Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 408 i Farms and Farm Machinery

Amazone’s new high-capacity UX 8601 and UX 7601 Super trailed sprayers are designed to be a perfect combination of function and form, handling their respective 9,000 and 8,000 litre tanks with ease. Both sprayers weigh a relatively low 14 tonnes and are built to be both compact and manoeuvrable. The sprayers are distributed through Claas Harvest Centre, with product manager for Amazone Joshua Patrick saying both models are equipped with a 250L/min spraying pump and a 350L/min agitation pump that can be driven mechanically or hydraulically. “These piston diaphragm pumps are self-priming, which means that the complete spray agent circuit is a very simple set-up and with the shortest possible hose routing,” he says. “This also provides a solid foundation for fast and thorough cleaning. “The large diameter of the…

Ahern Australia has been appointed the master Australian distributor and sole importer of Faresin Industries’ feed mixer wagons and agricultural telehandlers, as well as their parts and accessories. To help with this, Ahern Australia has established a specialist agricultural division to manage this range of products, complementing its construction and rental equipment operations. Ahern has also appointed a dealer network to sell and service these products to end user customers, giving it access to new Faresin product inventory and technical support, as well as spare parts from its warehouse in New South Wales. The company already enjoys a strong, well-established business relationship with Faresin Industries as it is also an official distributor for Snorkel mobile elevating work platforms, telehandlers and material lifts, as well as Ruthmann Bluelift tracked spider lifts.…

Farmers spending less than 34 per cent of their farm income on buying and running their machinery tend to be investing efficiently, according to a new benchmark set by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). The benchmarking formula was one of the results of a two-year project initiated by the GRDC – the development of a comprehensive investment guide for Australian grain growers. Now released, the Machinery Investment Options in the Australian Cropping Regions report includes a new benchmarking tool that the GRDC says will help grain growers make better informed purchasing decisions after investigating machinery investment and replacement costs. The Machinery Investment Ratio formula requires growers to calculate their total plant, labour, maintenance and contracting costs relative to their total gross farm income, in a calculation the GRDC…

The first month of 2022 has seen the positive trend for tractor sales continue, with January’s figure broadly in line with the same month last year. Dealers continue to deliver to customers at a level not seen for many years, given the frantic nature of the industry at present, with customer demand extreme for machinery, parts and service in support of this year’s harvest. Managing workforces while dealing with COVID-19 restrictions, the ongoing shortage of stock and the occasional ‘hand grenade’ such as the shortage of AdBlue are other challenges dealers were facing in January. Beginning in NSW, sales were broadly equivalent to last January. Queensland was again strong, up four per cent and Victoria was up seven per cent. Sales in Western Australia recorded another drop this time, 28…

Goldacres is stepping up its focus on both capacity and technology in its trailing sprayer offering with the introduction of the new Prairie Pro Series 2. Since its release in 2015, the Prairie Pro has been the Australian manufacturer’s flagship trailing model, but the Series 2 will boast a totally new design, Goldacres says. The layout and tech package has been lifted directly from Goldacres’ recently-released G6 Series 2 crop cruiser self-propelled sprayer. Goldacres’ philosophy behind the new model was to create a machine that was more efficient to use, with quicker, higher-capacity filling systems, larger boom plumbing to allow for higher flow rates and increased pneumatic systems to cater for more accurate spraying systems. It has meant most of the features already found on the G6 Series 2 self-propelled…

Throughout its more than 50 years in business, Dieci has focused on researching innovative technologies in the agricultural, industrial and construction sectors to produce machines that are innovative, operator-focused and expertly designed. This focus on quality is backed by providing excellent aftersales support and service. Dieci’s extensive range of telehandlers is known for its quality Italian design and manufacturing which have been tailored to perfectly suit the Australian market. There are over 140 models and 20 product lines produced in Dieci’s ultra-modern headquarters, situated in the same region of Italy as Ducati, Ferrari and Maserati. Telehandlers offer a cost-saving solution and efficient way to move materials by improving fleet management maintenance and decreasing the number of machines needed on the jobsite. Thanks to the telescopic boom, it is possible to…

Technology is changing agriculture in ways that would have seemed unfathomable even less than a generation ago. A good example of how this is occurring is with the O3M Smart Sensor from ifm efector. It is defined by the manufacturer as a “photoelectric 3D sensor which measures the distance between the sensor and the nearest surface point by point using the time-of-flight principle.” In practical terms, it is a tool for precision guidance that is not exclusively used by the agricultural sector but which definitely comes into its own on farms. One instance of its use is in vineyards, where its line guidance helps to increase efficiency when picking grapes, according to ifm efector’s national technical sales manager Dan Buzatu. “People need to be more efficient by harvesting more grapes…

