Janez Benedicic

ANALYSIS AND DESIGN PARAMETERS FOR INCLINED ROTORS USED FOR MANURE DISPERSAL ON BROADCAST SPREADERS FOR SOLID MANURE

The process of manure spreading is an important step in cultivating land for agricultural production. For this reason, the technical process of manure spreading was studied using various methods of scientific research and analysis. The focus was primarily on improving the working principles of manure spreading, using so-called wide-angle manure spreaders. Results of the analysis of material transport along the rotor revealed the most relevant parameters of manure spreading. It was found that friction is not the most important parameter. The initial position of pieces of manure and the rotational frequency of the rotor are far more important. The coefficient of friction between the rotor and pieces of manure has a minimum influence on the tangential speed of a piece on the rotor, which in turn also means a minimum influence on the range of spreading. The initial position of the piece on the rotor has an influence on the tangential speed and travel of the piece on the rotor. The tangential speed of the piece as it departs from the rotor is influenced by the size of rotor and the rotational frequency of the rotor. Included are recommendations regarding the process of constructing a new spreading device or improving existing methods of spreading manure.

Innovations for Future Development of Farms: A Case Study of the Implementation of an Opportunity Search Method on a Farm

The management of farms and large agricultural holdings is becoming increasingly similar to the management of business companies, as circumstances in the market and in Europe have forced farmers into an entrepreneurial way of thinking. Traditionally a more conservative social group, farmers have had to implement methods of cost savings and offer products with a higher added value. Similarly to business enterprises, farmers and agricultural consultants must also follow new production technology. These changes in thinking also influence rural development. Farm diversification is becoming more and more important, especially in mountain regions. However, because they have no currently available method that would allow them to identify a suitable opportunity for future development, farmers are left to trial-and-error methods. The opportunity search method presented in this article, originally implemented in the industrial sector, can also be applied to farms. Searching for opportunities requires an interdisciplinary approach involving cooperation between farmers, agricultural consultants, and economists. In four steps, it is possible to identify a number of opportunities that can be used on a farm. In step one, the farm and trends are analyzed, while in the second step, opportunities are searched for by means of social, economic, technological, and legislative factors. In step three, unsuitable opportunities are eliminated, and in step four, the selected opportunities are closely analyzed and assessed. The method was tested on a farm where the objective was to solve the problem of traditional stockbreeding that was yielding very poor economic results. The application of the method resulted in a more suitable type of breeding that is already taking place on the farm, and as well as other opportunities (farm diversification). This successful implementation of the opportunity search method, which had previously been successfully implemented in industry, is an indication that knowledge and methodology transfer from industry environment to farming is possible. As a link between science, new technologies, and the farm owner, agricultural consultants play an important role.

Side-delivery spreading of manure

The optimum use of natural resources is even more vital in areas with limited possibilities for agricultural production. A better use of those resources yields improved production; however, improved production requires fertilization. Optimum coverage with stable manure on sloping terrain can be achieved by spreading in the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the spreader. A mathematical model and simulations were devised in order to serve as a basis for recognizing the key parameters of spreading. The rotors rotational speed, the loading area for manure pieces onto the rotor, and the outlet area emerged as the most important parameters for this side-delivery spreader. A special spreading device was designed on the basis of the acquired data. It features greatly improved spreading properties and quality of spreading, together with considerably safer handling. The prototype was tested according to European Standard EN 13080.

Development of an automatic marketplace using virtual collaboration

Original scientific paper New product development is vital for the development of business enterprises and the society where the enterprise operates. The paper presents a case example of an automated marketplace development, which took place in the P-ino d.o.o. company. Developing such a complex product required the participation of experts from different areas, and it included also students, who definitely contributed to greater creativity and openness of the development team. More than 85 % of all the communication within the development team took place in virtual form. Testing of the finished prototype was also more or less virtual. Virtual communication in the development of such a complex product as an automated marketplace proved to be a very suitable method of interpersonal communication within the development team in all development phases of the product. It was particularly efficient because the members of the development team had different skills and were coming from different institutions and companies.