Technology
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Tracks and Tyre technology - All of our 4 viners used to have tracks to protect from ground compaction in wet weather and aid with travel over rough ground. Tyre technology has moved on a lot in the last 10 years and now our newest viner has big floation tyres which allow for better traction, low ground pressure and more efficient road travel.
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Next time you eat your delicious peas, think about the technology that was used to ensure the best quality.
We harvest our peas at the optimum stage in the season to get the best quality and yield as well as reducing our impact on the environment.
We invest in technology at HMC because we believe the benefits to the environment, as well as quality of product, far outweigh the costs of the technology itself.
RTK - This highly accurate satellite guidance system means we can have our viners within 1cm accuracy of each other and steering themselves with the help of Trimble Autosteering. This means we reduce our fuel usage as well as keep our operators concentrating on making sure the viners are running at their best performance 24/7.
Crop scanning - HMC was the first major pea group in the UK to look at tractor based scanning technology to aid in prediction of yield and monitor crop health. We can then target where we harvest to ensure only the best peas are harvested.
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In 2020 the decision was made to switch to stallite based technology to reduce the need for tractors to run the the crop and capture as much data as possible over a larger area.
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Harvest date prediction - This industry-leading technology developed by HMC and partners allows us to monitor live weather and 15-year weather trends. We then use this data along with other parameters to predict the harvest date of ours peas to within a day. This means a great reduction in pea loss and more efficient factory processing.
Yield monitors - HMC is one of the first in the UK to adopt yield monitors in all of our fleet. It allows us to monitor what each harvester is harvesting and where good and poor areas of the field are. This allows us to learn about future crops and increase yields and quality.
What's next?
Watch this space! We are always on the lookout for new technology!