RFM Ag says its range of Australian-manufactured tillage equipment can take this season’s wet, sticky and heavy trash conditions in its stride, while adding faster sowing speeds, reduced fuel usage and improved germination. Based in Coolamon, in southern NSW, RFM Ag has been developing revolutionary technology for efficient no-till planting since 2008. Director and sales manager Bruce Hutcheon says sales of the company’s press harrows, retrofit double discs, spring coil press wheels and tines had been particularly strong over the past two years; off the back of grower demand for quality Australian-made products amid good seasonal conditions. “There is plenty of subsoil moisture and the seasonal outlook is good, but growers will no doubt be having issues with their stubble loads,” Hutcheon says. “All our machines are now fully made…

The agrifood tech event organised by AgriFutures Australia will return in 2023, with Adelaide set to host the two-day event. The event, evokeAG, will be hosted on February 21–22 next year and heralds the return of the event following pandemic-induced cancellations in 2021 and 2022. Among the action, over 110 speakers and startups from across the world will discuss food sustainability, supply chain demands, and other issues geared at improving capacity and profitability of agricultural businesses in Australia. The event will also bring together farmers, innovators, investors, government bodies and scientists to help solve the issues faced by the agricultural industry. AgriFutures Australia managing director John Harvey hopes the return will provide a boost to the industry. “The disruptive impact of the pandemic has highlighted serious shortfalls in our food…

Today, the global agricultural chemical market is worth around $268 billion dollars, with over 3.5 million tonnes of product supplied to the world’s farmers each year. China has, over the past 30 years, grown from a virtual non-user of ag chemicals to dominating the export market, followed by the United States, Germany, France and India. With China exporting 425 active ingredients for ag chemicals in 2019, Australia has grown to like the cheap supply of base and final chemicals, which has put downward price pressure on the traditional US and EU suppliers. So enthusiastic has Australia been as an importer of chemicals and exporter of agricultural products to China that the supply chain has become a target in political negotiations. Not that this is anything new to Australian farmers, as…

A new global seaweed hub has officially been launched in Adelaide in another major step towards commercialising seaweed production in South Australia. Industry watchers hope the new facility could lead the way into developing what could be a $140 million new industry within three years, with the potential to support up to 1,200 local jobs. International company CH4 has set up a Market Development Hub at the South Australian Aquatic Sciences Centre, in the Adelaide suburb of West Beach. The centre is home to the aquatic sciences research division of the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI). The Market Development Hub in Adelaide is a world-first, enabling CH4 to grow, test, analyse, process and manufacture commercial grade seaweed products, which will be exported to potential buyers in Australia and…

Driving increased consumption of vegetables and potatoes, developing more effective businesses and building industry resilience are vegetable and potato grower industry body AusVeg’s top priorities for the 2022 federal election, it says. Representing over 3,500 vegetable producers which produce 3.83 million tonnes of vegetables worth over $5 billion in retail value annually, AusVeg prepared the priority list in consultation with growers and industry associations across Australia, CEO Michael Coote says. “AusVeg’s 2022 federal election priority list is endorsed by our state and territory grower associations and reflects a unified vision for the future success of our industry,” he says. “This includes driving increased demand of Australian vegetables, securing a productive workforce, protecting the future of vegetable production through biosecurity and sustainable growing practices, and futureproofing the industry through upgraded infrastructure…

Vanderlande has signed a new contract with Australia’s largest food and grocery retailer, Woolworths, to deliver Storepick, a robotised, end-to-end automated case picking (ACP) warehouse solution. The system will be installed in a new distribution centre (DC) in Moorebank Logistics Park in Sydney and will supply over 200 stores in New South Wales from 2025. This will be the second state where a Woolworths DC will be using Vanderlande’s Storepick solution. Woolworths Group’s supply chain arm, Primary Connect, will build and operate the state-of-the-art DC, with the aim of enhancing customer shopping experiences, as well as improving efficiency in stores. Storepick allows for the optimisation of all processes across the entire value chain. Storepick has been designed using the latest technologies in material handling, including the Vanderlande Adapto shuttle system…

