We caught up with RG Produce owner Wayne Garrett, who has taken delivery of two brand-new ScanStone EcoStar destoners this season.
RG Produce Ltd of Wereham, Norfolk is a family-run business that has been growing and contracting around the Norfolk and Cambridgeshire border for the last 40 years cultivating potatoes, carrots, parsnips, cereals and sugar beet.
But when the farm's existing brand of destoner machines started to become a drain, owner Wayne Garrett knew it was time to shop around.
“We were in the market for two new destoners for 2021 as our current machines were starting to cost us an awful lot of money each year to maintain," Mr Garrett explains. "We looked around most of the major brands and liked the look of the ScanStone machines, mainly due to the simplicity – they also looked strong and well-made."
Destoners are designed to remove stones and clods from soil ridges of furrowed land during cultivation. Due to the varying amounts of stone, flint and different soil types Mr Garrett and his team work with, a star style machine was the way to go. The EcoStar has a bank of six stars before going onto a long rear web.
"We made the decision late in 2020 to go for the ScanStone EcoStar machines," Mr Garrett says. "It was a tight turnaround but the team at the factory in Scotland did a great job and got our machines built and delivered in the nick of time for the start of the spring season.
"I can easily say that the performance and job the EcoStar machines are doing far exceeded my expectations. The beds are a nice shape and the machine is doing a great job of separating."
Mr Garrett expects to put approximately 600 acres in total through the two ScanStone EcoStar machines this year and they are already well on track to do just that.
"The uptime of both machines has been fantastic, which was a drawback on my previous destoners," he says. "Looking at the general rate of wear on the webs, for our soils I am over the moon with their current condition, which is really helping with low running costs.
"The backup and support from the ScanStone Lakenheath depot has been super and I’m really pleased with how both machines are performing. I would confidently recommend the ScanStone machine to other growers in the future. Just try them for a demo and see for yourself.”
If you are interested in learning more about the ScanStone product range, please visit www.scanstone.co.uk
For demo requirements or general enquires in East Anglia, please contact the Lakenheath depot on +44 (0) 1842 861 911 or contact Area Sales Manager Mick Murphy on +44(0) 7377 877 189.
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