Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 415 i Farms and Farm Machinery

The six models in Pöttinger’s new Jumbo 8000 loader wagon series can chop forage almost 30 per cent shorter than their previous generation model, the company says. The company’s new short chop system offers a new theoretical chopped length of 25mm – an improvement on the previous 34mm – while only requiring 15 per cent more power. Pöttinger says shorter chopped forage can be compacted better in grass silage, making for a faster decrease in pH value that improves stability and reduces the risk of fermentation failure. The shorter chopped length also creates a loading density that is 10 per cent higher than the 34mm model, creating new cost efficiency as less machinery and operator time is needed to distribute and compact the silage material. Pöttinger says the loader wagon…

John Deere launched the 9500 self-propelled forage harvester (SPFH) in Australia in August, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the manufacturer’s 9000 Series. The 9500’s addition forms part of a redefined line-up that also features the reintroduction of the 9600 and new horsepower levels and engine for the 9700. Deere has also increased the horsepower of the 8200 via an engine upgrade. “Farmers and contractors demand durable high-capacity forage harvesters that consistently deliver maximum throughput to make the most of peak harvest windows,” Deere’s Australian production system manager Stephanie Gersekowski says. “The new 9500 is one of three models offering increased power and throughput in 2023, delivered through John Deere’s new JD18X engine which reduces revolutions per minute [RPM], while decreasing fuel and oil usage to drive further efficiency gains…

For Hopkins River Beef’s Sam Maconochie, it is simplicity and reliability that has made Strautmann feed mixers the go-to. With the Victorian beef producer in expansion mode having bought additional farms, it is a strong endorsement of Strautmann’s products that Hopkins River Beef has invested in three of the same feed mixer model – with a fourth Strautmann on the way. “They’re just simple and the functionality is good,” Maconochie says. “Anybody can use them. It doesn’t take much training to get staff to learn how to use and operate them. It mixes up a good ration and the local dealers have been good to deal with and competitive on pricing too.” Strautmann’s Verti-Mix 2401 has been the feed mixer of choice for Hopkins River Beef, located at Dunkeld in…

“Difficult things never have easy solutions.” The words of FAE Australia Pacific managing director Alberto Rosso could apply to many aspects of life but, in this instance, they refer to farmers requiring stone crushing to increase their usable land. Italian manufacturer FAE has a stone crusher for all requirements, starting with the entry-level STCL that only requires a 70 horsepower (52kW) tractor to operate and can handle rocks up to 15cm in diameter at a depth of up to 15cm. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the RSH/HP stone crusher can run on tractors up to 500hp (373kW) and is designed for rocks up to 50cm in diameter and with depths also up to 50cm. The most popular model among Australian customers is the STC/DT 200 as it caters…

Organisers could not have scripted a better return for the AgQuip field days. Held in Gunnedah, New South Wales between August 16 and 18, around 100,000 people flocked through the gates to check out the wide range of exhibitors. After a slow start due to patchy rain on the opening day, the sun shone brightly for the second and third days of AgQuip and the crowds picked up significantly. Machinery manufacturers and distributors were buoyant about sales during the show – and the market more generally – with the event’s popularity showing COVID-19 lockdowns had not taken away the public’s desire to attend largescale field days. Farms & Farm Machinery was there to check out which machines were being showcased. Ag-Pride rotary cutter The Ag-Pride MSF4560 rotary cutter, designed for…

After 34 years with a single base of operations in Colac, Greg Allan Farm Machinery has opened up a new branch, and a new world of opportunity, in the Victorian town of Hamilton. Greg Allan Farm Machinery managing director Jon Allan says the company, and its import business Colac Ag, had been looking to expand somewhere around Victoria for the past five years as a new generation takes the companies forward. Warrnambool, Portland and Mt Gambier were all on the short list, he adds, but the company ultimately went with Hamilton due largely to its size and its location. “We were already dealing with a lot of people in the area,” Jon says. “But when it comes to servicing, we were getting a little bit restricted on the ability to…