Waringa Distribution has announced the release of Elmer’s Manufacturing’s new Haulmaster 63T fixed track model chaser bin, which it says meets a growing need for greater capacity units. The 63T is the largest chaser bin in the Elmer’s Manufacturing Haulmaster range, offering a 13 per cent larger load capacity than the 55T, using Elmer’s’ exclusive fixed track undercarriage for increased floatation and reduced soil compaction. The tracks are tensioned hydraulically for better tracking and are designed for low maintenance, with oil bath hubs and minimal grease points. The 63T model includes all of the Haulmaster range’s unique features, most notably Elmer’s custom designed, direct-drive Powermaster gearbox. The Powermaster gearbox eliminates belts and drive chains to maximise grain flow efficiency and increase auger output capacity for more efficient unloading, with Haulmaster…

With Australian farmers having faced a multitude of challenges in recent years, from droughts, fire and flooding to COVID-19 and mouse plagues, Case IH has announced a $45,000 donation to Aussie Helpers and Angel Flight – two charities at the forefront of helping these communities, although in very different ways. Angel Flight coordinates non-emergency transport to help country people access specialist medical treatment that would otherwise be unavailable to them because of distance and high travel costs, while Aussie Helpers is dedicated to helping farmers, farm families and farming communities by providing financial assistance, counselling, educational assistance, livestock feed and essentials like fuel, groceries and medicines. “These charities are there for rural and regional people at some of the hardest times of their lives, doing what they can to ease…

Spray equipment company Croplands Equipment is marking its 50-year anniversary in 2022 by expanding its Adelaide assembly plant, helping it bring products to market faster for the benefit of Australian farmers. The expanded facility, situated at Dry Creek in the city’s north, will mean more capacity and greater efficiency for Croplands, enabling faster order turnaround. Croplands Equipment general manager Sean Mulvaney says the expansion will create new employment opportunities as the company’s current facility increases in size by 40 per cent. “An ever-expanding product range and growing demand for Croplands products has been the catalyst for our expansion at Dry Creek,” he says. “We pride ourselves on being resourceful and adaptable in meeting the needs of our customers and this investment will only increase our capacity to do so. “The…

A single-minded customer focus and a practice of tailoring each product to Australian farmers’ needs has helped to set Hardi apart, company product manager Steven Lancaster believes. The sprayer manufacturer employs over 100 people from its production base in Adelaide and continues to both grow and innovate, with last year’s launch of its targeted spraying technology GeoSelect being one example. According to Lancaster, a “genuine focus” on each customer from everyone at Hardi “whether it’s the person working on the factory floor or the CEO” has helped to ensure the company’s growth. “I’ve been at Hardi a long time and the focus has always been quality of product and customer satisfaction,” he says. “Everything we do is centred around customer experience and it’s quite a privilege to work for a…

The most powerful tractor ever produced by Italian manufacturer McCormick has arrived Down Under. The first units in the X8 series, which will extend up to 310hp (231kW), have hit the New South Wales yards of distributor Clark Equipment. Clark is planning a dealer day to showcase the new equipment and national product manager David Knoke says he is excited for customers to see the X8 in action. “The push for reliability, quality and technology coming through the McCormick factory is mind-boggling,” he says. “McCormick has always been known in the large horsepower tractor market, however, X8 has set a new standard and the bar has been raised.” McCormick’s X8 range includes three models – the X8.660, X8.670 and X8.680 – which vary in power from 264hp to 310hp (197kW…

With more than 500 models available, Ag-Pride says Italian mulcher manufacturer Berti is sure to have a machine that meets the needs of any Australian farmer. Lance Hills, product manager with Berti’s Australian distributor Ag-Pride Australia, says the Italian manufacturer is a family business that has grown and become extremely specialised in designing and producing industry leading machines in recent years. With an insistence on using quality components, coupled with modern engineering and manufacturing processes, Berti Macchine Agricole SpA has been building agricultural machinery for more than 60 years, and has been selling in Australia for more than 35, he adds. “They produce a large range of agricultural mulchers for tractors from 25 horsepower to 300hp [19kW to 224kW] such as pasture mulchers, orchard mulchers, vineyard mulchers, pick up mulchers…

Hercules H-series wheel loaders and its heavy-duty (HD) wheel loaders stand out among the pack, assembled locally for a wholly Australian-owned company. Built with both operator and owner in mind, Hercules loaders are built with quality materials and are designed with some of the most advanced additions available, all those best suited to Australian conditions. The units are developed and sold by Yatala-based Brisbane Mini Excavators, backed and supported by decades of experience in the earthmoving and heavy machinery industry. The H series is aimed more towards general agricultural work as a ‘farm all-rounder/work horse’; while the HD heavy-duty loader series is built by Caterpillar (Qingzhou) and is ideal for heavier agricultural usage, such as dam building, logging, stick raking and ripper work. All the loaders have heavy duty axles,…

