Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 410 i Farms and Farm Machinery

O’Connors, the largest Case IH dealer in Australia and New Zealand, has announced the acquisition of three more Case IH dealerships. The full Sunrise Ag dealerships in Swan Hill and Ouyen and the Case IH broadacre component of the Mildura outlet have been purchased by O’Connors, taking the company from 12 to 15 locations and expanding its reach into north-west Victoria. The deal is expected to be finalised in early May. O’Connors chief executive officer Gareth Webb says the Sunrise Ag dealerships were a good fit for the business and the expansion helped reinforce the strength of the O’Connors network. “The Sunrise Ag location at Ouyen represents a strong broadacre farming area where we have considerable knowledge and experience, while Mildura and Swan Hill have more agricultural diversity where we…

Biotech company VRM Biologik has teamed up agronomy and farm data group FarmLab to expand VRM Biologik’s reach to the US. The companies will map the processes of farmland restoration. FarmLab allows farmers to isolate specific areas on their land to gather accurate data and measure the impacts of enhanced soil quality, improved biodiversity and changes in flora and fauna against the backdrop of a wider area. VRM Biologik says its technology for improving carbon sequestration and soil moisture is a world-first. This technology gives farmers the ability to grow in dry periods, without chemical inputs, and supports farmers in regenerating their soil. Pilots will begin in Colorado, which has 31.8 million acres (12.9 million hectares) of farmland. The technology will allow farmers to accurately collate data over very large…

Applications are now open for a Fisheries and Aquaculture Scholarship, sponsored by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), as part of the Nuffield Australia scheme. It is open to members of the commercial fishing and aquaculture, Indigenous fishing and recreational fishing sectors who are aged between 28 and 45. The scholarship is valued at $30,000 and enables the recipient to study a topic important to their industry, including 14 weeks of group and individual travel over two years. FRDC managing director Dr Patrick Hone says the scholarship is a unique opportunity to explore the world, discover new practices and ideas and forge life-long connections. “The long-term capability and capacity of Australia’s fishing and aquaculture sectors to lead and compete internationally and operate sustainably will be determined by our ability to…

Vietnam is the first nation to agree to take part in the Australian Agriculture Visa program, though details about the deal remain unclear. Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced in late March that the Vietnamese government had signed Australia’s first bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to opt-in to the program, which, if realised, will allow workers to enter Australia and work across the agriculture and primary industry sectors. First announced in August last year, the visa has been long-awaited by employers due to the labour crisis affecting agriculture, horticulture, dairy, wool, grains, fisheries and forestry industries. “The Australian Agriculture Visa program is intended to provide a sustainable, long-term contribution to Australia’s labour supply that supports Australia’s agricultural and primary industry sectors,” Payne says. “It supplements the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility [PALM]…

The federal government is investing $480 million, and NBN Co $270 million, in a major investment into Australia’s internet connectivity that has also been supported by the opposition Labor Party. Communications minister Paul Fletcher says the upgrade will both extend the coverage range of towers and giving higher speed services to everyone using them. “The upgrade will expand the fixed wireless footprint coverage by up to 50 per cent, enabling 120,000 additional premises to access fixed wireless services instead of Sky Muster satellite services,” he says. This upgrade will see NBN offer new higher speed services to the fixed wireless network: 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) to all 750,000 premises able to access the new, expanded coverage footprint, and a 250 Mbps service will be available to 85 per cent…

Thousands flocked to Lardner Park across the four days, with organisers saying the Saturday attendance set a new record. We took a look at some of the machinery being displayed by exhibitors. Farmliner TSP 1800 mulcher Distributed by Inlon, this side shift low-body mulcher is ideal for mulching hay and twigs. Made in Italy by Farmliner, the TSP1800 is named for its working width of 1,800mm (1.8m). Features include 540rpm PTO speed, four-belt side drive, front counter mulch bar for finer mulch, rear roller with self-clean design and forward roller positioning for quick discharge of grass. Pöttinger 3000 series baler The first of Pöttinger’s Impress 3000 series of balers to arrive in Australia was the manufacturer’s showpiece in Warragul. Pöttinger says it provides 20 per cent greater density than the…

