Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 382 i Farms and Farm Machinery

Bobcat Australia has released a range of three compact tractors, all below 40 horsepower (75kW), in what the company says is a return to its agricultural roots. Imported by Clark Equipment, the diesel-powered CT 1025, CT 2035 and CT 2040 each offer hydrostatic transmission and a generous lifting ability. The two larger 31hp (23kW) and 32.1hp (23.9kW) models offer a hydraulic lift capacity of 740kg and a top speed of 24km/h, while the smaller model holds its own at 20.5hp (15.3kW), with a 318kg lift capacity and a top speed of 16.6km/h. Clark agricultural products manager Cole Jones says he is excited to bring the models to the Australian market. “People want something easy to use and comfortable; something that is uncomplicated, uncomplex and easy to drive, and that is…

Not everybody needs a broadacre spreader and these are ideal for horticulturalists, dairies and livestock operators. Coolamon has developed a new compact spreader range based on its existing range of premium spreaders, which it says will cater to the needs of smaller farmers. The range comprises three different size hoppers: from the CSC55 at 5,500 litres to the CSC70 at 7,000 litres and the largest in the range, the CSC85 at 8,500 litres. The spreaders come with hoppers ranging in length from 2.8m to 3.8m, built low to allow smaller equipment to load them, and are designed to run on smaller wheel options. Powder coated with a zinc primer, the spreaders have a 1m-wide cleated belt with polyurethane skirts, a heavy-duty roll over tarp, single axle adjustable out to 3m…

Kubota has removed the curtains from a new futuristic electric tractor to help celebrate the Japanese company’s 130th anniversary. It’s been 50 years since Kubota exhibited its first ever concept tractor at the Japan World Exposition held in Osaka in 1970 and now the machinery giant has done it again, unveiling its X tractor in time for the big birthday bash. Equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) and electrification technology, this ‘dream tractor’ is completely autonomous, representing what Kubota sees as the future of farming. The company wants to achieve a completely autonomous farming operation using weather data and growth rates to govern farming decisions. The environmental data obtained by tractors in operation can be automatically shared with other machines at site to realise a centrally-managed efficient operation. Based 100 per…

A multi-year rebuild is the most likely path forward to a positive future for Australian agriculture, according to a new report released by agricultural bank Rabobank. In its Agribusiness Outlook 2020 report, Rabobank says 2020 will be “extremely challenging” for agriculture, with the sector facing its third consecutive fall in farmgate revenues. Lead author of the report and Rabobank’s head of food and agribusiness research Tim Hunt says that while many farmers had built solid equity buffers heading into the current drought, poor seasonal conditions over the past three years had placed the sector in a difficult position. “While recent rainfall across drought-affected regions has brought some optimism, farmers will need continued rain to replenish soil moisture and break the drought,” he says, adding that the above-average rainfall needed over…

Keen for fitness and a bit of a challenge? Make sure you enter Farm World’s Fittest Farmer. For 53 years this premier regional agricultural show has been giving patrons the chance to talk with experts in the field and learn all there is to know about farm animals. To be held in Lardner Park, outside Warragul, Victoria, from March 26–29, Farm World is not only a haven for the farming community but also a great event for locals and urbanites with a passion for the great outdoors. SMART SHOPPING With up to 40 hectares of exhibitor displays, both indoors and out, you will find equipment, farm machinery, clothing, sheds, outdoor living – including boats, caravans, horse floats and vehicles, technology, plants and masses of must-have tools. Shop until you drop…

Koreans will go to Australia and do a working holiday and they fall in love with this culture. The beer in question was in every bar we went to, almost every corner store, and advertised outside many of the Seoul restaurants we walked past as we crossed the city. You might say that it’s natural a journalist would be drawn to beer and any advertising that went with it – and you wouldn’t be wrong – but the words on the bottle made this one stand out. Aside from anything else, it was almost entirely in English. ‘Terra, from AGT’ the label says – explaining elsewhere ‘100% real carbonated beer made from pure AGT Malt’. Reports from the English-language Korea Times say Terra, launched in March 2019 by Korea’s Hite…

It interfaces with most existing ISOs, so there is no need for another controller. ISOBUS compatibility and the potential better control of hard-to-kill weeds have been the big attractions of the spot spray technology offered by Trimble’s new WeedSeeker 2 system. Distributor McIntosh & Son’s Geraldton representative Craig Harrington says recent demonstrations held near Mullewa, Moonyoonooka and Binnu had attracted a series of existing and potential new customers attracted by its section control and weed mapping features. “It interfaces with most existing ISOs, so there is no need for another controller,” Harrington says. Also offered through the ISOBUS is section control and weed mapping – pinpointing where and when the WeedSeeker 2 sensors have been turning on and off and, therefore, where weeds are more dominant. “Growers will know where…