Another agricultural event has fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Victoria’s Wimmera Machinery Field Days announcing its 2022 edition has been cancelled. It is the second straight year the popular event in Victoria’s west has been cancelled. Scheduled for March 1 and 2 this year, organisers said the event posed too much of a risk for the community “given the widespread impact of coronavirus”. “There have been so many aspects to consider, but at the end of the day we have a duty of care to our local community,” event president Sam Eagle says. “We have exhibitors travelling to the region from all over Australia; it’s not just local businesses attending. “We were also concerned about the number of volunteers needed to run the event and the potential impact…

Rabobank has announced the appointment of Stefan Vogel as general manager of its food and agribusiness research division, RaboResearch, in Australia and New Zealand. Vogel takes on the role after more than seven years with Rabobank in London, where he held two concurrent global positions with the bank – head of agri commodity markets research and global grains and oilseeds sector strategist. In his new position, based in Sydney, Vogel leads the Australian and New Zealand arm of the agribusiness bank’s highly-regarded global food and agricultural research division RaboResearch. In Australia and New Zealand, RaboResearch comprises a team of 10 specialist agricultural commodities analysts, who are part of a network of 75 research analysts worldwide focused on providing comprehensive, leading-edge food and agribusiness research for the bank’s clients. Announcing the…

Australian cotton is forecast to reach its second largest yield on record this season, following favourable conditions across most of the nation’s cotton growing regions. Figures from Cotton Australia suggest substantial levels of rain across the Australian summer are cause for optimism and could result in a possible crop of 5.2 million bales. The positive outlook for the industry follows years of drought, which had hampered farmers’ ability to grow cotton. In fact, the drought-impacted yield of 2019–20 resulted in the worst crop haul in recent memory, producing just 590,000 bales. Since 2019–20, good rain and warmer temperatures across most cotton growing regions has caused an uptick in cotton production, with 2.8 million bales recorded last year and the anticipated 5.2m bale forecast for the 2021–22 season. Cotton Australia chief…

Researchers from CQUniversity have designed an ear tag monitor that will track a cow’s rumination activity, providing farmers with valuable information about the wellbeing of livestock. Rumination is closely linked to animal health and physiology, and the ability to detect changes in animal behaviour accurately and remotely will be a valuable management tool for enhancing animal health, according to CQUniversity’s Dr Anita Chang. The findings mean that critical events like calving, oestrus and the disease status of an animal could all be identified without physically going to the paddock, offering producers not only labour savings but an enhanced level of animal welfare. “In the long-term this could be a game-changer for the way cattle producers monitor and manage their herds, once smart tag devices become more readily available and incorporate…

A successful fruit fly management scheme will now run through to 2026 after Hort Innovation provided additional funding to the National Fruit Fly Council (NFFC) for its Phase 4 project. The NFFC consists of federal and state governments, industry representatives and research funders that collectively consider solutions to fruit fly challenges which will lead to a cost-effective and sustainable approach to managing fruit flies, and exotic fruit fly risks, across Australia. Fruit fly represents one of the biggest trade barriers for Australian horticulture products, both endemic and exotic species of the insect posing a threat. In 2016, the cost of fruit fly in Australia was estimated to be $300 million due to control measures and international trade restrictions. The project is a joint initiative between Plant Health Australia (PHA) and…

Built for ease of transport and with flexible options available, the mobile concrete batching plants produced by Thomas Manufacturing are in hot demand, both in Australia and overseas. Established in 1997, the company is dedicated to building custom-made equipment for the crushing, mining and recycling industries. In doing so, it develops everything from bagging plants to feed hoppers, conveyors, pre-coating plants, screening plants, stackers and trommels. But the company’s batching plants have enjoyed steady popularity, with company owner Errol Thomas saying the company has recently taken an order for unit 145 after 20 years of building them. “It’s a bit of a niche market – we build them robust enough to handle pretty severe conditions, and we build them so they are very simple plants to operate… when our plants…

