An innovative tractor transmission, a novel bale wrapper, a new seedbed cultivator and an impressive weed imaging spot sprayer have each won a prestigious award introduced at Cereals 2014 this week.

The International Machinery Manufacturers' Awards, the new Oscars for agricultural machinery, were launched by Cereals organiser Haymarket Exhibitions to recognise companies that have produced machines that stand out from the crowd by delivering a mix of innovation, cost-effectiveness and value.

Open to all companies that sell farm machinery in the UK, the IMMA attracted entries from 28 companies. The awards are aimed specifically at machines launched in the past 18 months, nominated by the manufacturer, dealer or any farmer with first-hand experience of the new kit working on his farm.

The four categories cover cultivation equipment, sprayers, tractors and harvest machinery. They attracted a diverse range of entries, from combines to moisture meters, power harrows to drain cleaners and self-propelled sprayers to nozzles.

After much deliberation, judges* from IMMA supporters the Agricultural Engineers' Association, The Institution of Agricultural Engineers, The Royal Agricultural University and Farmers Weekly came up with a shortlist of 22 products before deciding on their category winners and runners up.

The four winners were:

Cultivation equipment
Cousins of Emneth's surface seedbed cultivator is designed to improve weed control while maintaining soils structure to allow improved field access later in the autumn drilling window.

Sprayers
Garford's Robocrop weed-imaging spot sprayer identifies and targets weeds for treatment with a jet of weedkiller while avoiding contact with the crop. This allows extremely low herbicide rates - chemical usage is often less than 1% of the normal overall rate.

Tractors
John Deere's Direct Drive transmission employs Formula 1 technology on its 6R tractor range to combine the handling comfort of an infinitely variable shift transmission (IVT) with exceptional efficiency. It is designed to deliver maximum productivity and fuel efficiency for tasks that need continuous power.
Judges' comments: It's not often that a new transmission comes along, but this one is clearly innovative. The potential for greater efficien

Harvest machinery
McHale's Fusion 3 Plus baler-wrapper applies film to the barrel of the bale in the bale chamber. This binds the bale together as it passes from the baler to the bale wrapper, eliminating the need for string or net wrap.