Trade shows are a unique opportunity to discuss the latest potato world market trends, price developments, challenges, and innovations in a professional and convivial setting.

Luckily for all the visitors, an independent group of experts has already made a selection of not-to-be-missed innovations at the Interpom 2022 fair.

Seed Sensing Technology from Bluefield Seeding Solutions

This new Seed Sensing Technology utilizes the existing Potato Press Wheel system but features enhanced wheels that can sense the contact with each seed piece while they are being locked in place on the ground during planting by the press wheels.

This gives Bluefield Seeding Solutions’ system the precise location of each, and every potato seed planted. From this data, the system records the number of ideal seed placements, less than ideal, doubles, and misses. Thus, enabling the farmer to know the potato planter’s actual performance (the seeds’ placement on the ground) in real-time without ever getting out of the tractor.

RMA Robofry from RMA Techniek

Baking color determination is a labor-intensive process and is still mainly performed manually. Through “RMA RoboFry” there is a possibility to automate this process as well. A sample of potatoes is fed in at the beginning and fried (already classified by frying color) fries come out at the end.

First, sticks are cut from the core of each potato, the starch is rinsed off and then the sticks are blown dry. The “RMA RoboFry” is equipped with multiple frying baskets to make the process as continuous and smooth as possible. Through a linear guide, the sticks are transported to the proper basket. When the frying process of the sticks is over, they are unloaded onto a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt passes the sticks under a camera that classifies them by baking color.

Amazone Smart Sprayer UX from Hilaire Van der Haeghe

At the heart of the challenges affecting food sovereignty and agroecological transition, Amazone and Bosch BASF Smart Farming – a joint venture of BASF Digital Farming and Bosch – introduced the smart spraying technology to the French market on June 21, 22, and 23. This groundbreaking innovation combines agronomic intelligence, digital technology, and machinery to apply targeted doses of herbicides only where weeds are present in the crop. Precision application together with digital tools enables reductions in herbicide use on growing crops by up to 70%, depending on the prevailing field conditions and weed pressure of individual fields.

Structural 4000 Smart-float from Dewulf

The 4-row Miedema Structural belt planter is now available as Smart-Float, previously known as the CP 42 cup planter. The goal of this combination is to set up the soil cultivation for the Structural 4000 in an easier way than with a portal drawbar. Moreover, the movements made to cultivate the soil do not affect the position of the planter.

The intermediate piece, the lifting pack, ensures that in this renewed set-up the customer can adjust the angle as desired. It is also easy to perform adjustments, as the cultivation depth can be controlled automatically from the cabin. In addition, the client can adjust the planting depth via the wheels and the height of the ridging hood from the machine. If desired, the operator can replace the rotary cultivator with a rotary harrow or even raise the rotary cultivator entirely to temporarily stop cultivating. These options enable users to perform personalized planting with a renewed and homologated Structural 4000 even more than before.

StuMACo’s Added Value for the Potato Sector’s Sustainability and Professionalization

StuMACo’s Engineering self-cleaning and disinfecting transport system for frozen food that can transport 1 ton/h to 60 ton/h products over longer and steep sections. The system also ensures good quality by minimizing product breakage thanks to extremely small drop heights of the product at the input and output and ensures perfect product dispersion on subsequent machines or conveyor systems. This provides a solution for the food industry to ensure hygiene in their processes. The innovative character is provided by working towards the auto-disinfecting and cleaning plant for food through the combination of specific mechanical engineering and cleaning technology.