable future for people and nature – efforts that we now share with Syngenta as one team. TALETE is our answer to the needs of the farmers who struggle with water scarcity and of those who keep an eye on optimal management of agricultural inputs: we created it not only by putting innovation at the service of the environment, but also with a view on social and economic needs of the farmers. We are now happy and proud to see that the results of our mindset have been recognized as an excellence in the biologicals sector and we believe this achievement reinforces our will to pursue this ambitious goal.”

Corey Huck, Head Global Biologicals, Syngenta:

“Syngenta and Valagro invest into biological research to meet the needs of farmers, connecting science with nature. We are delighted that our efforts have been recognized by the industry. The Crop Science Award reinforces TALETE’s tangible contribution to growers who experience difficulty in accessing water or in managing it optimally, thus contributing to a sustainable future for people and nature. Congratulations to the Valagro team for this well-deserved honor.”

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Ground-breaking resort chooses Club Car

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Ground-breaking resort chooses Club Car: Club Car, the world’s largest manufacturer of small-wheel electric vehicles, has supplied a fleet of cars to Kigali Golf Resort & Villas, the first 18-hole golf facility in Rwanda.

The resort is in the centre of the Rwandan capital, Kigali, and features a new Championship course by Gary Player Design. The 65-hectare site had previously been a nine-hole course but has been reinvented into 18 new holes, plus a driving range.

Ground-breaking resort chooses Club Car

Ground-breaking resort chooses Club Car

Nathanael Pietrzak-Swirc, International Director of UGOLF, the management company for Kigali Golf Resort & Villas, said: “There were many reasons why we opted for Club Car – style, comfort, features and, most importantly, reliability. Club Car fits so well with the 5-star experience we are looking to deliver.”

Kigali Golf Resort and Villas is the first in the Rwandan government’s target of creating four golf courses in the next five years to give Rwandans and expats the chance to discover the game, as well as tap into the international golf tourism market.

With long-term ambitions of hosting tournaments, Kigali Golf Resort & Villas also boasts a new clubhouse, health club, spa and tennis club. Real estate will also be an important component, with around 150 villas planned across the development.

Nicolas Le Glas, Club Car’s Regional Sales Manager France, Middle East & Africa, added: “This is an ambitious project and we are proud to be part of the first development of this kind in Rwanda. The resort has a mix of Tempo cars which are electric, aligning well with the resort’s green strategy, and four-seater Onward vehicles, which will be used as a VIP car to let people discover the course and to transport golfers between the 12th and the 13th holes, which is quite a long walk.”

With completely customisable options – including colour, seats, storage, wheels and three programmable drive modes to maximize performance, Club Car’s Onward Passenger vehicle comes with a 4.7hp motor and 375 Amp controller as standard which deliver outstanding hill-climbing power and acceleration.

Nathanael Pietrzak-Swirc concluded: “One of our aims is to attract international travellers, particularly business people. We already have 250 members and we are aiming to have 500 within three years. The resort’s city centre location will be a major draw for people wanting to play golf during a trip.”

Club Car supplies many of the world’s leading golf destinations with its wide range of vehicles, and is an official supplier to the European Tour, the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) and St Andrews Links Trust.

For more information on Club Car visit: www.clubcar.com

For more information on Kigali Golf Resort & Villas visit: www.kigaligolf.rw

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Farmtrac tractor wins Innovation Award

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Farmtrac tractor wins Innovation Award: Farmtrac’s all-electric FT25G tractor has won the SALTEX Innovation Award in the Environmental and Sustainability category.

The award celebrates some of the most ground-breaking, innovative products and services within the groundscare industry and this year received over 33 entries in 12 categories.

Farmtrac tractor wins Innovation Award

Farmtrac tractor wins Innovation Award

This win for Farmtrac’s all-electric tractor is a big step forward on the path towards fully sustainable machinery in the industry. Steven Haynes, tractor sales manager at Farmtrac distributor Reesink Agriculture, accepted the award at the winners’ ceremony on the first day of the show, commenting:

“We are incredibly proud to have received this award from GMA and its judging panel. As the first company to enter the market with an all-electric compact tractor, Farmtrac wanted to ensure that this tractor could perform as well as any diesel compact without any major drawbacks for those choosing to go electric.

“A lot of time has been spent on the design and test phase to ensure that it could meet or exceed the performance levels of the diesel machines with the added benefits that come from being battery-powered. We feel this is something that we have been able to achieve with the FT25G, so to be recognised for this by the GMA is a great accolade for us.”

Featuring a 72V lithium-ion battery and onboard charger, the FT25G can be charged from any domestic socket to 100 percent in eight hours for up to seven hours operation. It was on the Reesink e-Vehicles stand at the show which welcomed more participants than ever before at the exhibition taking place in Birmingham on 3-4 November 2021.

The fully sustainable tractor attracted huge interest from attendees keen to see the winning machine which so impressed the award’s independent panel of industry experts with its clean energy offering that doesn’t compromise on performance or reliability.