RoGator sprayers have an impressive list of features designed to drive on-farm productivity and profitability – and now it is giving farmers and spraying contactors the chance to go further, with a unique offer from digital agriculture solutions company Farmers Edge. Until May 1, 2020, all new purchases of RoGator C Series self propelled sprayers will receive exclusive, free access to a suite of Farmers Edge hardware and tools valued at $70,000*. Farmers Edge digital farming solutions combine paddock-centric data, daily satellite imagery, easy-to-use software, predictive modelling, digital agronomy and advanced analytics to transform data into actionable insights. Pair this with the accuracy and efficiency of the RoGator C Series and you have a mighty set of tools to power your farming operation, says Croplands. Key to RoGator’s accuracy is…

The GiANT 6004, designed and made by Dutch compact loader manufacturer Tobroco, is an excellent example of the ‘keep it simple’ philosophy. Behind the name ‘GiANT’ is a double meaning: not only is it a representation of size and strength but it also incorporates the word ‘ant’, with this humble insect known for its ability to work and carry up to 5,000 times its own weight. GiANT loaders are an upscaled version of these incredible insects, designed for efficient lifting and for carrying of a wide variety of objects. The Tobroco GiANT loader brand hasn’t been on the scene in this part of the world for as long as some other agricultural and industrial brands, however, it’s quickly establishing a reputation for compact loaders with high capacity to handle large…

NEW axles and tyre options on JCB’s new Fastrac 4000 Series tractors have the potential for increased payloads and durability, the British manufacturer says. Delivering power from a stepless CVT transmission, the heavy-duty axles have load ratings 33 per cent higher than before, with increased durability thanks to larger hubs and bearings and larger kingpin bearings. Larger externally-mounted brake discs have been fitted to increase braking performance, while the axle differential at the front is a larger, hydraulically-engaged locking design to enhance tractive efforts when conditions are slippery. JCB says these upgrades will be especially beneficial for tractors engaged in high-draft load work or when fitted with new tyre options that help deliver even higher levels of traction in the field. More advanced ‘VF’ category tyres will let operators make…

The Bale King bale handling attachment can hold up to four hay bales at a time, and can hold both round and square bales securely enough to stack them wherever you might need. Developed by UK-based attachments developed Albutt and imported by Victorian attachments company Kerfab, the Bale King is designed to bring new versatility to the bale handling space, it says. Designed with three straight and 14 curved tines lifting vertically from the bottom tine bar, the Bale King allows the operator to pick up multiple bales and stack them in a shed, in a field, or on a truck, Kerfab marketing coordinator Ryan Hoban says. “Its manoeuvrability allows an operator to stack and arrange the bales either vertically or horizontally,” he says. Hoban adds that customers have provided…

Farmet’s Softer high-speed compact disc cultivators can be used for everything. Demand for deep tillage equipment has been on the rise Australia-wide in recent years, as farmers seek tougher equipment to break through heavier than normal soils. For Serafin Machinery, which specialises in providing seeding and tillage equipment from manufacturers as diverse as Brazil’s Baldan and Tatu Marchesan, it was time to look further afield, company sales manager Rodney Dunn says. “Deep tillage at the moment is quite a hot topic – there is trial work and there are a lot of people looking at getting into it, if they are not already,” he says. This led Serafin to Farmet, a 25-year-old company based in the Czech Republic, which Dunn says is “completely different to what we have at the…

Agriculture workers and those in forestry and fisheries had the highest rate of workers’ compensation claims requiring more than five days off work in the 2017-18 financial year, according to Safe Work Australia (SWA). SWA, a statutory body which helps governments develop occupational safety and workers’ compensation policies, looked at all 107,335 serious claims made during the period for the Australian Workers’ Compensation Statistics report 2017-18, released in January this year. The report showed agriculture, fisheries and forestry workers made 8.6 serious claims per million hours worked in 2017-18 – or 16.7 claims per 1,000 employees – more than manufacturing workers (8.1 claims per million hours) and transport, postal and warehousing services workers (7.7 claims). Agriculture workers accounted for 2,730, or 77 per cent of the 3,560 serious claims made…

The rotors also feature a balancing system which enables high rotation speeds to deliver a superior spreading range. Now in its 39th year, the Sungold Field Days is one of Victoria’s premier agricultural events, showcasing a vast range of agricultural machinery and the latest in dairy innovation. Held behind the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory in Allansford, the event covers 7.5 hectares and is the only dairy-focused field days in the region. It was also a chance for manufacturers to exhibit their new products in dairy country – and many took the opportunity. Here were some of the highlights: MANITOU MLA-T 533-145 V+ ARTICULATED LOADER Manitou’s range of articulated loaders offers the farmer a variety of options, with a static tipping load of over four tonnes with forks at full…