Spread across 10 hectares in Adelaide’s northern suburbs is the engine room of Hardi Australia, where sprayers carrying the manufacturer’s signature red colour are built, assembled and tested. It is a significant operation, with more than seven tonnes of welding wire consumed and eight tonnes of red powder coat sprayed and baked every year in the production process. The numbers are impressive. More than 100 people are employed by Hardi Australia including production staff, administration, warehousing, engineering and research and development personnel. Continuous improvement Far from resting on its laurels, though, Hardi Australia has a plan to increase its manufacturing capabilities, which is being spearheaded by operations manager Des Ramsey. “We do a fair bit of our own metal manufacturing, which is a lot more than people think we do,…

After more than 240 years in operation, it is fair to say Lemken has learned a thing or two about manufacturing. Starting life in 1780 when Wilhemhus Lemken established a steel foundry in Germany, the company remains family-owned and does all its manufacturing in-house. Crucially, this has helped to shield Lemken during the COVID-19 pandemic from supply chain issues experienced by other manufacturers. Recently released figures show the company’s 2021 global turnover was €446 million (A$649 million), an increase of 22 per cent from the previous year, while more than 1,600 people worldwide are employed by Lemken across six divisions. Given the manufacturer’s long history, it took a comparatively long time for Lemken to establish an official Australia and New Zealand subsidiary, with the first one opening in 2018. The…

Ever-growing dealer TTMI has become the Australian importer for Househam self-propelled sprayers in its latest of several moves aimed at expansion. TTMI’s core business is being the Case IH tractor dealer for both Victoria’s Gippsland region and Tasmania, while the privately-owned company also sells a range of machines for other franchises. Dealer principal Jason Henry says the decision to partner with UK sprayer manufacturer Househam was a “common sense” one, due to many potential clients being in areas TTMI already services. “The major areas are market gardens and vegetable growing areas for self-propelled sprayers so most of the areas are within Victoria and Tasmania, but we are looking at putting dealers on throughout the rest of Australia to cover the whole country,” he says. “Our first machine will be arriving…

It’s not often I argue for a tax to remain, or even to increase, but the recent announcement in the federal budget to cut the fuel excise tax in half to 22c for six months is not a smart decision. There is a good argument to be made that the government should have ignored the pressure to cut fuel excise to help reduce the cost of living. We have seen this movie before, where the nightly news runs images of bombs and bullets flying and the cost of fuel jumping, with the media demanding a cut in fuel taxes. More often than not, the government of the day ignores the media barrage and holds the line, knowing that within 12 months the fuel price will drop as the system comes…

Rabobank’s 2022 first quarter confidence survey has found that although Australian farms are forecasting strong commodity prices, they are also wary of the rising cost of key inputs. Investment plans continue to sit at high levels, despite sentiment easing slightly since late last year, but as the survey was completed prior to the recent flooding disasters across Australia’s east coast, its impact on production and income projections for farming have not been considered. The survey found 31 per cent of farmers expected agribusiness conditions to improve on last year – down slightly on the 35 per cent with that view last quarter. Just over half expect a continuation of last year’s very good business conditions, while the number expecting a deterioration was 14 per cent (compared with 13 per cent…

Charles Sturt University has launched the Gulbali Institute of Agriculture, Water and Environment, which will focus on areas such as climate change, bushfire, biosecurity and water management. The Institute’s name comes from the Wiradjuri phrase ‘Gulbali ngurambang’, which translates as ‘to understand country’. The university says it is committed to working with First Nations people in research, education and driving benefits across Australia and globally. The Institute will generate research to optimise agricultural systems and production, improve the health of freshwater ecosystems and enhance biodiversity conservation. Charles Sturt vice-chancellor professor Renée Leon says the Gulbali Institute will help the university achieve the research goals it has set as part of its University Strategy 2030. “The launch of the Gulbali Institute is an important milestone building on our strengths in applied…

