Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 371 i Farms and Farm Machinery

Massey Ferguson has introduced two new models to its sub-compact range of tractors, which it says can be equipped to take on multiple tasks for commercial, residential and farm work. The new 23 horsepower (17.1 kilowatts) GC 1723E and the 25hp (18.6kW) GC1725M replace MF’s 1705, 1715 and 1720 models, with styling similar to the larger tractors under the company banner. Equipped with a diesel-powered three-cylinder engine, the tractors feature a low-rated engine rpm that reduces vibration and noise, which it says will improve engine life and decrease fuel consumption. The radiator and radiator fan have been placed behind the engine in both models, pulling hot air away from the operator in order to keep both them and the engine cooler. Hydrostatic foot pedals are on the right side of…

Anew ISOBUS task controller and two new satellite correction signals have been introduced by Claas as the company boosts its precision agriculture offerings. Used in its steering guidance systems, Claas’s Satcor 5 and 15 signals are suitable for a wide range of agricultural applications, says Luke Wheeler, Claas Harvest Centre product manager for Claas JAGUAR and Greenline. “Satcor 5 provides an accuracy of 5cm, which is suitable for precision work such as drilling,” he says. “Satcor 15 has an accuracy of 15cm and is suitable for cultivating, fertilising, crop protection and harvesting applications – a reliable alternative to freely-available correction signals that have only limited usability.” Transmitted by geostationary satellites and available worldwide, the signal supports both GPS and GLONASS and is compatible with the European Galileo system. The signals…

The redesigned Challenger MT700 Series of track tractors has taken a few tips from stablemate Fendt in building a new machine designed to be simpler and more comfortable to operate. Launched in 2018, the new Challenger range comprises the 405 horsepower (298 kW) MT740, the 431hp (317kW) MT743 and the MT738 – which at 380hp (279kW) is a shift for Challenger, product manager Tim Oldaker says. “We hadn’t had a 380 for quite some time because [with prior models] it was a really expensive 380hp tractor,” he told reporters at a media event in March. “But with the changes that have happened to the tractor now we have been able to offer it again.” Oldaker says its wheel tracks are the only feature of the tractor to be the same…

Ohio State University will trial the smart livestock collar system developed by Melbourne-based Agersens after the groups signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The eShepherd smart collar is designed for cattle producers to fit to livestock, enabling them to remotely fence, muster and monitor their livestock around the clock by using mapping software and an audio cue to create virtual boundaries on specific points on a property. This latest MoU comes on the heels of similar deals struck with the University of Idaho and Kansas State University last year, as well as an extended collaboration agreement with CSIRO formalised last November. It comes after the company ran trials on the collar on a demonstration farm in Queensland last year. The Ohio State trial will determine the efficacy and economics of…

When the Australian distribution rights for Taege Engineering’s range of tillage and sowing equipment became available last year Gendore Group managing director Derek Genoni knew he had to act quickly. Having previously distributed the tillage and sowing machines manufacturer’s range around the Gippsland area, the company has now secured the rights to distribute the New Zealand company’s products across Australia. “We have just picked up the pieces from there and are running with it and it is going really well,” he says. “It is an exceptionally good product. The machines are just built to last with some really smart engineering with the way they actually sow the seed, being the tine and point system, and their computer controllers are just super.” The biggest seller of the range at the moment…

A private collector raised $1.18 million from the sale of his collection of over 100 classic and vintage tractors without reserve at auction in April, with the highest price collected by a 1966 Minneapolis-Moline G1000. With a working engine, the US-built Wheatland model tractor had a six-cylinder 8.3-litre diesel engine and 10 forward and two reverse gears. At $32,700 it was the second highest earner at the auction – with biggest price coming from a 1962 Mack B61 Thermodyne Truck with Allison Twin Axle Low Loader Trailer, which sold for $61,040. Other big earners included a 35 horsepower (26kW) Lanz Bulldog Model N D8500 estimated to be from 1936 and a 1919 Moline Plow Co. Universal Model D Tractor – each of which sold for $28,340. A 1956 Oliver Super…

