Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 407 i Farms and Farm Machinery

Machinery giant Case IH has hinted at new products for 2022, revealing a new sprayer and several additions to its hay and harvest range will be introduced this year. Two further products launched by Case IH in late 2021 – the AFS Connect Optum tractor and Austoft 9000 series sugarcane harvester – will also have their first units arrive on Australian shores early this year. Case IH ANZ general manager Pete McCann hopes the industry will be able to return to some old routines in 2022 after the challenges associated with COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions during the past two years. “We’re hopeful 2022 will mean a return to ‘business as usual’ for Case IH in terms of resuming more face-to-face contact with our dealers and customers, particularly through the likes…

Lemken has announced upgrades to its VarioPack front-mounted furrow press. The German manufacturer has added what it describes as “hydraulically adjustable steering sensitivity”, which it says is ideal for GPS-controlled tractors or when working on hilly terrain. “This enables precise, reliable pass alignment,” Lemken says. “The true-tracking performance of this furrow press reduces driver strain, as there is no need to counter-steer in difficult conditions.” The changes have been made as more farmers are using front-mounted furrow presses for reconsolidation and for ballasting tractors when working with a raised seed drill combination, Lemken says. A rigid version of the furrow press will be available with working widths between 2.5m and 4m plus a ring diameter of 90cm. The folding version will feature working widths between 4m and 6m and a…

A list of the top agricultural innovations of 2021 in the US has been announced, and while the major household OEM names dominated it, several smaller technologies have also caught the eye. John Deere, Case IH and Kuhn were among the larger players that received multiple nominations in the list of the most innovative designs in engineering and technology for agricultural, food and biological systems. The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ (ASABE) AE50 list honours the 50 best products judged as having the greatest impact in the industry. John Deere led the AE50 list, receiving eight awards for innovations released commercially into the US in 2021 – the 1775NT 24Row30 planter, C770 cotton harvester, NDF hinged frame flexible cutterbar draper, integrated Exactrate liquid fertiliser system, the 9R Series…

The John Deere 6R tractor stable has been bolstered to offer Australian livestock producers and hay contractors more choice of horsepower than ever before across its mid-size tractor range, with the addition of new 6R 140, 6R 150, 6R 165 and 6R 185 models. Available to order now, the new models deliver more horsepower across several frame choices, allowing customers to select the right power to weight ratio for their unique requirements, to maximise the productivity and profitability of their operation. John Deere Australia/New Zealand production system manager Stephanie Gersekowski says the 6R tractors’ ability to perform in harsh Australian conditions made them the ideal solution for a diverse range of operations. “The 6R is the next step up from John Deere’s popular 6M tractor, and provides customers with more…

Tractor sales have exceeded 18,000 units for the year following another stellar month in December, with sales across the nation up 2 per cent on the same month last year. This has resulted in a full year rise of 25 per cent above the previous year. Sales have been strong in all states, fuelled by the excellent harvest season underway and supported by the government’s various company tax incentive programs. Beginning in NSW, sales were up 4 per cent for the month and were 39 per cent ahead for the year. Queensland was again strong up 3 per cent and finished up 23 per cent ahead for the full year, while Victoria was down 2 per cent in December but was up 14 per cent up for the year. Sales…

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. WHEN: March 1–2, 2022 MORE INFO: http://wimmerafielddays.com.au Wagin Agricultural Show and Woolorama – Wagin Over two days, the community comes together to showcase the diversity of agricultural life in WA. It is a fantastic day out for the whole family with lots to see and do, including prestigious livestock, art, photography, craft, home industries, fashion, rides and entertainment for all ages, plus a spectacular Rodeo on Saturday night. WHEN: March 11–12, 2022 MORE INFO: www.woolorama.com.au Central Districts Field Days – Manfeild, New Zealand Central Districts Field Days is a unique agriculture event…

Farmers wanting a bigger unit to spend less time preparing paddocks for seeding now have their wish. The 18.4m Bednar Swifterdisc Mega XE18400 disc cultivator has been introduced to Australia by importer and distributor Powerace. First launched at last year’s Dowerin Field Days in Western Australia, the XE18400 will allow farmers to get the job done in fewer passes. Manufactured by Bednar, a Czech company with 25 years of experience in agricultural machinery, the XE18400 is the biggest Swifterdisc Australian farmers can access, but it is certainly not its first. Swifterdiscs have been used for several years, with farmers running the 12.4m XE12400 model to prepare paddocks for a wide range of broadacre crops. The XE12400 will continue to remain available for Australian customers. Powerace’s Grant Borgward says the new…