Sometimes, when it comes down to the crunch and there’s an issue with equipment, it isn’t feasible to wait on a replacement part to be delivered by an OEM, which is why CBC regularly manufactures components for customers as part of its Local Production Requisition (LPR) service. According to Leon Stefanec, CBC national business development manager for food and beverage, this service entails either CBC manufacturing components to customer requirements in its own workshops or contracting the job out to local engineering companies. In either case, the flexibility and adaptability to changing circumstances becomes a solution for customers who are in a tight spot. “OEM parts are sometimes unavailable or have long lead times when customers require a custom solution,” Stefanec says. “So, LPRs are a unique special offer that…

Israeli food production company Aleph Farms, the first business to grow cultivated beef steaks, has announced it is expanding its product line to include a unique platform for cell-cultured collagen production. The company says its strategy is to develop an alternative to intensive animal farming that will supplement sustainable, but less productive, livestock agriculture practices. “The cellular agriculture industry has made greater promises to replace a large part of intensive animal farming practices, which make up to 70 per cent of the global meat production,” Aleph Farms co-founder and CEO Didier Toubia says. “Cultivated meat, however, is only part of that solution as meat represents just 30–35 per cent of the cow that is slaughtered. The rest include many other valuable by-products. To achieve our vision, we need to provide…

The price increases come as Mitsubishi rolls out upgrades to the range, with the first of the new units expected to be delivered mid-year. The 22.5 model year updates will apply to diesel cab-chassis, GLX and GSR pick-ups built from April, though the model line-up itself remains unchanged. The top of the range Mitsubishi Triton GSR dual-cab pick-up, which will increase in price from $53,240 to $55,690, will get a new high-end Smartphone link display audio system, complete with a 7-inch (18cm) touchscreen, six speakers, digital radio and Bluetooth connectivity. This high-end system also features the Multi Around Monitor, which provides a 360-degree bird’s eye view of the vehicle to assist manoeuvring, and a HDMI port for additional connectivity. The Triton diesel cab-chassis and GLX pick-up models, which will increase…

Australia’s new trade agreement with India, the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, will make Australian exports to India cheaper and create new opportunities for workers and businesses. Tariffs will be eliminated on more than 85 per cent of Australian goods exported to India (valued at more than $12.6 billion a year), rising to almost 91 per cent (valued at $13.4 billion) over 10 years. Australian sellers will also benefit, with 96 per cent of Indian goods imports being duty-free once the agreement comes into force. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the agreement will create enormous trade diversification opportunities for Australian producers and service providers bound for India, valued at up to $14.8 billion each year. “This agreement opens a big door into the world’s fastest growing major economy for…

Agriculture industry groups have given the budget mixed feedback, praising additional funds for regions but saying other initiatives don’t go far enough. In its statement, the National Farmers Federation (NFF) praised the launch of the Regional Accelerator program, designed to help farmers (and other groups) adopt digital technologies through an investment in manufacturing and supply chain resilience. These include $500 million for regional modern manufacturing and another $127.4 million to modernise agricultural export systems by expanding the Digital Services to Take Farmers to Market platform. NFF CEO Tony Mahar says he is pleased but added that “significantly more” investment was needed to bring the vision to life. “Agriculture is on trajectory of growth, now is the time to supercharge the industry and the rural and regional communities that rely on…

Economic advisory company Deloitte Access Economics has warned in its new report 5G Unleashed: Realising the potential of the next generation of mobile technology that the potential boost to Australia’s gross domestic product (GDP) in coming years may be affected by a lack of readiness for 5G technology by businesses. The report finds that, while Australia is currently ranked third globally in terms of mobile connectivity, it is at risk of falling to ninth by 2025 due to a lack of business readiness for change and a policy regime that needs to be updated. Deloitte says that Australian businesses are slow when it comes to readiness for adoption of 5G, despite 62 per cent of businesses leaders across four sectors agreeing 5G will accelerate the growth of their business. Of…

Tocal Field Days – Tocal Highly regarded for its educational aspect, Tocal Field Days provides an opportunity each year for landholders and the community to see first-hand a range of livestock and animal handling and husbandry skills. The site also features a large land management area that provides great information on caring for our environment, looking after our native animals and managing feral pests that threaten our landscape. When: April 29–May 1, 2022 More info: www.tocalfielddays.com Riverina Field Days – Griffith Held at the Griffith Showgrounds each May, Riverina Field days attracts over 5,000 people each year and showcases what’s new in farming, best farming practices and new technology, and forms a networking opportunity for farmers across a vast range of industries. When: May 13–14, 2022 More info: https://riverinafielddays.com Coffs…

