Brave the Brr with the Bastion

Brave the Brr with the Bastion

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Brave the Brr with the Bastion

With the temperatures set to plunge as an autumn chill arrives, the Bastion Fargo safety boot from Bobcat Safety Footwear is the ultimate choice for keeping your feet safe, secure and comfortable –  whatever the weather.

Brave the Brr with the Bastion

Brave the Brr with the Bastion

Following an exceptionally mild September, forecasters predict temperatures will tumble over the coming months as Britain braces itself for the usual year-end wet and cold. When rain arrives and ground conditions deteriorate, for groundworkers, landscapers, utility teams or other outdoor workers staying productive – and safe – starts with having the right footwear.

Guaranteed to perform come rain or shine, the Bastion Fargo safety boot  features a fully waterproof, breathable membrane, premium waterproof leather and rugged traction for superior grip on unpredictable terrain. Meanwhile, a supportive chassis enhances torsion control and stability, while slip resistance ensures secure footing when the terrain gets tough.

Though, arguably, the toughest option in the Bobcat range, the Bastion delivers the same world-leading comfort. At its core lies Bobcat’s advanced Leaf‑Spring Technology insole, engineered to return energy, reduce fatigue and evenly distribute pressure across the foot. Independent tests show this unique comfort system boosts shock absorption by 46% and outperforms leading competitors by up to 30%, reducing impact with every step.

Style is accounted for too. With the Bastion, clunky, outdated safety boots are a thing of the past. Drawing on Bobcat’s distinctive brand DNA and heritage, the range combines sharp styling with standout features that are as bold and dependable as its name, including a moulded heel with kick spur and a robust, hard‑wearing form. Add the option of a sharp Dark Brown colourway, and the result is a boot which looks the part too.

Peter Lawson, Brand Manager at Overland Shoes, the footwear powerhouse behind the new Bobcat Safety Footwear collection comments: “For busy groundworkers, landscapers and other outdoor trades working in challenging conditions, difficult terrains, day-in and day-out, comfort shouldn’t be an afterthought or even a nice-to-have – it should be non-negotiable. Whatever the weather, whatever the job, the Bastion boot will keep you moving with confidence and ease each step of the way.”

With an S7L SR HRO SC FO rating, the Bastion Fargo safety boot is engineered to endure with slip resistance, water resistance, fuel oil resistance, a protective toe scuff cap, composite safety toe and penetration-resistance.

For more information, please visit www.bobcat-footwear.com You can also follow Bobcat Safety Footwear on Facebook at Bobcat Footwear EMEA and Instagram at @bobcatfootwear_emea for the latest product news and updates.

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Bionema Introduces Advanced Biological Crop Protection Technologies to Australia

Bionema Introduces Advanced Biological Crop Protection Technologies to Australia

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Bionema Introduces Advanced Biological Crop Protection Technologies to Australia

Bionema Group, a UK-based biological crop protection technology company, is introducing two of its advanced formulation and delivery platforms, Adhesulex™ and Incapsulex®, to the Australian agricultural market, seeking commercial partnerships with distributors, growers, agricultural input companies and investors.

Bionema Introduces Advanced Biological Crop Protection Technologies to Australia

Bionema Introduces Advanced Biological Crop Protection Technologies to Australia

The company is exhibiting at the Australian National Field Days, 22–23 October, from the Farmers2Founders booth (stands 8–9) in the Trevor Elliott Pavilion, AgTech Area, as part of the Innovate UK Global Incubator Programme.

Founded in 2012, Bionema develops biological insecticides, molluscicides, herbicides and advanced technologies designed to improve their field performance. In 2021, Syngenta acquired two of Bionema’s bioinsecticide products, demonstrating the commercial potential of its research and innovation.

Bionema’s immediate focus in Australia is on two complementary technology platforms that address fundamental challenges in crop protection: delivering active ingredients effectively to their targets and protecting living biological agents from environmental stresses.

Adhesulex™: Improving application performance and water efficiency

Adhesulex™ is Bionema’s biocompatible polymer surfactant technology platform, developed to improve spray spreading, adhesion, coverage and retention.

The technology helps crop protection products remain on treated surfaces, while selected formulations improve soil wetting and the movement of water and agricultural inputs towards the root zone.

The portfolio includes Soil-Jet®, Permeate® and Boost-Bio®, developed for different agricultural application requirements.

In previous testing, Soil-Jet® applied with 75% of normal irrigation performed close to full irrigation under the tested conditions, highlighting its potential relevance to water management in agricultural and horticultural production.