He’s still entertaining and informing people about his passion, the great Aussie backyard. No one knows landscaping equipment better than television landscaper Jason Hodges. A familiar face on television, Hodges’s ideas and creativity have become essential viewing for aspiring home landscapers. As the National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo ambassador for 2020, Hodges will be on hand for anyone to meet and greet, and to ask questions about some of his landscaping hints. FROM PASSION TO CAREER By the time he completed high school, Hodges had turned mowing the lawns of a few neighbours into a business. Always loving the outdoors, Jason studied landscape construction at Ryde TAFE, opening his own landscape business in the early nineties. With success in his field came opportunities. He moved on to part-time teaching…

They have revolutionised their unit into a very high tech dairy enterprise. Dairy farms are changing. With advances in automation technology, robots are now being used to feed and milk the cows, fill feed mixers and distribute the contents, even push the silage closer to the cows in the feed passage and scrape the manure off the slats. These robotic appliances not only reduce the labour required, they can also collect endless streams of continuous data, which can then be used for a plethora of different management decisions. One couple exploring how advanced technology can support their business are Belgian dairy farmer Bart Vanderstraeten and his wife Marijke d’Hertefelt, who run a herd of 130 Holstein Friesian cows on their 165 hectare Koeweidehof dairy farm at Merchtem in the Flemish…

The Prairie Pro incorporates many elements from the transport and earthmoving industries. Boasting the tagline ‘Australia’s world-class sprayer’, the Goldacres range of self-propelled chemical sprayers has been designed, engineered and built to operate efficiently and reliably in Australia’s unique conditions, characterised by higher spraying speeds, lower water rates and generally harsher weather conditions. The G6 Crop Cruiser is an example of the G Series of self-propelled chemical sprayers – high capacity, high clearance and high-performance sprayers suited to large-scale dry land farming and horticultural enterprises. These sprayers are designed with efficiency in mind, with exceptional power to weight ratio, full mechanical driveline, unbeatable boom ride and the industry’s best fuel economy, says Goldacres. Goldacres’ flagship trailing sprayer model the Prairie Pro incorporates many elements from the transport and earthmoving industries…

As spray booms continue to grow, now reaching 54.5m and beyond, operators are enjoying being able to cover more ground in the available weather window in a short period of time. However, the tip-to-tip speed difference across a wide, turning boom is also driving the need for a fast, precise nozzle control technology. As Hardi Australia’s product manager for large sprayers Steve Lancaster points out, the outer tip of a 48.5m boom travels considerably faster than the inner tip in every turn – leading to significant under- and over-dosing around headlands or any obstacle in the paddock. “Hardi solves this problem by combining multi-tiered spraying with its H-Select system to provide accurate target rate control over the widest possible speed range,” he says. The H-Select system calculates the speed of…

There’s no doubt the V6 EcoDiesel is the pick of the range for those who need to travel long distances between fuel stops. Eats utes for breakfast, drinks fuel like a sailor? Well, not quite, because when we tested the 5.7-litre Hemi V8 that exclusively powered the Ram 1500 pick-up until now, it proved surprisingly frugal … for a huge petrol donk, that is. But with the recent release of the Ram 1500 Laramie V6 EcoDiesel to the Australian market, you can now have your big slice of American pie and eat it too. Sure, some of the charm of driving around in a Ram 1500 is the fact it has a stonking great V8 under the ‘hood’ that pumps out a more-than-handy 291kW (395hp in the old language), but…

With increased levels of luxury, John Deere says its new premium XUV 865R Gator is the most comfortable utility model it has ever produced. Powered by an 854cc three-cylinder, liquid-cooled OHV diesel engine producing 23hp (17kW) at 3,600rpm, the XUV 865R Gator has a top speed of 50km/h in high range. Standard specification on this vehicle, which is available worldwide, includes a continuously variable transmission with on-demand 4WD, power steering, fully independent suspension and an attachment-ready electrical system. The quiet, fully equipped cab provides comfortable car-style seating for up to three people when driving off-road, as well as easy-opening door handles, a fully opening windscreen and a highly efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. In addition, the cab features an attractive tan-coloured interior that has been ergonomically redesigned, with…

Previously only available on its combine and forage harvesters, the Cemos machine optimisation system produced by Claas will be made available to Australian tractor buyers later this year. The system will be made available as an option on all Axion and Arion tractors equipped with the CEBIS operating system, after previously being installed only on Lexion combine harvesters and Jaguar forage harvesters. Shane Barrett, the Claas tractors product manager for local distributor Claas Harvest Centre, says the tractor variation optimises machine and implement settings to maximise throughput or fuel efficiency. To use the system, an operator will enter a range of information about operating conditions at the beginning of a job. This can include soil humidity, soil type and working depth, as well as machine data – such as tractor…