A series of upgrades based on customer feedback has helped JN&R Engineering to evolve a popular scraper model. The HDE Series drawn scraper has, over time, received a series of “minor tweaks” such as a new easy-greasing system to ensure its status as a versatile unit remains. Popular with farmers for its ability to help with crop planting, the HDE is also popular in the civil construction industry and Gino D’Angelo, director of the Victorian-based manufacturer, says its strength is its ability to handle multiple jobs. “It can do eight or nine things very well – it can dump, it can level, it can haul dirt, it can cut, it can grade to a specific grade, and plenty more,” he says. “It’s a pretty bulletproof machine. It’s strong, tough and…

Lemken and Krone have developed an autonomous process unit that will be integrated into the two companies’ forage harvesting and tillage systems. Named Combined Powers, the drive unit uses a diesel-electric drive that generates up to 170kW (230 horsepower), designed to meet the power input requirements of the harvesting and tillage implements. The drive power is transferred electrically to the wheels and the power take-off, and from there to the implement, which couples to a three-point linkage system. The drive unit includes multiple sensor systems that monitor the immediate surroundings and the implement attached for safe operation. Operators can control and monitor the combination from a mobile device, transmitting jobs and job reports via a communication module and an agrirouter data exchange hub. The companies say that a key aspect…

Intersales added to its East Wagga premises recently with a new machinery workshop. Intersales managing director Peter Heinrich officially opened the modern 1,200 square metre workshop facility, which has been custom designed, and purpose built to cater to Intersales’ needs. Each work bay is large enough to accommodate a large Steiger tractor or flagship size Case IH header on duals, or a combination of smaller machines. Intersales operates Case IH dealerships in Temora, Wagga Wagga, Griffith and Wodonga, and offers sales of new and used machinery as well as comprehensive service and spare parts. Company director and Wagga Wagga branch manager Adam Blachut says the rate of growth has exceeded company expectations. “When we opened Intersales Wagga Wagga we knew that we would require additional workshop space. However, we were…

The Fendt is the only one of its kind in New Zealand Malcolm and Lance have come a long way since those early days and are the first to admit that it hasn’t been easy. However, now armed with a more modern fleet, one core ingredient remains the same – the satisfaction of a job well done and positive customer feedback. Early days Having grown up around farm machinery as a farmer’s son on the family dairy farm in Patetonga in the Waikato on New Zealand’s North Island, Lance spent most of his early years working as a dairy farmer, following in his father’s footsteps. The experience gave the pair a solid ground in being part of a family business. These days, those same core skills remain essential to successfully…

The CSIRO predicts there’s a $13 billion dollar opportunity in meats and other protein products that Australia could tap into – and has released a roadmap of how to get there. The report Protein: A Roadmap for Unlocking Technology-led Growth Opportunities for Australia says that harnessing additional opportunities could take the total value of Australia’s protein sector from its anticipated $76 billion by 2030 to $89 billion instead. AgriFutures predicts the total demand for Australian protein products will reach 65 million tonnes by 2030, up 8.65 million tonnes on the 2018 result, with about 10.47 million more consumers to feed. If fully realised, the industry could employ another 10,000 people by that time, CSIRO says. Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre’s managing director Mirjana Prica says the high global demand for…

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has released its Global Goatmeat Snapshot for 2022, which shows that despite Australia being a minor goatmeat producer, there are growth opportunities in both the export and domestic markets. MLA says that Australian goat production has rebounded after several years of adverse environmental conditions impacting supply volumes, with an expansion in the herd size leading to increased production. 2021 saw an end to the downward trend in slaughter, with increased production also leading to heavier animals. Although Australia is a minor goatmeat producer in the global context, it’s the world’s top exporter, with annual export unit prices increasing to record highs. Australia exports the largest amount of its goatmeat to the US, accounting for 66 per cent of exports by volume in 2021 at 12,589…

