A radical new header, a versatile strip-till cultivator, a powerful new tractor range and a drift-free band sprayer have been awarded gold in this year's International Machinery Manufacturers' Awards held on the first day of Cereals 2015.

Four categories covering harvest machinery, cultivation equipment, tractors and sprayers attracted entries from 29 companies.

This year's winners and runners-up lived up to the competition's aims to help recognise and encourage the uptake of novel, practical technologies, said Peter Redman, chairman of the judging panel.

After much deliberation, the judges from The Institution of Agricultural Engineers, Harper Adams University, NIAB, an award-winning contracting business and Farmers Weekly picked the four winners and four runners-up for 2015.

The four gold award winners are:

Harvest machinery

• Make: New Holland
• Model: Dual Stream Header
• Technical Specification: New Holland's Dual Stream header uses a VariFeed header but also a second stubble-cutting knife mechanism to cut the amount of non-grain material going through the combine, boost capacity and cut fuel use.
• Judges' comments: "By using twin knives at different heights New Holland has come up with a radically different way of reducing the amount of straw going through the combine."

Cultivation equipment

• Make: Kverneland
• Model: Kultistrip
• Technical Specification: Kverneland's Kultistrip strip-till soil management system is said to improve yields, cut production costs and prevent soil erosion in varying climatic and agronomic conditions.
• Judges' comments: "Kverneland's Kultistrip strip-till soil management system offers a particularly versatile system for farmers wanting to cut fuel use and look after their soil."

Tractors

• Make: Valtra
• Model: T-Series
• Technical Specification: Valtra's new T4 range of tractors that claim to give new levels of reliability, ease of use and low cost of ownership. 
• Judges' comments: "Valtra's new T4 tractor range brings new comfort, power and sophistication to the Finnish company's offering. Cab and control layout, in particular, are greatly improved."

Sprayers

• Make: Micron
• Model: Varidome S3 100Hi-Flo
• Technical Specification: Shielded band sprayer for cereals, root and other narrowly planted row crops with patented double membrane Varidome 100HiFlo shields to eliminate product transfer onto the crop and has a LERAPS 3 star rating.
• Judges' comments: "The Varidome's inter-row shielded band sprayer gives drift-free spraying of weeds without affecting crops. This is certainly a technique that offers a lot of potential for the future."