Charlie Beattie has won third place in our simple category.

One of the many challenges facing Charlie Beattie when planting 250ha of potatoes in Perthshire’s unpredictable weather is keeping seed dry when it’s in the planter’s hopper.

As this is treated in store, any exposure to rain could wash away the dressing, resulting in uneven emergence.

See also: How potato growers are saving costs with combi planters

Unable to find a local fabricator willing to make a suitable set of covers for his Grimme GL36T, he decided to fashion a set in-house.

The two-part system has one roll-up tarpaulin to cover the seed and another to protect the fertiliser boxes.

These are supported on a box-section frame mounted off the planter’s chassis, with greaseable bearings at either side.

When the heavens open, operators are able to easily pull the covers down, and when it dries up again, they can wind them back up from the ground using a handle.

Sprung locking pins were also fitted to make sure there’s no risk of them unravelling when not in use.