Tillage equipment manufacturer Serafin Machinery has launched a new frame for its Ultisow single disc seeders, which it says will make maintenance and in-field adjustments easier. The Ultisow High Lift Frame can be raised about 1m higher than the standard bar – to an under-bar clearance height of 1.6m, putting the row units at a much more comfortable height to work on. Serafin says it completed the remodel in response to customer demands, and making access to row units easier was the first item on the list. Company sales manager Rodney Dunn says the low clearance on the earlier model had made it difficult to get work done. “We spent a lot of time in the past eight to nine years making the row units a lot easier to work…

Global production of sesame seeds is likely to double in the next 20 years, and it could be the perfect match for broadacre farmers in northern Australia. At least, that’s what a team of researchers from Central Queensland University and the Co-operative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia are looking into. The prospects of the crop are being investigated in a three-year research project run by the two groups to investigate whether five high-value spice crops – cumin, fennel, caraway, black sesame and kalonji, also known as nigella seeds – are suitable to be included in broadacre crop rotations in Northern Australia. Not to be confused with the white sesame seeds placed on top of hamburger buns or used to make tahini, black sesame is an oilseed used commonly in…

ABARES Outlook 2020, Canberra The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) is the research arm of the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. The ABARES Outlook 2020 conference will explore practical steps to reach the target of $100 billion in farm output by 2030. Be part of the conversation as speakers and delegates consider the opportunities and threats in reaching that target. WHEN: March 3-4, 2020 MORE INFO: www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/outlook Wimmera Machinery Field Days, Longerenong Wimmera Machinery Field Days is hosted at the purpose-built Wimmera Events Centre at Longerenong near Horsham in western Victoria and has grown into one of Australia’s largest agricultural and agribusiness trade shows. The first night will be a Twilight Expo, staying open until 7pm. WHEN: March 3-5, 2020 MORE INFO:…

Farming-focused enterprises have moved to provide assistance with the clean-up effort. More than 3,000 homes were destroyed, an estimated 10 million hectares of land burnt out and 33 people killed in bushfires that swept across Australia during the summer months. While the full impact of the summer bushfires on farms and rural communities is still being fully counted, it is believed that many fruit and vegetable growers in particular have been affected by fires burning through South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. To remedy this, some farming-focused enterprises have moved to provide assistance with the clean-up effort, alongside an initial $2 billion government grant to establish the National Bushfire Recovery Agency. PFG Australia will provide over $2 million worth of tractors and machinery in partnership with primary dealers and…

The club is yet to operate the engine at its full power, though Francis adds that 2020 might be the year. There’s no shortage of history in Bendigo. The one-time goldrush capital is still home to some of Victoria’s most beautiful heritage architecture and a good portion of manufacturing genius. But in a corner at the far end of the city’s Prince of Wales Showgrounds sits a portion of this history that might be overlooked, but is too loud to be ignored. Founded in 1975, the Bendigo Steam & Oil Engine Preservation Group meets every Saturday afternoon to restore, repair and run a variety of engines, some dating from the turn of the century. While you could argue that many of the shed’s items are unique in their own way,…

It’s never had anything go wrong with it. It still has the original motor, which has never been touched. The team at Quik Spray’s offices in Warana, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, were delighted to meet Don Roderick when he popped into their offices late last year. It had been a long time – he was dropping in to repair the remote control for his Quik Spray unit – for the first time in over 25 years! After owning his Quik Spray system since 1995 with no troubles at all, he was happy to tell the team how successful and consistent his spray system had been. “It’s still working, and this is the first time it’s been repaired,” he says. “It’s never had anything go wrong with it. It still has…

Jumping in and out of your cab to remove plastic and net wrapping from round bales is a thing of the past with the Keltec Bale Slice. Keltec’s patented system removes the plastic wrap and netting from the bale while slicing the bale in half, speeding up the operation of feeding. It does this by bringing a blade through the bale from bottom to top, ensuring that both halves of the plastic wrap are the same length while also making sure the tail end is not caught and dragged into the cut feed or wagon. The design helps create maximum productivity and reduces costs by enabling the operator to do the least amount of work possible while sitting in the seat of their tractor or telehandler. Australian distributor Gendore says…

Chainless feeders have been around since the late 1990s, when Hustler’s original chainless 2000 was introduced and proved to be so popular it is now shipped all over the world. Luckily, farmers are spoilt for choice when it comes to bale feeders so the first questions that need to be asked are: what is a chainless? Why would you buy a chainless? And is it worth the price premium? WHAT IS A CHAINLESS? As the name suggests, it is chainless, so no more oiling chains, worn drive sprockets, bent slats and net wrapped around every nook and cranny. The additional benefit of the double rotor design is that it allows the bale to be teased out rather than feeding it faster by simply increasing the chain speed on a traditional…