Hutchinsons Bonanza Prize

Hutchinsons are celebrating their 80^th year serving British agriculture and horticulture and to put something back into the industry they work with, they have decided to support the National Fruit Show Bonanza prize for 2018.

This year’s prize is based around technology, environment and crop management and is a 3 year package worth £10,000 to the winner.

The prize will optimise inputs and yield by using technology to understand the resources required to grow high quality top fruit and provide insight in orchard management.

The prize with be made up of 5 components

• Healthy Soils assessments and reports – A full, in-field assessment on the physical, chemical and biological aspects of the soil. This includes a VESS (Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure), cropping review, infiltration assessment, soil health and texture, key organisms, pH and key nutrients and the only test to look at available and total nutrition.
• Omnia nutrition planning service – A full nutrition service based on available nutrition, including compliance and real-time data. This provides a nutritional plan for maximising yield and optimising fertiliser use. Other essential parameters can be measured such as organic matter, cation exchange capacity and micronutrients.
• Omnia mapping service – A field mapping service to measure and record changes in soil and nutrition to help you plan and manage inputs to get the best from your orchard. This also provides variable rate fertiliser application map and when used with yield-mapping can calculate cost-of-production data across an orchard.
• TBC – But will involve further orchard technology – For example, yield prediction and sizing service, digital crop monitoring or pest monitoring system.
• Agronomic support for the results arising from the soil and mapping and analysis allowing you to put results into practical us

Nick Rainsley, Head of Marketing for Hutchinsons is delighted that the business is able to support the National Fruit Show in its 85th year.  He said “Both organisations are celebrating substantial milestones and the innovative Bonanza Prize we are offering growers will give them all the information, data and advice they will need to optimise their crop”.