Australian farmers are predicting the ‘magic combination’ of high commodity prices, low interest rates and good seasonal conditions will continue in the year ahead – sustaining a continued high level of confidence across the sector, says Rabobank in its Q4 Rural Confidence Survey. The impact of recent excessive rainfall and flooding in southern Queensland and northern and central New South Wales’ grain-growing regions – which devastated many crops on the point of harvest – has yet to be fully considered, as the survey was in the field when the rains hit. This is expected to significantly alter previously-high income projections in the grain sector. Growers in impacted regions have been counting the cost of significant downgrades or complete ruination of what was shaping up as one of the biggest winter…

The Herbicide resistance in lucerne seed production systems in South East of South Australia project is the first research of its kind for the lucerne seed industry and will aim to provide insights into integrated weed management strategies to safeguard the sustainability of herbicides in the industry. The project is expected to run until May 2023 whereby weed seeds will be gathered from 100 commercial lucerne seed paddocks in the southeast of South Australia – a region that produces more than 80 per cent of the country’s commercial lucerne seed. Once collected, the seeds will be germinated in a controlled environment and will then be sprayed to determine the levels of herbicide resistance. Annual ryegrass (Lollium rigidum), barley grass (Hordeum glaucum and H. leporinum) and sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus) are the…

Speaking at the recent Dairy Research Foundation 2021 Symposium, held online November 17–18, University of Sydney Associate Professor Cameron Clark said that data could help improve dairy cow management in future, with calves weaned according to their rumination development, cows bred to be more resilient to Australia’s extreme environmental conditions and supplement allocation optimised within herds. Clark is leading a program using advanced data science to unlock the value of new and existing data for New South Wales dairy farmers, as part of the new Dairy UP initiative. Dairy UP is a collaborative dairy research, development and extension program for NSW, investigating the potential of milk, cows and water to increase productivity and profitability, de-risk the dairy industry and develop new markets, it states. Clark said that as increasing amounts…

Supportive conditions, aided by record returns and the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, has ensured the 2020–21 dairy season will be remembered as one of the most profitable in history. As outlined by Dairy Australia’s Situation and Outlook Report – December 2021, the profitable outlook across the 2020–21 season resulted in most dairy regions experiencing their highest average returns in nearly a decade. The Dairy Farm Monitor Project (DFMP) – a tool used by Dairy Australia to provide physical and financial analysis of 250 farms across the country – highlighted just how profitable the previous dairy season has been. In all, 41 farms across NSW experienced increases in farm business profits, which lifted from $1.05/kg of milk solids (MS) to $2.07/kgMS – the highest level recorded since the DFMP has been…

The 2021 Truck of the Year Award marks the culmination of the fourth year of the highly-popular Truck of the Month feature in OwnerDriver. The team at our sister publication OwnerDriver has chosen the 12 finalists, but the responsibility of selecting the winner is now turned over to you – our valued readers. Among the nominees are some amazing trucks – so we don’t envy the job ahead of you! Read on to find out how to vote, and what you can win for your efforts. HOW IT WORKS To be eligible, trucks must have appeared as a Truck of the Month in OwnerDriver magazine over the past 12 months. The outright winner will be decided by popular vote – with the winner featured in the March 2022 issue of…

Leading header manufacturer MacDon will develop co-branded combine draper headers for Case IH and New Holland harvesters, available to order Down Under in late 2022. The MacDon draper headers will start arriving in Australia in time for the 2023 harvest season, the companies say. MacDon will continue to use its MacDon brand as it manufactures and distributes its full line of combine draper headers for all major combine brands, and New Holland has confirmed it will continue production of its Varifeed grain headers and CornMaster corn headers. New Holland Australia product segment manager – broadacre Marc Smith says the partnership will offer immediate improvements to customers. “Using New Holland’s technical harvest expertise and customer needs insights as well as MacDon’s ability to craft best-in-class headers with increased flex and speed,…

