News & Events

Covid-19 Update; Open for business

Mar 30, 2020

We are proud to support farmers and growers in their essential role during these exceptional times. We are continuing to manufacture and supply our full range of irrigation systems and are currently in a position to take new orders for most items.

At the same time, the safety of every member of our team is paramount and we have taken steps to ensure adequate social distancing within our offices and across our production lines. We are supporting staff who may need to self-isolate for whatever reason. 

The safety of our customers is also our concern and we are taking extra care to minimise contact with equipment and documents delivered to farm. Where possible, hard copies are being replaced with on-line documentation. Haulage and delivery procedures have likewise been modified to reduce he...

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Apprenticeship victory

Feb 7, 2019

Briggs Irrigation has been judged Employer of the Year in the NITAL Achievement Awards 2019.

NITAL (The Northamptonshire Industrial Training Association) also awarded Craig Bingham (pictured left) “Mentor of the Year”.

The company’s apprenticeship scheme has recently seen four young engineers complete the training programme with two more scheduled for 2019.

 Engineering Manager Andy Hill (pictured right) said:

“It’s very rewarding to see the apprentices develop their skills and gain confidence while they are with us. Our business is about putting engineering excellence into practice and we need new talent coming through the system to achieve our goals.”

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Open day report - better irrigation

Dec 11, 2018

Crumbly, friable soils with a loose surface texture are essential if plants are to gain full benefit from irrigation. Timely irrigation, with the right volume of water applied in the best way is equally important if yields and quality are to the maximized under all weather conditions, according to independent mechanisation specialist Bill Basford and Peter White of Soil Moisture Sense, a company specialising in moisture sensor technologies.

During seminars at the Briggs Irrigation open days in Corby, Peter White asked farmers whether they should water all their crops badly or do some very well and the rest not at all. 

“Do you know which would make you more profit?” he asked, before suggesting that many growers would increase profitability by doing less better.

“In 2018 yields of many c...

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2018 Autumn Newsletter

Nov 16, 2018

2018 AUTUMN NEWSLETTER

For more information on our open days, case studies of 2018 projects and general information on service please click HERE

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Meeting the drought challenge

Sep 10, 2018

Many UK growers will remember the summer of 2018 and some will wish they could forget it.

The intense focus on water and irrigation has also resulted in some excellent examples of the way growers have 'risen to the challenge' and we can report on two who have done just that.

Below we look at the steps taken by Lincolnshire farmers LCJ Mountain Farms while in our case histories you can read about the strategy adopted by fenland farmer David Hoyles.

Water where its needed 

Based near Sleaford on the edge of the fens, LCJ Mountain Farms Ltd have recently turned their attention from chipping to pre-pack potatoes in partnership with one of the main packhouses. This season 164 acres have been grown as part of a nine-year rotation with wheat and OSR.  The transition to growing for quality rat...

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Understanding new rules on spreading slurry and dirty water

May 1, 2018

New rules on spreading manure, slurry, digestate, inorganic fertilisers and other forms of “agricultural pollutants” came into effect early in April.

The Farming Rules for Water fulfil the UK’s obligations on diffuse pollution under the EU’s Water Framework Directive. They set out “reasonable precautions” to prevent runoff, soil erosion and pollution of water courses. The new rules have the force of law and are part of a bigger 25 year environment plan.

We believe farmers who already adopt best practice have little to fear from the new regulations. Forward planning, sensible risk assessment, following guidelines on when and where to irrigate and regular monitoring are all that is required. Our equipment has always been designed to help minimize risk.

However, we asked defra to provide c...

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New options for using layflat hose

Jan 28, 2016

A new VR Hosereel drag fitting is now available that allows layflat supply hoses to be ‘dragged’ to the next run without disconnecting them from the hosereel. Available for VR4, VR5 and VR7 machines, the connector enables the supply hose from the main to be dragged easily and quickly to the next run, making it a simple but effective time saving option that has already proved popular on several farms.

With more and more customers using layflat pipeline to deliver water from the pump to the field, we have also introduced hydraulic front or rear mounted hose winders for layflat irrigation mains. 

Layflat offers a number of advantages over aluminium mains including a higher pressure rating, fewer joints and the ability to go round bends and through hedges without needing extra fittings. One ...

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New 76m boom & seasonal service offers

Nov 3, 2015

We have launched our largest UK-manufactured boom to date, a 76-metre version of our four-wheel chassis series.

The new R76 can achieve irrigated widths of 80 metres up to a maximum of 96 metres without using spray guns at either end, thus providing accurate, uniform, low pressure irrigation across the entire width.

The new model requires a hydraulic lift system to allow the arms to be opened manually by one person before the boom is raised to ensure adequate ground clearance along its entire length. The boom is also fitted with a self-leveling mechanism to limit lateral movement during the run.

The machine is thus 12 metres wider than the largest boom we have offered to date, giving farmers who have large, level fields the option of reducing the number of passes and thus the amount of ...

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Coping with uncertainty

May 15, 2013

As uncertain weather patterns appear to be the one certainty in UK farming, the industry’s supply chain has increasingly been found wanting. Supplying agrochemicals on a “just in time” basis when the “time” might be tomorrow or is for just two days in two month’s time is always going to be a high risk strategy; at least without the benefit of a crystal ball - or an accurate long range weather forecast.

As rain can’t be turned on or off like a tap, irrigation “when it’s needed” is the best alternative and that means having enough of the right equipment at the right time.

“Methods of monitoring and mapping water requirements are becoming increasingly sophisticated and last year’s early drought focused attention on maximizing irrigation efficiency. Soil water monitoring and water balance mo...

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Growing high value crops in a dry season

Sep 10, 2018

Fenland farmer David Hoyles is renowned as a grower of high yielding crops, especially wheat for which he is a past record holder. But to maximise margins across the range of crops grown on the 700 ha family enterprise he has become increasingly concerned with quality, timely production and efficiency.

You can read about the steps he has taken to improve yields and quality in September's Anglia Farmer or continue reading below:

Apart from wheat, David's seven-year rotation on three farms between Wisbech and the Wash includes sugarbeet, vining peas, mustard, potatoes and beetroot. Since 2015 his attention has turned to the last two, comprising 110 ha of potatoes and 35 ha of beetroot. Both are grown for the quality end of the market.

The Grade 1, Wisbech series silt is a fine, powdery so...

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