For Australian vineyard, orchard and horticultural growers, Adhesulex™ offers an opportunity to evaluate improvements in spray application, product retention, water efficiency and the effectiveness of existing crop protection programmes.

Incapsulex®: Protecting biological agents and improving pest control

Incapsulex® is Bionema’s advanced microencapsulation technology, designed to protect biological active ingredients from environmental stresses and improve their delivery to target pests.

Biological agents such as insect-pathogenic fungi can be sensitive to sunlight, heat and dehydration, potentially affecting their field performance.

Incapsulex® provides a formulation approach intended to protect these organisms and improve their effectiveness under commercial application conditions.

Bionema has generated encouraging field evidence supporting the value of advanced formulation.

UK commercial strawberry trials

An Incapsulex®-formulated biological treatment achieved 97.5% control of western flower thrips, compared with 58% control for the same biological active without formulation.

This 39.5-percentage-point improvement shows how formulation can significantly influence the efficacy of the same biological active ingredient under the tested conditions.

Western flower thrips is one of the most serious pests reported by the Australian growers Bionema has met during its visit.

Nigerian pepper trials

In pepper trials in Nigeria, an Incapsulex®-formulated biological treatment produced a reported 207% increase in fruit yield compared with untreated plants.

These results indicate the potential value of improved biological delivery, although performance will depend on the crop, pest, environmental conditions and treatment programme.

Bionema is seeking Australian commercial growers and industry partners to conduct locally relevant evaluations and establish the potential of these technologies under Australian production conditions.

Australian growers are looking for alternatives to chemicals

During the Innovate UK programme in New South Wales, Bionema’s Founder and CEO, Dr Minshad Ansari, has met vineyard and apple orchard growers, agronomists and agricultural industry representatives to understand the challenges facing Australian crop production.

Growers identified western flower thrips, woolly aphid, caterpillars and diseases such as powdery mildew as their biggest problems, with woolly aphid a serious issue in apple orchards. Most rely on chemical insecticides and fungicides and use only one or two biological products. Despite decades of chemical use, these pests and diseases remain serious challenges, with increasing concerns about pesticide resistance and the need for additional effective control options.

Biologicals offer a different approach. Some biological control agents have multiple modes of action, which can help reduce the risk of resistance development when used appropriately within integrated pest management programmes.

Dr Ansari said:

“Over the past few days, I have spoken directly with vineyard and apple orchard growers here in Australia. Most are using only one or two biological products, but they are very eager to use more and open to evaluating new technologies through commercial trials.

Their biggest problems include western flower thrips, woolly aphid, caterpillars and diseases such as powdery mildew. Growers have relied on chemical insecticides and fungicides for decades, yet these problems persist. Growers are increasingly concerned about the limitations of existing chemical treatments and are actively looking for effective biological alternatives.

That is a genuine commercial opportunity for Bionema. Growers do not simply want to hear about new technologies. They want to see how they perform under their own growing conditions, and several have expressed interest in hosting trials.

For growers supplying domestic and export markets, effective pest management must go hand in hand with high-quality produce and meeting pesticide-residue requirements. Where effective biological alternatives are available, they can help growers reduce reliance on chemical inputs, manage residue risks and protect market access.

The commercial opportunity is equally important. Better crop protection, higher marketable yields, improved export quality and more efficient use of agricultural inputs can contribute directly to grower profitability. Ultimately, growers need technologies that put more money in their pockets.

Our immediate priority is to introduce Adhesulex™ and Incapsulex®, two technologies that can improve how crop protection products are delivered and how biological agents perform in the field.

Looking further ahead, we see opportunities to introduce our wider pipeline of biological insecticides, molluscicides and herbicides through suitable Australian distribution, development and regulatory partnerships.

We want to build relationships with growers and commercial partners who share our objective of making biological crop protection more effective, practical and accessible.”

Supporting crop quality and export-market requirements

Australian growers compete in domestic and international markets where crop quality, production costs and pesticide-residue compliance influence commercial success. The Australian Government’s National Residue Survey monitors pesticide residues in agricultural products to support access to these markets.

Bionema believes that biological crop protection, combined with improved delivery technologies, can give growers additional tools to manage pest pressure, support crop quality and reduce reliance on conventional chemical treatments. These benefits will need to be confirmed through crop-specific commercial trials and appropriate regulatory pathways.

A broader pipeline for Australian agriculture

Beyond its two formulation and delivery platforms, Bionema is developing a portfolio of biological crop protection products addressing economically important agricultural problems.

