The Farmer Patent competition at Nampo Cape drew fewer entries this year, but the overall quality of innovations was higher than usual, according to Donald Brink, Omnia sales manager and one of the competition judges.
Photo: Glenneis Kriel
Brink told Farmer’s Weekly that the competition drew 25 entries this year, down from just over 30 last year. “There wasn’t one standout entry this time, but the average quality was higher, which made judging tougher,” he said.
No entries were received for Category A (new agricultural machinery, implements, equipment and digital solutions), or Category C (electric and non-electric tools).
Pieter du Toit from Bredasdorp in the Southern Cape won Category B, for modified agricultural machinery, implements, equipment, and digital solutions, with his Re-Livot Pivot.
Du Toit explained in a note accompanying the solution that the inside of his pivot pipe started rusting after 14 years. Most service providers would have advised replacing the pipe to avoid the risk of collapse and damage, but he opted for a more cost-effective solution.
Like many farmers, Du Toit first placed a PVC pipe over the steel pipe. To further prevent corrosion without replacing the steel pipe, he decided to fill it with old oil. However, filling the pipe entirely would have made the structure too heavy.
To solve this, he inserted a 110 mm pipe inside the steel pipe and only filled the space between the two with oil. This reduced the required oil volume from 4 700 litres to 2 300 litres.
The pivot is now 20 years old, and Du Toit expects it to last at least another decade.
In Category D, for house and garden inventions, the mini tractor of Stian Thompson from Fraserburg in the Northern Cape took top honours, while the Rocket Stove of Pierre Joubert, who teaches at HTS Drostdy in the Western Cape, won Category D, for house and garden solutions.
The school division, Category F, was split into three sub-categories to accommodate a variety of innovations.
JT Jackson of Oakdale Agricultural High School in Riversdale won for welding and metalwork with his sheep handler.
Lukas le Seuer of HTS Drostdy in Worcester earned recognition for turntable work with his biltong slicer.
The Pioneer School for the Visually Impaired took home a special award for their waste separator.
Rynhardt Erasmus’s Anaconda Borehole Pump earned first prize in Category G (commercial solutions).
