Representatives from the inofficial  
"National Fopping Team of Ireland 2008"
visited Sweden and Bionic 6 - 8 Nov, 2007 to get "tagged" on the Swedish "foppers" yield levels at 25 - 35 tonnes of dry matter/ha.
These crops are fixing over 50 tonnes of atmospheric CO₂/ha in one growing season as the most effective tool to stop global warming and for energy production ! 20 years cultivation on 3 Gha of global land and the global warming might be fully stopped in 2035 if we make a full start 2015 says Bionic Rune Ekman - all in a cascade of profitable production for the farmers. We´re in the gate to a new global farming era.

A Bionic "Fopper"(Spell it later as "Foper") means a person focused on advanced scientifically photosynthetic optimizing a crop for farm profitable economic purposes under sustainable conditions fully verifiable down to the atom level. One of the reasons hemp is a prefered crop at Bionic is its ideal market flexibility from year to year as a contractor crop - and so far without any need for biocides to reach 31 tonnes/ha in Sweden.  

Tomelilla, Sweden Nov 6, 2007 - a first quick team stop 2 PM in a farmers field with a good crop soon ready to harvest according to the Bionic UNAK-logistics for optimized & profitable energy production for the farmer. The fopper host was Bo Martinsson, Ramsasa, Tomelilla, Sweden.
The names if the inofficial Irish "National Fopping Team during 2008" are: Liam Cassin, Jonathan Leech, Pat Foley, Bill Maddigan, Robert Ronan, Mark Browne, Con Ryan & Andrew Byrne - GEGA delegates sent out from all parts of Ireland.

Irish GEGA has for the moment 150 growers focused on biomass production for energy purposes all around Ireland.

Second quick stop was made att Thomas Jacobsson, Kverrestad, Tomelilla community as well. He is a hemp grower with a full production line for small scale farming to hemp briketts.

Last field stop was made at twilight time to a real "top fopper crop" in Degeberga at Torbjorn Nilsonns farm who was busy with a field draining work. Hos assistant was therefore Börje Falk(far right) - a retired farmer who hafe gone into the research deeply of this crop in 2007. After this stop the group travelled to Halltorps Hotel on the Island of Oland 250 km further  NE.

Liam Cassin in the heavy rain by the visit at the second- third best hemp crop in Sweden 2007 in Sorby at Oland Island 400 km NW of Malmoe/Copenhagen.

Liam Cassin in a real good hemp field in Oland Island, Sweden Nov. 7, 2007. The fopper host was Fredrik Yngvesson, Sorby, Island of Oland, Sweden. The picture is manipulated in the color spectrum due to extremely dark weather and heavy rain just by the visit at Sorby, Oland Island, Sweden. The snow on the ground is however not "manipulated" It was real reality this morning.

The Irish visitors also got a quick glance on the 7,5 m broad  cutter bord and hemp harvestor stallion: - a 650 hp Krone BigX V8 "tagging up a little" in front of the Irish visitors  - unfortunately in heavy rain - before real hemp harvest during chilly winds soonest possible in December - February. It works well in hemp at the farm level logistics. The visitors enjoyed to hear "the pure breath " of this monster.

Big stallion hemp harvester waiting for challenges during December  - March: Krone BigX 650 hp - the breathing sound of which is worth listening to.

Only the heat comming out from the "gills"(to the right above on the machine) is a heat loss of 40 €/hour. The owner to the machine was busy in the city of Kalmar 50 km away to plan next years contracting with farmers in his ambition to start up a big pellet plant production unit after the success with hemp already in the first year.

The expected yield on their almost 40 ha of hemp is around 20 - 25 tonnes/ha. At such yield levels this is the machine for the harvest of hemp.

The all Scandinavian and Swedish Official Fopping Champion 2007 in Sweden - Anders Henriksson, Elleholm Farm, Blekinge County, (Latitude N57), Sweden demonstrated his impressive field of hemp for the GEGA delegates Nov. 7, 2007. This is something we must reproduce on Ireland shortly was the conclusion.

Field formation before real farmers coffe break at 3 PM with Anders and his wife Lise Lotte.

During coffee break there was time for early conclusions. Anders Henriksson was of course invited to Ireland next year.

Light, warmth and food in an international cosy mix at Elleholm Nov 7, 2007 3.00 PM. True EU-farmers have much in common to discuss. It is already clear that this travel has given new inspiration to get started with a new industrial crop in Ireland shortly with a whole cascade of new challenges under the GEGA-umbrella. The comminicating connections between Sweden and Ireland seems to be fortified considerably on the fopping level in years to come.

A new agreement between GEGA and Bionic seems to be in the tunnel for 2008.

Next morning early a ride back to Ireland is planned on a safe wing from Kastrup, Copenhagen, Denmark.

2007-11-14

Rune Ekman