Last year, Mazda sold 13,167 BT-50s Australia-wide, which sounds good until you consider that Ford sold 42,144 mechanically near-identical but generally more expensive Rangers in the same time. The mechanical similarity between this BT-50 and the Ford Ranger dates back to late 2011, and unusually for a Mazda commercial vehicle – ute or van – the post-2011 BT-50 is actually more Ford than Mazda, which is an about-face from the pre-2011 relationship between Mazda and Ford commercial vehicles where Mazda did the design and development while Ford didn’t do much more than stick on its own badges. The essential features that define the Ranger also define the BT-50. Most notably there’s the largest-in-class (3.2 litres) in-line five-cylinder turbo diesel engine. Both BT-50 and Ranger are also defined by their longest-in-class…

Every small farm is different – some are kept as hobbies with only minimal work needed, others are fully operational enterprises that need machinery which works as hard as their owners – and where a smaller size doesn’t mean a lighter workload. Whatever the scale of your operation, the team at John Deere and its factories in Grovetown, Georgia USA have developed a model in their compact tractor range that can meet all your needs and exceed your expectations. Even the smallest models in Deere’s compact range – the 16 kilowatt (21.5 horsepower) 1023E and the 17.8kW (23.9hp) 1025R tractors – are suitable for a wide range of tasks, with a 344kg lift capacity and easy-to-use two range hydrostatic transmission, along with 4WD capacity and power steering. They also have…

It started as a hobby but today Clinton and Alison Diss’s company has grown to a bigger land area and has become a valued part of a broader farming community. Just like a successful small farmer, Clinton and Alison Diss read the lay of the land and looked at the potential of different commodities to grow their business – but unlike small farmers their enterprise isn’t what grows on the land, but rather what is used to harvest it. The young couple started out in 2009 in the small town of Inglewood as a small retail reselling business. Those early years saw a lot of customers, both locals and those travelling to and from Mildura, drop in to try to find that perfect item to help them manage their small…

Deutz-Fahr has added a rollover protection system (ROPS) tractor and a new, more powerful cab model to its 4E series, which it says will help it provide ‘unequalled versatility’ in the field. The new 95 horsepower (70.8kW) 4100.4E model will be the most powerful in the range, complementing the 62hp (46kW) 4065E and the 80hp (60kW) 4080.4E, while the new 4090.4E ROPS model is 85hp (63kW). Anthony Darvienza, Deutz-Fahr tractor specialist for Australian distributor PFG, says the new models are powerful, yet compact. “With a creep-speed of just 280m/hr and a top speed of 40km/h, these tractors are a good fit for any job from large life style blocks, to the challenging and precise applications required by grape growers and horticulturalists,” he says. “In addition, these tractors are so easy…

Western Australian avocado producers go into overdrive between October and January every year, as eastern states demand reaches a high that the producers of NSW and Queensland are unable to meet. For Lisa Roche and the team at DR&DJ Roche Farms in Eastbrook, near Pemberton, it’s an opportunity worth timing annual production around. First planted over 25 years ago, today the orchard is in five blocks with about 4,500 established trees spread over 17 hectares. But with maintaining these mature trees, the challenge can often be making sure any sprays reach every part of the often bulky canopy to apply copper supplements in order to protect against dieback. To achieve this, the company recently upgraded its spraying equipment, buying a new Silvan trailed G2E Supaflo 4,000-litre sprayer with the Radak…

Sales of agricultural tractors have begun to show signs of steadying across the nation and while down on the recent record run, continue to represent a reasonably healthy level of activity. This of course does exclude those drought affected regions of NSW, Northern Victoria and Southern Queensland. Sales for March were down 13 per cent against the same month last year and are now down that amount – 13 per cent – on a year to date basis. As a result, a forecast sales level of around 10,500 tractors is anticipated this year, down from the 12,500 unit levels of the past few years. Dealers around the country are reporting that inventory levels are plentiful and that now is a great time to buy. Despite the general tightening of bank…