CFMoto will now offer two additional variants to its UForce 600 utility terrain vehicle – a no-frills model and one with an expanded range of options. The models will complement the existing UForce 600 model, which currently retails for $14,490 drive away. The no-frills UForce 600 Base model, which will retail for $12,990 drive away, will boast many of the features of the standard model, including its LCD Screen, ROPS-approved cage and newly designed bench seat. It will also have the standard model’s roof kit, multiple engine modes with electronic engine braking, 960kg of towing and carrying capacity and nearly 100 litres of storage. The 580cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, single overhead cam, single-cylinder engine also continues to operate at full mast: 41hp (31kW) at 6250rpm and 62Nm at 4750rpm. Where it…

Danish automated farming company Agrointelli has developed a new version of its autonomous farming robot, called Robotti LR. An automated implement carrier, the Robotti LR automates tasks in agriculture and horticulture and can be fitted with a variety of farm implements to perform different tasks throughout the season. The original Robotti machine, the 150D, has also recently reached our shores via the announcement that Corematic is the first Australian distributor of Agrointelli’s Robotti robot, launched at events in Bundaberg and Toowoomba in January. Corematic will work with service providers across the country, the first of which is Formatt Machinery based in the Wide Bay district of Queensland. “Technology helps establish a direct relationship with the most advanced experts all around the world and Agrointelli is one of them,” Corematic CEO…

John Deere has unveiled an autonomous version of its 8R tractor, which it says will be available for farmers in the US later this year. Launched at the Consumer Technology Association’s CES event 2022 in Las Vegas, the autonomous tractor comes equipped with a GPS system and a TruSet enabled chisel plow, as well as six pairs of stereo cameras that can calculate distances and enable 360° obstacle detection. Images captured by the cameras are passed through a deep neural network that classifies each pixel in approximately 100 milliseconds and determines if the machine continues to move or stops, depending on if an obstacle is detected. The autonomous tractor is also continuously checking its position relative to a geofence, ensuring it is operating where it is supposed to, and is…

Of the products named in the Top 10 among exhibitors at the World Ag Expo, set to be held in California in February, four are autonomous robots and one an electric tractor. The World Ag Expo hosts more than 1,400 exhibitors every year, with the top 10 selected from among them by a panel made up of farmers and graziers as well as other industry professionals. Among the products named is a new patent pending rover developed by InsightTrac, built to seek and destroy ‘mummy’ almonds by shooting them out of trees using biodegradable pellets. Mummy almonds are those that remain on the tree after harvest, providing a food source for pests that can go on to cause problems. At present, most of these almonds are removed by shaking the…

They put it through one of the most exhaustive global testing schedules we’ve ever developed Ford’s Next-Generation Ranger is the “smartest, most versatile and most capable Ranger ever” according to the company, with the latest model updates aiming for an adaptable mid-sized ute that reflects how people want to use their vehicles. The Next-Generation Ranger project was led by Ford’s Product Development Centre in Melbourne, with a 2,000-strong team of dedicated designers and engineers. “Our team was focused on one goal – to make this Ranger the toughest and most capable we’ve ever created,” says Ranger vehicle program director Graham Pearson. “They put it through one of the most exhaustive global testing schedules we’ve ever developed and would not rest until we were satisfied that it was ‘Built Ford Tough’.”…

Developer W&P Pumps says its range of irrigation and dewatering pumpsets are built with quality components to endure tough Australian conditions. Built in China to their own specifications, the pumpsets combine W&P’s rugged pumps with the Legend range of diesel engines, creating pumpsets specifically for irrigation and drainage purposes. W&P Pumps manager Zac Surplice told Farms & Farm Machinery that the company had been distributing and servicing Legend engines for over 25 years. The pumps use the 21kW Legend 490 engine, the 33kW Legend 4102 and the 42kW Legend 4108, with pump ports ranging in size from six to 12 inches (15 to 30cm). “We have found them to be most efficient within the 1,500 to 1,800 rpm range – which suits pumps of 6–12 inches in diameter,” Zac says.…