For the first time this year, the GMA announced there would be additional innovation categories, including Environmental and Sustainability – the one that made it possible for Farmtrac to reach new heights. GMA CEO Geoff Webb said: “We launched the SALTEX Innovation Award to celebrate the very best in new groundscare technology. The competition has significantly grown year on year, and the Innovation Award has helped to put a wide number of products on the map.”

To talk to someone about Farmtrac tractors or becoming a Farmtrac dealer, call 01480 226800, email info@reesinkagriculture.co.uk or check online at reesinkagriculture.co.uk

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Successful SALTEX for Ventrac

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Successful SALTEX for Ventrac: Returning from a very successful SALTEX show, Rupert Price, managing director of UK importer Price Turfcare, says that Ventrac has now been accepted as a relevant brand in the UK groundscare sector.

“At the end of the first day at the show, we were returning to the hotel and reflecting on the high level of business and number of visitors that we had seen. Honestly, we were sceptical about the possible visitor numbers prior to the show, but were very pleased with the footfall across the stand and the number of demonstration requests received. The discussion with the first visitor set the tone for the day with a demonstration arranged for late November.

Successful SALTEX for Ventrac

Successful SALTEX for Ventrac

“It occurred to us that we were being perceived in a different way than at previous events; we had become an accepted and credible brand in the sector. Instead of having to explain who we were and what the machine could do, we were talking to an audience who had seen it on social media, in the trade press and at events and now understood the benefits that it could bring to their business.

“For me, this change of perception was a very pleasing and a testament to the efforts of the small team here at the company. They have worked tirelessly to promote and demonstrate the machine across the UK for the past six years. We have come from nowhere in 2017, when we launched at BTME and with the incredible support of the manufacturer, Venture Products Inc, we have gone from a presence of zero machines to over 200 today. The forward order book is healthy, we are getting regular shipments of machines and are now looking at larger premises for the new year.

“The atmosphere at SALTEX was very positive; people were really pleased to be meeting up with the industry again. It was just a good feeling to see customers, prospects and former colleagues in a positive environment. There were many discussions about supply chain issues, the inevitable price rises that we are all experiencing and the state of the sector, but all-in-all, it demonstrated the robustness of UK groundscare. For us, a great show!”

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Football Foundation to power up grass pitches

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Football Foundation to power up grass pitches: The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation has today announced the launch of its ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign, which will revolutionise the state of grass football pitches in England.

The country’s biggest sports charity is on a mission to improve over 7,000 grass pitches by 2024 and 20,000 by 2030, to ensure the 12 million grassroots football players across the country have great places to play.

Football Foundation to power up grass pitches

Football Foundation to power up grass pitches

Around 87% of affiliated football is played on grass pitches, and with over 150,000 matches cancelled due to poor pitch quality during the last football season alone, play is often brought to a halt. The improvements brought about thanks to the Football Foundations work will make these cancellations a thing of the past. Further more if the improvements are achieved, by 2030 grassroots football pitches in England will be able to facilitate an additional 30,000 matches per week.

Improving facilities means that more people across England will get to enjoy playing the nation’s favourite sport, transforming people’s physical and mental wellbeing, as well as supporting local communities and economies.

To help make this ambition a reality, the Football Foundation has developed an app which is now being rolled out across the country. ‘PitchPower’ is an online tool that gives every community football club and organisation in the country the ability to carry out their own grass pitch inspections, providing fast and accurate data which is less time intensive and more efficient than in person inspections. Once an inspection is submitted, Regional Pitch Advisers at the Grounds Management Association produce an assessment report with bespoke advice and recommendations to improve the grass pitch quality at a site.

By using this tool more widely, the Football Foundation anticipates it will be able to carry out as many as 20,000 inspections a year, five times as many as in the past. In its trial phase, PitchPower has helped to inspect almost 5,000 pitches. These inspections have led to 446 grants being issued worth £8.6m, all of which has gone towards improving 1,564 pitches.

Once inspections have been completed via the PitchPower app – clubs and facilities are then eligible to apply for funding from the Football Foundation to support pitch improvements identified through the app.

Along with PitchPower unlocking funding, clubs and organisations will also be encouraged to upskill their workforce by having access to a range of free courses from the Grounds Management Association and join a community of professional and amateur groundskeepers on the free Football Foundation Groundskeeping Community App.

Robert Sullivan, Football Foundation Chief Executive Officer, said:

“Millions of players are left disappointed every year when their matches are cancelled due to poor quality pitches, something the Football Foundation and its partners are working tirelessly to prevent. We have made some ambitious targets when it comes to improving grass pitches – we want to get 20,000 pitches to ‘good’ quality by 2030 – to ensure no games are called off because of a poor quality pitch.

“Thanks to funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government our dedicated teams will be working hard to ensure clubs and facilities across the country have the support and resource they need to power up their grass pitches.”

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