Big farms need big machinery to maintain efficiency and help reduce costs, and that’s a policy practiced by the owners of South Africa’s largest carrot farm. Established by business partners Vito Rugani and Vincent Sequeira, Greenway Farms Ltd handles over 60,000 tonnes of carrots per year, selling the majority into fresh vegetable markets. With its headquarters at its farm on the highveld of Tarlton in Gauteng Province, about 75km west of Johannesburg, the partners have two other properties in Boskop in the Waterberg in Limpopo and Christiana in the Free State. Each location was specifically chosen to supply carrots in its own optimal season as they each have different soil types and climatic conditions, with the company growing vegetables across 2,500 hectares. Carrots have a four month growing season so…

AGFEST 2019 – Carrick WHAT Agfest is a multi-award winning agricultural and machinery field day that last year attracted nearly 66,000 people. Operating for over 35 years, Agfest is a Tasmanian success story that injects millions of dollars into the local economy annually. WHEN 2-4 May 2019 MORE INFO www.agfest.com.au/entry-fee Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo 2019 – Sydney WHAT Held annually in Penrith, Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo is a family-friendly event designed to boost the Western Sydney construction boom – showcasing the biggest range of earthmoving machinery dealers, earthmoving attachments, trucks, bikes, utilities, mowing equipment and much, much more. WHEN 3-5 May 2019 MORE INFO www.dieseldirtandturf.com.au Tocal Field Days 2019 – Tocal WHAT Highly regarded for its educational aspect, Tocal combines a genuine rural experience with commerce, entertainment, fashion,…

With the prospect of testing out a newly released Massey Ferguson 8732 S, I headed to Taupo. As part of an AGCO high-horsepower day, a line-up of large Massey Ferguson tractors was on-site, along with a range of implements from Origin Agroup to put the tractors through their paces. Although the Massey Ferguson 8700 series has been around for some time now, the four models from 300hp to 370hp (224 to 276kW) are the first in the range to be redesigned and receive the ‘S’ distinction. The exterior features a restyled bonnet and an impressively light package with up to 18 LED lights. While these are the most obvious external changes, it’s packed with a whole lot more new changes inside. With the tractor hooked up to a 4.5-metre Gascon…

Everyone is grateful for the advice and support of friends and family, but when coming up with new ideas for your farm’s production, it might not always be what you need. That’s the experience of Monash Food Innovation chief operating officer Angeline Achariya, a senior executive with over 20 years’ experience in fast moving consumer goods and food service channels. Today Dr Achariya and her team work with food businesses ranging from early stage start-ups to large multinationals to help them develop new innovations for food products. She told Farms & Farm Machinery that many small to medium sized food developers came up with great ideas due to their knowledge of, and passion for, their product. “It seems a lot of the smaller businesses we speak to, tend to have…

Italian tractor manufacturer Antonio Carraro’s TGF 10900R has been designed with a reduced height to meet the needs of operators working in tight and low orchards as well as in green houses or farming sheds. The R Series is a line of seven models, unified by unique AC features like the ACTIO-chassis, which allows each model to oscillate in the middle to a maximum of 15 degrees. This means they can crawl on uneven terrain and maintain constant traction. Each tractor can be customised to fit individual operator requirements. With designers focusing on the needs of Y-type orchards, net-covered vineyards and greenhouses, the TGF 10900R is compact, with its rollover protection version reaching just 103cm in height, while the cabin version reaches 174cm. The TGF 10900R has a wheel base…

Due to their ‘plug and play’ design, thieves have been targeting GPS equipment on John Deere tractors, with thousands of dollars’ worth already on the black market. In a bid to try and curb the thefts, John Deere has devised its own PIN code locking system to protect its valuable GreenStar in-cab displays and StarFire satellite receivers. This has been designed to make it impossible to use the components if they are stolen. Until now, they could only be locked and protected mechanically. However, to increase the level of protection, John Deere has introduced the built-in PIN code lock, similar to that used on smartphones, for both components. The PIN code for the display and the receiver can be entered via the John Deere display. If the user forgets the…

Kubota’s M5001 Series features all-purpose, mid-range tractors tailored specifically for farmers seeking both comfort and high-performance agility. While previous mid-size Kubota tractors available in Australia peaked at 85 horsepower (63kW), the most powerful of the M5001 Series tops 100hp (75kW), with the range fitting neatly into the 90hp–110hp (67–82kW) slot. The series offers four models: the M5091 and M5111 Standard, and the M5091 and M5101 Narrow, both with most of the same features in a compact, narrow tractor aimed at orchard and vineyard agriculture. With up to 36 gears in a synchronised dual-speed transmission with smooth power shuttle, the M5001 Series provides the variable speeds farmers are looking for. The Series is performance-matched with Kubota implements, making it perfectly suited to a variety of uses in cattle and dairy operations,…