Agricultural Shows Australia (ASA) is looking for sponsors for the National Young Judges and Paraders Championships – encouraging the next generation of show judges. The naming rights sponsorships across nine competitions, including dairy cattle, beef cattle, alpacas and meat sheep, last three years at a cost of $5,000 per year. The Merino sheep and fleece competition sponsorships, and the poultry judging sponsorships, have already been secured by Australian Wool Innovation and Australian Eggs, respectively. The competitions see the brightest young paraders of livestock and young judges of agricultural produce compete nationally with an extensive program of events. After two years of relative inactivity due to the pandemic conditions, ASA’s national finals coordinator Heather Earney says that the 2022 program is looking to be one of the most competitive to date.…

National policy and advocacy organisation Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) has outlined its key policy goals in a statement ahead of the upcoming election, focusing on nutritional health, regional jobs and on-farm sustainability and productivity. “This upcoming election provides a great opportunity for the Australian dairy industry. We need policy settings that support our industry’s economic recovery,” ADF president Rick Gladigau says. “The dairy sector can play a key role in supporting the Australian government’s COVID-19 recovery and regionalisation agendas, and its pledge to set the foundations for the agriculture sector to grow to $100 billion by 2030. “The federal election provides a defining moment in the Australian dairy industry’s ability to achieve our sustainability targets.” The ADF 2022 Federal Election Policy Statement was finalised following consultation with ADF members and…

A young dairy farmer in Northern Ireland has revived the once-popular doorstep deliveries of fresh milk in glass bottles in his local town. For Gareth Baird, who helps run the family’s Carnrassie Farm on the northern edge of Carrickfergus, it was an essential way to add value to the family property, and to help him find a way to work on the farm full-time. The Bairds milk around 150 cows, normally supplying their milk to mozzarella manufacturer Glanbia Cheese – but ever since completing an agriculture course at Greenmount College Gareth had ambitions to start his own milk round. “We needed to boost the farm income to justify me coming come from college to farm full-time,” Baird says. “Increasing the cow numbers was not an option here so we had…

Farm machinery dealers expect turnover levels to remain consistent over the next six months, while most expect low inventory levels going forward. The Tractor and Machinery Association surveyed 46 dealers in its Quarterly Dealer Business Sentiment Survey in November last year, with 85 per cent of those surveyed saying their current turnover rates were either good or very good. When it came to predicting the next six months, the TMA said about 50 per cent expected it would remain unchanged. However, “there has been a marked change in sentiment with expectations that turnover will decrease, doubling since the August survey from 16 per cent then to 33 per cent now”. For new tractor sales, “whilst the majority of dealers still believe sales will remain unchanged, there has been a decline…

Two new agricultural drones and two remote sensing drones produced by Chinese manufacturer XAG will debut in Australia in the second half of 2022, the company’s local arm has confirmed. The company says the recent updates to its drone range not only expands XAG’s agriculture product lines, but also builds on previous models in terms of efficiency, precision and safety. XAG Australia sales manager Bryce Dimec confirmed that the newly launched P100 and V40 agricultural drones, along with the M500 and M2000 remote sensing drones, would both arrive around the third and fourth quarters of 2022. Agricultural drones The XAG P100 agricultural drone follows brand new principles from its structural design to task systems, inheriting the classical quadrotor structure with a 40kg effective payload. Unlike previous autonomous drones, which relied…

New Zealand automation and robotics company Scott Technology has announced a new A$18 million contract to design, build and commission an automated beef boning system. Scott Technology is partnering with Australian meat processing company Teys and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) to develop the machine which, it says, will improve yield, product quality, throughput and efficiency, while also increasing operator and food safety. “This development comes at a time when now, more than ever, the beef industry around the world is struggling with labour shortages and searching for opportunities to improve yield and efficiencies,” Scott Technology CEO John Kippenberger says. “We are delighted to be partnering with Teys, one of Australia’s leading protein producers with a rich history in the industry, and MLA, who bring a pan-industry perspective and a…

Australia cannot take a positive year of output for granted and further investment is needed to help reach the ‘towards 2030’ goal, the National Farmers Federation (NFF) warns. The NFF set a goal of Australia achieving $100 billion in farm-gate output by 2030 and the nation is on track to achieve a record $78 billion in that category this financial year. That projection forms part of NFF’s 2021 report card, in which president Fiona Simson describes the industry’s performance as “magnificent” but warns a strong year is no guarantee of the 2030 target being met unless further investment is made. “If drought demonstrates the harsh reality of agriculture in Australia, rain reveals the opportunities,” she says. “Widespread favourable seasonal conditions, coupled with high commodity prices have agriculture on track for…