Ram Trucks Australia says its latest release, the Laramie 3500 crew cab, comes to the Australian market after many hours of testing – for durability, real-world driving and rolling road testing. With a design that focuses on ride and handling, luxury, materials, innovation and technology, the new model is one of a series of Ram Trucks uniquely developed with right hand drive for the Australian market. Powered by a 6.7-litre inline 6 Cummins turbodiesel, the 3500 delivers 276kW and 1,152Nm, allowing for a max braked towing capacity of up to eight tonnes. Its two-stage longitudinal leaf solid axle allows for a payload of up to 1,724kg. “The all-new 3500 completes the task we set ourselves at the start of 2021: to deliver a full range of fit-for-purpose vehicles for the…

Lemken aims to produce a carbon farming plough available for purchase from mid-2024, using research developed by German research bodies. The company developed its concept for the device together with the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), which is supported by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture to conduct research on the effects of partial deep tillage on yield and climate. Lemken plans to develop an implement for carbon enrichment in arable soils, which can be used for meliorative tillage, i.e. to break up compaction and improve the soil as a result. The implement features bodies that plough at alternating depths to create wells below the tillage level in every other furrow, which are then filled with humus-rich topsoil. Analyses of historical trials conducted by ZALF have shown…

UK manufacturing company Tong has announced the launch of the new edition of its JetFill big bag filler for the quick and easy bagging of potatoes and vegetables. “The JetFill has always been a popular machine in our home and export markets,” Tong sales director Charlie Rich says. “With this in mind, the new JetFill has been carefully fine-tuned to incorporate enhancements to the machine’s proven design, as well as the introduction of the most advanced controls. These developments combined have allowed us to really streamline the performance of the JetFill, making it even easier to use and more efficient than before.” The JetFill is Tong’s highest capacity big bag filler, able to fill up to 40 big bags per hour. The new model for 2022 is designed to handle…

A research hub dedicated to advancing a Queensland-developed alternative to chemical fungicides was launched in Brisbane in November last year. The ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection, headed by Professor Neena Mitter, builds upon on the BioClay technology to create what the university says is a ‘smart’ form of biological crop protection. The BioClay technology was developed by a research team led by Professor Mitter with scientists from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) and the University of Queensland’s (UQ’s) Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN). Mitter explained back in 2017 that the technology helped to reduce the use of pesticides with a spray of “nano-sized degradable clay used to release double-stranded RNA, that protects plants from specific disease-causing pathogens”. The BioClay technology works by…

New South Wales grain farmers can still get involved with an on-farm pilot program aiming to increase productivity by improving spray drift management practices. Grain Producers Australia (GPA) had a pilot permit approved last year by the Agricultural Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority (APVMA), which runs until July 2022. It allows for use of specific pesticide products when working with the Spray Drift Management Tool (SDMT) and aims to assess a potential recalculation of spray drift buffer zones. GPA says modern pesticide labels contain spray drift buffer zone restraints, including mandatory buffers. The SDMT will allow users in the pilot to input site specific information and calculate reduced buffer zones applicable to their local conditions and application technology, such as spray quality. The pilot aims to identify the extent to…

Central Queensland farmer Simon Donovan has been using the RoGator self-propelled sprayer range for 14 years – and says every new model is better than its predecessor. His latest has been kitted out with great new technology – with Weed-It optical spot spraying technology, Raven XRT boom-levelling and Ag Leader GPS. Simon manages Duaringa Station, which is one of three properties in central Queensland owned by his parents, Bruce and Beryl Donovan, under the umbrella of Donovan Farming Company Pty Ltd. They produce durum wheat, chickpeas, cotton, sorghum and corn on 4,800ha and the RoGator covers that ground at least four times a year. The family purchased their first RoGator in 2004, inspired by a local contractor who had one which “seemed robust”, so that was their choice when their…

Two tractor models within Antonio Carraro Australia’s range showcase the manufacturer’s ability to respond to specific farming needs with unique solutions. Standing just 1.72m from the ground, the TGF 8900 R is Antonio Carraro’s lowest available tractor, while the SRX 8900 R is the manufacturer’s ideal option for tight spaces and narrow rows in orchards, with a footprint just 1.06m wide. Both are fitted with Antonio Carraro’s patented Actio chassis, which sales manager Marco Corra says provides much better traction and stability for the user in all conditions. “On a tractor, normally you have a fixed chassis which sits on top of the axles,” he says. “In our design, the axles go through the chassis, which brings a lower centre of gravity, and also there is an oscillation point, not…

