Agromek Features Specialized Machinery.

Specialized farm equipment that has anything to do with dairy, swine or crop production can be found at this annual Danish show.

Among the nearly 81,000 visitors to Agromek, the annual agricultural equipment show held in Herning, Denmark, each January, were about 10,500 foreign guests from 69 countries -- including a sizeable North American group of manufacturers, wholesale importers, equipment dealers and farmers.

Visitors to Agromek know what to expect -- lots of machinery for crop and animal production -- and what not to expect -- exhibit after exhibit of mammoth equipment that outsizes the needs of most end users who attend this show.

Agromek, a cooperative effort of the Danish Manufacturers of Agricultural Machinery and the Danish Farmers' Union, is an exhibition for Danish ag equipment manufacturers and cattle and pig breeders, in addition to being a mechanization exhibition for Danish farmers, explained Peter Hansen, chairman of Agromek.

Denmark exports about 72 percent of its total production (DKK 5.7 billion in 1999) of agricultural machinery and livestock housing installations and fittings to countries around the world. Germany is the largest importer of Danish machinery, followed by France, Sweden, UK, Norway, Spain, Holland, Ireland, USA, Poland and Finland.

The two leading product groups of Danish agricultural machinery exports, as of 1999 figures, are machinery for gathering straw crops and machinery for the treatment, drying and transport of grain and seed, plus milling, mixing and feeding. These groups are followed by machinery and implements for internal transport; machinery for sowing, planting, laying and plant cultivation; machinery and equipment for dung clearance; pig feeding systems and equipment; equipment for handling and transporting manure and slurry; machinery for harvesting, treatment, preservation and storage of green crops; and machinery and implements for soil preparation.

New technology is also an important reason why the show remains an annual event when many larger shows have every-other-year schedules. Hansen said technology for Danish farming is carefully aimed at securing increased, efficient, competitive production, within compliance of stringent environmental, working environment and livestock welfare requirements.

"The fact that Agromek is an annual exhibition means that new technology can quickly be applied on the farms," Hansen explained. "This is vital for a competitive position in a world in which even the smallest changes are of great importance.

"The large numbers of new item exhibits at Agromek provide a unique opportunity every year for farmers who wish to study and compare innovations which will shape agricultural developments during the coming 5-10 year period.

"This is particularly vital for Danish farmers as they are continuously bombarded with new special regulations and requirements from our politicians -- demands which, to a high degree, increase farming costs and thus affect competitive ability."

Three annual awards

Each year three awards for new items are presented, based on the greatest practical importance for the individual farm or for the entire agricultural sector. The winners are selected by three committees of farmers who studied and evaluated all new-in-Denmark and new-in-Europe exhibits.

The 2001 awards winners for machines and production aids in the three judged categories were:

Fieldwork -- RKM Jumbo manure spreader, manufactured by RKM Spredeteknik ApS. This unit features a spreading board at the rear of the manure spreader which is tilted to one side when the spreader is in operation along boundaries, roads or waterways. This ensures that the entire field receives the full, correct dosage of manure.

Cattle farming -- Milk-Cip automatic cleaning system for milking systems and cooling tanks, from Strangko A/S. The fully-automated Milk-Cip system saves approximately 50 percent of all cleaning agents, chemicals and water consumption, recycling all but the first flushing water, thus providing a quick return on investment, saving electricity and having environmental consideration.

Pig production -- BD4l 3intelligent2 feed valve from Big Dutchman A/S. The company says the 3intelligent2 feed valve can easily expand any wet or dry feeding system. A small printcard is integrated in each magnetic valve which can be programmed. Electrical installation costs are 50 percent less and require far less copper material than other systems.

Agromek is held at the modern Exhibition Centre Herning, located centrally and easy to get to by plane, car or train. Amenities for the local and foreign visitor are many -- restaurants, transportation, rest areas and information on just about any subject needed. Add friendly people and attention to detail, and you've got a great showcase for not only Danish manufacturers but for global manufacturers doing business in Denmark.

Attendance is free to the foreign guest, as are the color-coded product guides that are printed in Danish, English, French and German. The international lounge offers visitors assistance and refreshments, business services and a comfortable place to meet potential importers or exporters. Many foreign visitors combine the Agromek show with visits to the headquarters and facilities of various Danish manufacturers with whom they do business.

Agromek 2002 will be held January 22-26. For information, contact Secretariat, Agromek, Postboks 1327, Hojkolvej 24, Denmark - 8210 Aarhus V; ph: [phone]; fax: [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail].

Information about any of the equipment pictured (plus many other products shown at Agromek) and their manufacturers can be found on Agromek's Internet site: www.agromek.dk. With this article, the exhibiting manufacturer's name and phone number are in parenthesis at the end of the photo's cutline.

Creating Grass Stripes

Ever wonder how those grass stripes at the ballpark were made? The strip patterns on grass are not caused by the mower or by cutting the grass at different heights, as many people think. They are created with rollers and get the strip patterns from the way the light reflects off the grass.

It all depends on your point of view. Grass that has been cut with the rollers going away from you looks lighter. Grass that has been cut with the rollers coming toward you looks darker.

One of the first people credited with creating grass striping patterns at a ballpark was David R. Mellor, director of grounds at Fenway Park in Boston. His early designs got a lot of attention across the country, and now stripes are a regular sight at many ballparks. Although Mellor uses commercial equipment to stripe the ballpark, he said striping patterns can be created on almost any lawn using lawn and garden tractors and riding mowers that have been sized for home use.

The only manufacturer of residential lawn and garden tractors and riders to feature rollers as standard is Simplicity, according to Troy Blewett, manager of corporate communications for the company. He said more and more people are adding their own creative touches to striping the lawns to highlight landscaping features and gardens. The popular patterns include basic stripes, waves, diamonds and checkerboards.

Simplicity dealers are now offering a "how-to" brochure for achieving common striping patterns and rips from Mellor. The brochure is available from Simplicity dealers.