Organisers of the world’s biggest farm machinery show, Agritechnica, have cancelled the event for 2022 due to increased COVID-19 regulations and cases. The DLG, German Agricultural Society, has officially cancelled the event that had already been postponed from its traditional November 2021 date to February 27, 2022. Agritechnica normally attracts 2,800 exhibitors and over 486,000 visitors to the Exhibition Centre in Hanover but some of the main exhibitors had previously expressed concerns about the new dates in 2022. DLG said that in view of the current national and global developments in conjunction with the coronavirus pandemic, the rapidly rising number of cases worldwide and the related restrictions on travel, as well as official regulations, DLG, VDMA Agricultural Machinery Association and Agritechnica’s exhibitor advisory board had jointly concluded that the conditions…

It goes without saying that covering more ground in the paddocks each season naturally leads to increased production and therefore increased financial returns. Having a seeder capable of covering larger areas in less time will help the bottom line for any farmer. Seeder manufacturer Bourgault has its frame mounted seeder (FMS) range, which provides versatility for farmers by offering sizes from 6m to 9m sowing width and tanks between 4,800L or 7,200L, all designed to increase productivity. What are the benefits of seeders, though, and what should farmers be thinking about to maximise the return they get from their efforts? The first answer, Bourgault says, is regular pasture renovation. A good soil structure lets air and water flow through the soil, while also preventing the negative side effects of excessive…

Most farmers will have read the hype about Asparagopsis, the native Australian seaweed that neutralises the methane emissions from cattle. What they won’t have read about is why they are not seeing it on the list of products provided by their local stock feed agent. The option of adding seaweed supplements to cattle was first discovered by a Canadian farmer in 2013, who noticed that his cattle in the paddocks adjacent to the beaches were eating dried kelp and were achieving higher levels of productivity than cattle positioned further inland. Productivity improvements were across the board but things got really exciting when it was discovered that the chemical bromoform (CHBr3) disrupts the chemical reaction between enzymes and vitamin B12, which is a key contributor to the production of methane in…

A new three-year National Bee Pest Surveillance Program (NBPSP) has been launched to check for pests that threaten the Australian honey bee industry. First established in 2012 to deal with mounting biosecurity pressures, the NBPSP monitors major ports and surrounding areas. The new program, which will run from December 2021 to December 2024, will be coordinated and administered by Plant Health Australia (PHA) on a national level, carrying out activities at ports identified to be at the highest risk of allowing entry to bee pests, diseases and pest bees. Eleven exotic pests that could pose a significant threat to pollination services have been identified. Arguably the most important of these is Varroa mite, a parasitic mite present in Europe, North and South America, Africa, parts of Asia and New Zealand…

The Australian Fodder Industry Association (AFIA) has released a Fodder Safety Brief explaining how to create a traffic management plan for your business when it may be impractical or too costly to install barriers to separate pedestrians from machinery. The first step, AFIA explains, is to map your traffic management zone and think about where pedestrians and moving vehicles could collide. With a sketch of your property that includes where your hay is located, mark defined driving routes, speed limits, access and egress, loading zones and exclusion zones. Think about how trucks access your property and whether they have an even surface to park on. What overhead obstructions, such as power lines, are there? To prevent loading equipment from overbalancing, ensure the loading zone is flat and solid, while reversing…

While tourism is their main industry, the 500 residents of the tiny English Channel Island of Sark were in a state of excitement last August for the arrival of some special new residents – the first cows of the island’s new dairy herd. Sark Island is located off France’s northern coast and measures only 3.5 miles (5.6km) long and 1.5 miles (2.4km) wide. It relies on tourism and agriculture to support its economy. It has no cars, no paved roads, no street lighting and almost no pollution – but it does attract over 50,000 visitors each year, fed by businesses that need milk. It was only two years ago that the island initiated a global hunt for a new dairy farmer after their previous one had retired, forcing residents to…