Family-owned food industry supplier Vadals Ikon Group has significantly increased its efficiency with the support of Crown’s forklifts, as well as its InfoLink operator and fleet management system. Vadals Ikon Group recently moved to a new purpose-built facility in Richlands that has both warehouse space and a showroom. When the new warehouse south of Brisbane was established, Vadals took on Crown’s InfoLink system, which offers an increased insight into fleet performance to help maximise the efficiency of each piece of material handling equipment. “Through using InfoLink, we can now analyse how long a machine is used for each day, week or month to make sure we’re getting the right productivity out of that machine, and whether we need to keep the machine or change it for something that would be…

An extension of New Holland’s variable chamber round baler offering, this premium round baler is a versatile, high-performance and durable machine that delivers excellent bale shape in all crops and conditions, the company says. Production has commenced and a limited number of units are expected to be available to the Australian market for the 2022 hay season. New Holland product segment manager for fodder conservation Sune Nielsen says the Pro-Belt baler has been built from the ground up with a completely new bale formation design. “Reliability and durability were at the top of the list for the Pro-Belt’s engineering scope of development, adding to New Holland’s already strong position in the hay industry,” he says. “The variable chamber will be available in a 165cm and 190cm maximum bale size configurations,…

Australian agricultural technology company Goanna Ag will develop a hazardous weather warning system in collaboration with two major research bodies, in a bid to help minimise spray drift. The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) have jointly allocated $5.5 million to Goanna for the development of a system that will provide real-time weather data and alerts to growers and spray operators about the presence of temperature inversions. Hazardous surface temperature inversions occur when air temperature increases with height from the ground surface, leaving a layer of cool air trapped below warm air. In this situation droplets can remain suspended in the inversion layer in concentrated form and be carried significant distances from the target area. Currently regulations do not permit spraying agricultural chemicals…

As any Greater Western Sydney fan will tell you, the mighty Giants has made a formidable impression on the AFL in its short time in the league. In the world of hay grinding, it is a different kind of Mighty Giant making its own impression as one of the newest products on the Australian market. Available through Valton Feeding Solutions, the American-made Mighty Giant hay grinder has been a winner with farmers since arriving on to Australian shores. Offering a rugged design, consistent output and considerable efficiency increases, the Mighty Giant has become available after Valton linked up with American distributor Post Equipment Company, becoming the company’s Australian importer and distributor. Post’s sales representative Joel Schelling says despite being an American-made machine, the Mighty Giant excels in Australian conditions. “The…

Another $3.1 billion has been allocated to the Inland Rail project in the 2022 commonwealth budget, in a move the government says will help deliver an economic boost to regional towns across the eastern seaboard. The government committed to spend $3.1 billion for two new intermodal terminals and connecting infrastructure in the Melbourne suburbs of Beveridge and Truganina – a move it says will help remove about 5,500 truck movements per day from the city. That is in addition to another $300 million to fund new grade separations along the Inland Rail route, and another $150 million to fund the construction of complementary infrastructure projects. The budget announcement followed the release of modelling by the CSIRO, which suggested a completed Inland Rail could cut freight transport costs by up to…

NDE Co’s FS series of feed mixers are designed with overlapping dual augers Visitors were happy to put the past two years of cancellations behind them in mid-March, when the first South East Field Days to be held since 2019 took place in Lucindale. With over 8,000 people through the gates on the first day, the event was the first opportunity for many in the region to experience a field day in a long time – after the Wimmera Machinery Field Days in nearby Horsham were also called off for 2022. Here are some of the highlights of the 2022 event. Goldacres Prairie Pro Series 2 sprayer The Prairie Pro Series 2 is a complete redesign of Goldacres’ flagship trailing model, incorporating the filling and application technology from its G6…

Simple in its design and purpose but extremely versatile in its capabilities, the Tuskan bale clamp is a gamechanger for farmers. Designed and built in Australia, specifically the New South Wales town of Cowra, the Tuskan was initially devised as a way of increasing safety when loading hay bales into mixers. In simple terms, the ability to clamp a bale with the Tuskan allows farmers to cut strings off a bale without needing to lean over the top of a mixer while it is operating and therefore risk their safety. “Loading mixers safely was the initial kickoff,” explains farmer Phillip Wallace, who was heavily involved in the Tuskan’s design and testing. “That relates to hay mixers like the dairies use, the tub mixers, and putting a big bale in them.…