These include microbial insecticides targeting insect pests such as thrips, aphids, spider mites, caterpillars and weevils, biological molluscicides for slug and snail management, and biological herbicides for weed control.

The products are at different stages of research, development and regulatory readiness.

Bionema sees opportunities for Australian industry partners to participate in technology evaluation, product development, regulatory registration, licensing, local manufacturing and commercialisation.

The company believes that combining advanced formulation technologies with its biological crop protection pipeline can create a more comprehensive offering for Australian agriculture.

Bionema seeks four types of Australian partnerships

Distributors and commercial partners

Bionema is seeking agricultural input distributors and specialist crop protection companies interested in adding suitable technologies and products to their Australian portfolios, subject to regulatory requirements.

Commercial growers and agronomists

The company welcomes discussions with vineyard operators, orchard growers, commercial horticultural businesses and other agricultural producers interested in hosting field evaluations.

Strategic industry partners

Bionema is seeking established crop protection and agricultural technology companies interested in co-investment, technology licensing, regulatory registration and commercialisation of its biological insecticide, molluscicide and herbicide pipeline.

Investors and international partners

The company is also engaging investors interested in supporting the international expansion, regulatory development, manufacturing scale-up and commercial deployment of its biological crop protection portfolio.

Meet Bionema at Australian National Field Days

Dr Ansari is attending the Australian National Field Days on 22 and 23 October 2026, exhibiting from the Farmers2Founders booth (stands 8–9), Trevor Elliott Pavilion, AgTech Area, at Borenore, 15 km west of Orange, New South Wales.

Visitors are welcome to come and see us at the stand on 22 and 23 October, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Growers, distributors, agricultural businesses, strategic partners and investors can also arrange a meeting in advance.

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STIHL’s ALLPRO Battery Alliance is growing

STIHL’s ALLPRO Battery Alliance is growing

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STIHL’s ALLPRO Battery Alliance is growing

AS-Motor, Tielbürger and Kwern will be using high-performance batteries from STIHL in future.

STIHL’s ALLPRO Battery Alliance is growing

STIHL’s ALLPRO Battery Alliance is growing

Following the addition of a number of partners to the ALLPRO Battery Alliance in recent months, AS-Motor, Kwern and Tielbürger have also decided to offer their commercial customers equipment that is compatible with STIHL’s ALLPRO battery system in future. The new battery system has been specially developed for professional applications and, thanks to modern tabless cell technology, offers significantly increased performance, longer running times and much shorter charging times, whilst maintaining maximum robustness.

For the 2027 season, AS-Motor is equipping three professional tools with battery-powered motor units – known as “powerheads“ – from STIHL: the two weed brushes, the AS 30 E-WeedHex AP and AS 60 E-WeedHex AP, and the AS 510 E-ProClip A AP mulching lawnmower. Kwern is also equipping its GreenbusterPro 66 E weed brush with a STIHL Powerhead, and by the end of this year, eight sweeper models and two weed brushes from Tielbürger will be able to run on STIHL’s high-performance ALLPRO batteries. This means that professionals in the gardening and landscaping sectors, local authorities and facility management in particular will benefit from the expansion of the alliance, as they will be able to use the new high-performance batteries, together with the charging infrastructure, for an even greater number of machines from different manufacturers.

On the ALLPRO Battery Alliance

Through the ALLPRO Battery Alliance, jointly founded by STIHL and Kärcher, 14 manufacturers of battery-powered equipment for commercial use are pooling their expertise. The aim is to offer professional users across various sectors – from forestry, gardening and landscaping, and local authorities, through to construction, facility management and workshops, right up to the fire service and aid organisations – a future-proof battery standard that combines maximum performance with a high degree of flexibility. This enables professionals to cover a wide range of applications with a single battery system and to optimise their investment and operating costs. At the heart of the alliance is the ALLPRO battery system developed by STIHL. This range comprises

batteries with varying energy capacities and is divided into two technology classes: battery models with standard cells and high-performance batteries featuring innovative tabless technology. The latter are characterised by high power output, an excellent power-to-weight ratio and long running times. They also enable extremely fast charging and have a service life of up to 3,000 charge cycles without any loss of performance. Alongside STIHL and Kärcher, the partners in the ALLPRO Battery Alliancealready include 4F, AS-Motor, Brandschutztechnik Müller, CEMO, Eder, Gölz, Köppl, Kwern, PortableWinch, SuperVac, Tielbürger and Westermann. Further partners will follow. Further information is available at: www.allpro-alliance.com