In the eternal quest to increase farm yields, farmers need to innovate and find creative solutions. For broadacre farmers, having more land on which to harvest would be one solution, although naturally not the easiest to turn into reality. Though what if land that was previously too rocky to cultivate could suddenly become useful? Enter the FAE stone crusher. The Italian manufacturer has recently introduced the RSH/HP model, capable of crushing stones up to 50cm in diameter and with a working width of 260cm and maximum operating depth of 50cm. It is a big beast and designed for use with tractors between 360 and 500 horsepower (268kW and 373kW). Other improvements made on the RSH/HP include a larger opening to allow for more material intake and a wider counter blade…

The EzFeed certainly stands out from the crowd From early beginnings (1961) in a humble shed developing the first Hustler sprayer and hydraulic rams, through to the plethora of machines Hustler ships globally today, this thriving Kiwi business remains 100 per cent New Zealand-owned and operated, with its impressive manufacturing facility and headquarters based in Hastings, where third-generation boss Brent Currie steers the ship. Over the years, there have been a number of remarkable developments. The chainless bale feeder was the real groundbreaker for Hustler in the feed out segment, which now includes a wide-ranging portfolio of equipment, while the EzFeed silage wagon is the latest innovation to impress. In 2016, Hustler purchased Robertson Manufacturing in Canterbury as a way of expanding its product line, and this included the popular…

ABARES Outlook – 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. There will be agenda setting sessions, thought provoking panel discussions, opportunities to hear from leading international and national industry figures, plus in-depth analysis for key commodities. WHEN: March 1–4, 2022 MORE INFO: www.awe.gov.au/abares/outlook AgSmart Expo – Tamworth A brand new event, AgSmart aims to attract 10,000 in-person visitors to a show where exhibitors can display, demonstrate, inform and influence Australian farmers about adopting new technological advances and different practices in agriculture to drive future productivity and profitability for our farming nation. WHEN: March 9–10, 2022 MORE INFO: acmruralevents.com.au/agsmartexpo/home Wagin Agricultural Show and Woolorama – Wagin Over two days, the community comes…

Australian agriculture is likely to have another profitable year in 2021–2022, with the gross value of agricultural production expected to achieve its fourth consecutive year of growth. According to agribusinesses specialist Rabobank’s 2022 Australian Agribusiness Outlook report, the country’s agricultural sector will follow its strong performance in 2020–21, which saw record-high agriculture commodity prices. Described in the report as a ‘once in a blue moon’ year for the industry, 2021 also saw production volumes reach record or near-record levels in several commodities as the sector rebounded from severe droughts experienced from 2017–2019. Given the current outlook for agriculture in the country, Rabobank says the growth means the sector is now poised to take on any challenges which may arise throughout 2022, such as predicted higher temperatures, supply chain challenges and…

Australian farm workers will be guaranteed an hourly minimum pay rate from April 28 this year after the Fair Work Commission (FWC) formalised a decision to change the Horticulture Award. First proposed by the FWC last November, the changes to the Horticulture Award will guarantee farm workers such as fruit pickers are entitled to take home the minimum casual rate of pay, currently $25.41 per hour. This pay rate comprises the national minimum wage – which is currently $20.33 per hour – plus a 25 per cent casual loading to apply to casual workers only. Employers will still be able to pay their workers a piecework rate after the changes to the Award take effect on April 28 this year. However, that rate must be set at a level “which…

Researchers at Agriculture Victoria are now one step closer to unlocking the genetic code to breeding dairy cows with greater tolerances for high temperatures. Agriculture Victoria research director Ben Cocks said researchers have identified five new genes strongly associated with heat tolerance in dairy cows. The findings come after studying almost 500,000 milk records from approximately 30,000 Holstein cows, which is far larger than previous datasets used. “This large increase in sample size has helped the team pinpoint the specific regions in the cow’s DNA that controls heat regulation, helping us better identify which cows are more heat tolerant than others,” Cocks says. When temperatures and humidity rise, dairy cows reduce their feed intake, resulting in a decrease in milk production. In areas such as Northern Victoria, this means more…

Volunteers for Gippsland Farmer Relief (GFR) can avoid challenging manual tasks thanks to a recent donation by forklift and work platforms provider Adaptalift Group. GFR is a rural Victorian charity that acts as a gateway service assisting farmers to access welfare and support services. The charity provided regular monthly deliveries of food staples to farming families across Gippsland from its Traralagon distribution centre during Victoria’s COVID-19 lockdowns last year. Adaptalift donated a brand new electric pallet jack and manual pallet stacker to GFR to help it improve safety and efficiency when moving heavy pallets of hampers. The new Liftsmart PT15-2 electric pallet jack now allows a single volunteer to safely pick up and transport fully loaded pallets of hampers around the distribution centre or out to delivery vans for loading,…