While Bobcat may be best known for its range of skid steer loaders, and other construction equipment such as excavators, telehandlers and track loaders, the brand has plenty to offer the farmer as well. The manufacturer’s first ever machine – a compact loader – was designed for a turkey farmer and cleaned small livestock pens and stalls. Bobcat now has a selection of compact tractors for the Australian market, with five models ranging between 26hp and 55hp (19kW and 41kW) available. The CT1025, CT2035, CT2040, CT4045 and CT4055 are designed to provide the quality and reliability the brand is known for, while punching above their weight with performance. Bobcat’s tractors product manager James Crouch says the move into compact tractors was designed to broaden the company’s customer base and provide…

The Australian cotton industry employs around 12,000 people in regional communities — many of whom have lived and worked there for generations. Ninety per cent of Australian cotton gins are family farms in New South Wales and Queensland, where the industry provides considerable economic value to the regions where it is grown; generating about $2 billion per year in export earnings for the local economy. Central and south Queensland is the region for cotton production, and at the heart of the industry there is CBC Toowoomba, where CBC technical representative for power transmission Mick Locke has been working for more than 22 years. “Cotton is a natural fibre plant that grows in warm climate conditions to tall shrubs with flower buds that drop after several weeks,” he says. “The buds…

Keeping track of margins and controlling input costs will be vital for Australian farmers preparing for winter crop planting, says Rabobank. Rabobank senior commodity analyst Cheryl Kalisch Gordon says that while higher commodity prices are a boon for Australian farmers, record input prices mean that grain growers will need to focus on margin control for the 2022/23 season. “Australian grain growers will need to keep doing the sums to make sure they are pricing according to an outlook that is for input higher prices, but for grain pricing to potentially soften – even though we expect that to still be at levels well above average,” she says. “Our analysis shows that the ‘returns to key production inputs’ [ratios] remain positive but have fallen, even though output prices have also increased.…

GrainCorp has partnered with Australia’s national science agency CSIRO and plant-based food producer v2food on a $4.4 million research project focused on plant-based protein. The partnership will work towards building Australian processing and manufacturing expertise to reduce reliance on imported ingredients and to add more value to grains and oilseeds so they can be used in new products. Australia is the world’s second largest exporter of canola seed, with GrainCorp keen to build domestic manufacturing and supply chains for plant-based protein ingredients as a major exporter. GrainCorp received the funding from the Australian government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) Program, to separate and manufacture proteins from canola, soy and fava beans and chickpeas at commercial volumes. GrainCorp managing director and CEO Robert Spurway says the partners will identify infrastructure needs…

Research to increase production of mangoes and macadamias has secured additional funding through the 2022 Science and Innovation awards, coordinated by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics. The awards are a series of grants allocated to young scientists, researchers and innovators to fund a research project into a specific section of Australia’s agricultural industries. Tree genomics expert Stephanie Kerr from the Queensland University of Technology’s Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy secured two of the prizes, which were handed out in March. Dr Kerr received a $22,000 Hort Innovation prize to investigate genetic techniques to speed up flowering of mango and macadamia trees, plus the $22,000 Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia’s Award to test findings by speed breeding macadamia trees. Dr Kerr will investigate ways to speed…

Australian privately-owned transport company Simon National Carriers has invested in Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) machinery to help keep its warehouses running at peak operational capacity. Simon National Carriers recently purchased a fleet of 40 Toyota forklifts to be deployed among Simon’s depots across Australia. The purchase included a split between 7700 electric reach trucks and 32-8FG25 gas counterbalance forklifts that will speed up the efficiency of Simon National Carrier’s day-to-day operations. “Toyota was definitely one that I liked from a point of view of what they offered in their reach trucks,” Simon assistant fleet manager Scott Horwood says of the process of choosing which brand to buy. “Toyota offers what is called a sit-stand-lean product where they can sit down or fold the seat up and stand up. For…