ALLPRO high-performance batteries with Tabless technology

The new cross-brand ALLPRO battery system offers professional users a bespoke selection to suit every need, divided into two technology classes: The range is based on the AP 20.1 and AP 30.1 battery models, which feature tried-and-tested standard cells. Already familiar to STIHL users in a similar form, they now feature the new, uniform ALLPRO design. The high-end range, comprising the AP 100 P, AP 200 P, AP 300 P and PC (Connected) models, utilises a revolutionary tabless cell architecture. Instead of channelling the current through a single, heat-generating bottleneck (‘tab’), the energy flows across the entire surface of the cell. The principle is similar to that of a wide-necked bottle: through a large opening, the water – or in this case, the energy – can flow out and back in much more quickly.

Thanks to the minimised internal resistance, hardly any heat is generated during operation or charging, which reduces the main cause of cell ageing. A direct comparison between a previous standard battery and the new Tabless AP 300 P model shows what this means in practice: it offers 60 per cent higher peak power and a 20 per cent increase in runtime. In addition, the charging time required to reach full operational readiness is halved, whilst the service life doubles to up to 3,000 charge cycles without any loss of performance.

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ICL Continue to Learn Scholars announced for BTME 2027

ICL Continue to Learn Scholars announced for BTME 2027

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ICL Continue to Learn Scholars announced for BTME 2027

The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) has announced the five members selected for the 2027 ICL Continue to Learn Scholarship.

ICL Continue to Learn Scholars announced for BTME 2027

ICL Continue to Learn Scholars announced for BTME 2027

Provided by BIGGA Premium Partner ICL Turf & Landscape, the scholarship helps members access the education programme at BTME in Harrogate. Each scholar receives three nights’ hotel accommodation and a comprehensive education package worth approximately £500.

The latest cohort includes greenkeepers at different stages of their careers, from Olly Laidlaw, who joined Royal Wimbledon Golf Club this year, to head greenkeepers Hayley Beard and Ryan Jackson.

Olly completed a degree in business management before deciding to pursue his interest in turf management and is thrilled to have the opportunity to benefit from the Continue to Learn programme and all that BTME has to offer.

“I was absolutely delighted to hear I’d been selected for the ICL Continue to Learn Scholarship,” he said. “It came as a brilliant surprise, especially so early in my greenkeeping career. I’m currently about six months into my role at Royal Wimbledon, so to receive this kind of support and recognition already means a huge amount.

“I’m really looking forward to BTME and the Continue to Learn programme itself. Being able to build my own combination of classes and conference sessions means I can focus on the areas that will strengthen my knowledge.

“I’m also looking forward to the evening hosted by ICL and meeting the other scholars; being fairly new to the industry, I think there’s huge value in hearing how more experienced greenkeepers have approached their own development.”

Hayley, head greenkeeper at Mawgan Porth Golf Club, is keen to bring what she learns back to her course.

“Being given this opportunity means a lot to me, as I’m passionate about greenkeeping and always looking for ways to develop my knowledge and skills,” she said.

“I’m really looking forward to attending BTME and Continue to Learn, meeting other greenkeepers and industry professionals, and learning from some of the best people within the industry.

“I’m particularly excited about bringing new ideas and knowledge back to my own course and putting what I learn into practice.”

Aimee Davey, Marketing Communications Manager at ICL, said: “We were delighted by both the number of applications received and the exceptionally high standard of candidates. The enthusiasm shown highlights the wealth of talent within our industry, and we are excited to support the successful applicants through the ICL Scholarship Programme. By providing access to industry-leading education and professional development opportunities, we look forward to helping them build their knowledge, confidence and long-term careers within the sector.”

Deb Burnett, BIGGA’s Head of Professional Development, said: “The applications show how much our members want to keep learning, whether they are new to greenkeeping or already leading a team. Continue to Learn gives them the chance to explore subjects relevant to their work and share ideas with people from across the industry.

“We’re delighted to work with ICL to support these five members at BTME, and we look forward to hearing what they take back to their clubs.”

The ICL Continue to Learn Scholars for 2027

Hayley Beard, head greenkeeper, Mawgan Porth Golf Club

David Beatson, greenkeeper, Hogs Haven Golf Club

Ryan Jackson, head greenkeeper, Crow Nest Park Golf Club

Olly Laidlaw, assistant greenkeeper, Royal Wimbledon Golf Club

Nick McEley, deputy head greenkeeper, Milngavie Golf Club

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