Kévin Quivouron, manager of the ETA de l'Elorn, in France, user of a RO-M GEOSPREAD Vicon fertiliser spreader explains the features and benefits of the Vicon disc spreader.
“We are a farm machinery contracting company, a service provider for farmers in the western part of France in Bretagne. We have 13 employees. We do everything from seeding to harvesting.”
“We added spreading to our portfolio 3 years ago following the request of our customers and the desire, on our part, to advance in precision agriculture, mostly variable rate possibilities on a spreader, among other things.”
“We equipped ourselves with combine harvester which could create yields maps for the customers. It's true that the two tasks are closely linked. We were able to check what was done is the fields but we didn't do it at the time.”
“We researched a lot of different brands but the Vicon one stood out especially with its RotaFlow system. It was the only spreader where the fertiliser did not fall in front of the vanes. Today we are spreading more and more. We are in the Finistère region, at the extreme west of France, near the coast where it is windy sometimes, so we pay attention to the fertiliser distribution. The fact that the fertiliser does not fall in front of the vane means it maintains the grain size and shape. We have given ourselves the chance to find a better distribution system but today I am convinced the RotaFlow system is the best.”
“It also stands out because it is a spreader that has 8 vanes per disc. As a result, it tends to throw more often which results in closer fertiliser layers, more regularly. When the spreader is correctly set it is very precise. We are close to spreading almost 1kg/ha even though our customers are happy when they are within 50 kg/ha.”
“We also have section control on this machine, which prevents overlap. I have a figure in mind, the average overlapping in Finistère is 13% so we save our customers an average of 13% in fertiliser because of the precision of the Section Control. On one of our customer's fields, because we applied the correct rate of fertiliser, he no longer uses a shortener product on his cereal crops. So one less pass is needed and less product is applied.”
“The benefits of this machine are quickly discovered for anyone who thinks big. There is a granular box and density kit supplied with the spreader. So with each customer we do a test to check the physical properties of the fertiliser. There is also a mobile app where we enter density and granular size data. It gives us all the possibilities of fertiliser equivalent to the one we're about to spread, and we make the adjustments from that.”
“It is also a spreader that lasts over time. We had the opportunity to test another spreader before this one. I thought it was a new one but no it was a rework of a seven year old spreader. It reassured me in the choice that I had made and that I had bought a spreader that would age very well. If I had to do it again, I may have chosen the wider model. But with the brand, I am convinced. It's clear.”
28 February 2022