b'Advances in Potato Handling Equipment: Innovations to Lighten the LoadRecent innovations in potato handling equipment is making life much easier for growers and their employees. Spud Smart takes a closer look at some of these innovations and the potential impact they could have on potato operations across the country. BY: JIM TIMLICKAT ONE TIME, the only real tools a potato farmer needed were a trusty spade and a good strong back.While a little blood, sweat and tears can still go a long way in determining how successful a grower can be, having the right tools has become increasingly important. New developments in technology, mecha-nization, storage and breeding are allowing growers to produce more spuds with fewer resources.The challenge for many potato producers is choosing which tools are right for them and their operations. Spud Smart recently took a look at some of the latest innovations in potato handling equip-ment and how they are making life easier for potato growers from coast to coast.H.F. STEWART & SONSH.F. Stewart & Sons is based in West Point, P.E.I., the largest potato producing province in the country. Its been in business since 1989 and manufactures a fullH.F. Stewart & Sons van trailer inserts allow growers to load their crop into a trailer and easily unload it later onto line of potato handling equipment to local producersa conveyor system thereby making life much easier for drivers. PHOTO: H.F. STEWART & SONSas well as those in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. back of the truck to place boards down on the floor ofWere getting a lot of positive feedback, Stew-One of the companys most popular offeringsthe trailer while trying to avoid the bin piler. art adds. We actually have one customer who has is its van trailer inserts. The insert slides into theWe saw a need, Stewart says. It was kind of40 of them. He loves them.bottom of an enclosed trailer and essentially turnsdangerous work and hard on your back. A lot of the it into a line floor system, allowing growers to loaddrivers were getting older and it was getting hardHJV EQUIPMENTtheir crops into the trailer and easily unload themto attract younger drivers. With the insert theres noHJV Equipment has four locations including two in later onto a conveyor system. H.F. Stewart has beenlonger a need for planks and theres no longer a needOntario, one in New Brunswick and another in Prince building the insert since 2009, but undertook a majorto climb into your trailer. You just flip a switch andEdward Island. The company, which was founded redesign of it two years ago to make it lighter andit will completely offload for you instead of having toby Harry Jacob Vander Zaag, manufactures and dis-more efficient with a stainless steel option added. get in and pull out planks. tributes a full line of mostly stainless steel farming Business assistant Zacharie Stewart says oneIn addition, the stainless steel walls provide aequipment including conveyors, elevators, holding of the major advantages of the inserts is that theyfood grade contact surface and theres no concernsbins and washing equipment.make life far easier for drivers who are hauling spudsabout wood chips ending up in a bag of potatoes orHJV recently unveiled a new stainless steel from the field. They no longer have to climb into thepotato chips. prototype barrel washer that could be a game-changer 10 SPUDSMART.COM FALL 2019'