Agerris, a field robotics start-up based on technology created by the University of Sydney’s Australian Centre for Field Robotics, has received $6.5 million to commercialise robotics platforms, intelligent automated tools and artificial intelligence (AI), designed to improve agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. The $6.5 million fund raising is one of the largest seed investment rounds in agricultural technology in Australia and will be used to formally launch Agerris and roll-out its platforms and data analytic tools to local and international markets. The investment was coordinated by Australia’s longest running research commercialisation fund, Uniseed, alongside leading venture capital firms Carthona Capital and BridgeLane Group. Agerris, headed by Professor Salah Sukkarieh, is a field robotics company which originated from technology developed at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics at the University of…

Distributed in Australia by Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, Big N fertiliser has helped agriculture make amazing advances in NSW and Queensland since being introduced locally in the late 1960s. Having worked with the high concentration nitrogen fertiliser for over 30 years, Incitec Pivot Fertilisers field service manager Craig Burke says the 82 per cent nitrogen fertiliser has helped cotton farmers support their highly productive new cropping systems. “In the early days, Big N was being applied with open air tractors, with the flow of fertiliser activated by a rope pull,” he says. “We had the metermatic to meter the rate applied, but it was only as accurate as the person using it. Also, the flow used to vary through the heat of the day – it was slower through the cool…

Over 24,000 visitors attended the South East Field Days in Lucindale, bringing together farmers from the south-east of SA and western Victoria for the two-day event. Featuring the latest in agricultural and stock handling equipment, as well as irrigation and livestock displays and pasture renovation machinery, there was something there for everyone. Here are some of the highlights of this year’s event. SCHINCKEL HAYRAKES’ OPENER SERIES Simon Schinckel and the team at Naracoorte-based Schinckel Hayrakes have found a simple solution to a problem that many would have considered a cost of doing business. He told Farms & Farm Machinery he had the idea when out in the Mallee region of Victoria, where farmers were using 9–12m header fronts to cut their crops – a practice that leaves twin rows of…

With 14 steel cutting knives on seven cutting discs to devour its prey (vegetarian), the mounting of the mower to the floating headstock on the Kuhn GMD 3125 F resembles the hammerhead. It’s just missing the triangular dorsal fin for direction, but that’s what we still have tractors for. In early spring, Giltrap AgriZone teamed up with Kuhn for some demo days for farmers and contractors to view some of the Kuhn range in action. This is where I got my first look at the new Kuhn GMD 3125 F mower. That day, it was set up as the front mower on a Case IH Puma tractor, as part of a triple mower setup. After seeing it fly through a couple of hectares as part of the demonstration, I decided…

If you’re looking at planting crops in an area where thick vegetation is growing, you’ll want to cut that extra growth away as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Unfortunately, a conventional mower can’t always cope with the kind of brush that you’ll run into outside of a traditional garden. It’s important that you get equipment capable of cutting thicker and more problematic material so you aren’t wasting time and energy – or worse, risking damage to a product that isn’t suited for the kind of work you’re trying to do with it. That’s where flail mowers come in. The mowers are driven by a power take-off and are designed to break down thick material such as weeds, sticks, twigs and bark into small pieces to be spread evenly on the…

In just a few weeks’ time 40 dairy cows will make farming history as they venture onto the world’s first floating dairy farm. To be based in the harbour of Rotterdam in The Netherlands, the floating unit will be home to a herd of Montbeliarde cows, each producing around 25 litres of milk per day. This particular breed was chosen for the quality of its milk production, its high health status and leg strength. The cows will be milked by a robot and the milk will be sold direct to customers via a vending machine at the farm. It is anticipated the farm will cost in the region of €2.6 million (A$4.1 million), with the floating structure measuring 40m by 32m. The cows will also have access to a grass…