Caltex is back – but, really, it never went away. The short version of a long story is that Caltex is a global brand owned by Chevron – one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies with a 70-year history in Australia. The Caltex brand was previously used by Ampol under an exclusive brand license, however that is now no longer exclusive and, from 2023, the Caltex brand will be solely used by Chevron. Back in 2020, Chevron also purchased the Puma Energy fuel business in Australia. That’s why you might have noticed established Caltex stations rebranding to Ampol, and selected Puma locations rebranding to new Caltex service stations. The big question is, ‘why does this matter?’ It matters because Chevron plans to deliver high-quality Caltex products at fair prices…

The growing role of data in agriculture and how it should best be used was a theme of the Tractor and Machinery Association’s annual conference in Melbourne that took place recently. National Farmers Federation (NFF) chief executive Tony Mahar addressed the topic during his speech, discussing the aims of the NFF’s ongoing Farm Data Code, while a panel discussion involving several industry representatives also discussed data use. The first draft of NFF’s Farm Data Code was published in February 2020 and has been reviewed through a working group, with plans to now pilot the code with some organisations before finalising and formally publishing the code by the end of this year. “I feel like there is a lot of information and data flowing around in tractor cabs, ute gloveboxes and…

Farmers had voiced concerns to the CSIRO for years, saying they felt the mouse baits they used were not as effective as they needed to be – particularly when mouse numbers were high. And now new research has vindicated these suspicions, with researchers now finding mouse populations can be reduced significantly by doubling the amount of zinc phosphide (ZnP) in grain baits used for broadscale agriculture. The research, funded in part by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), has seen three papers published in serious academic journals – and represent the first efficacy studies done in Australia since the baits were registered for agricultural use. The publication of the reports comes after the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority granted an emergency use permit to increase the concentration of…

McIntosh & Son, which represents CNH Industrial brands, will strengthen its involvement with Case IH and New Holland through the acquisitions. Purcher International, located in Geraldton in the state’s Mid-West, will have its 55-year family legacy honoured by the continuation of the Purcher trading name at its correct location. Parts and service for Case IH products and other franchises will continue at the existing 99 Flores Road location, while McIntosh & Son’s Geraldton dealership will also continue at 160 Flores Road. Both dealerships will retain their current teams, led by McIntosh & Son’s Geraldton, Merredin, Moora and Wongan Hills general manager Anthony Ryan. Steve and Paula Purcher will support the business during the transition, with Steve holding a mentoring role for the next year. “Our journey has been a lot…

Set to launch next year, the lightweight Juwel 6 mounted reversible plough from Lemken will provide new options for smaller tractors. The new plough will replace Lemken’s EurOpal and VariOpal 5 and 6 ranges, which for 25 years have been trusted companions for farmers who value good work results and durability. Lemken says the Juwel 6 is the “little brother” of its Juwel 7, 8 and 10 ploughs – adding that a 110mm frame box section and an underframe clearance of 80cm is available in versions with three to five furrows. The M version offers four different working widths per body, which can be adjusted mechanically. The Juwel 6 M V features an infinitely variable hydraulic working width adjustment and hydraulic frame swivelling is available as an optional extra. When…

Australian customers had their first look at the newly-launched Case IH Patriot 50 series sprayer range during AgQuip. The largest and most popular model in the range – the Patriot 4450 – was a standout attraction just a couple of weeks after being launched to Australian dealers at the manufacturer’s dealer conference on the Gold Coast. A sign of Case IH’s commitment to the sprayers was the presence of Patriot global product manager Brent Bast, who was influential in the new range’s development and who travelled to AgQuip from the United States. The manufacturer’s local Patriot sprayer product manager Jason Wood says 82 per cent of the redesigned Patriot is new compared to its predecessor, including “basically everything from the chassis down”. He says three major areas were a focus…

Providing a simple tractor that punches above its weight was the motivation behind New Holland’s latest addition to the Australian market. The 25hp (21kW) Boomer 25C was debuted to the public at AgQuip and slots in as the smallest tractor available for New Holland’s Australian customers. New Holland’s interim subcompact product segment manager Ross Aylwin says the Boomer 25C marks a re-entry into the subcompact category for the manufacturer, and expects it to appeal to a range of buyers. “It’s fulfilling a gap in the market that we weren’t currently competing in up until now,” he says. “It’s the smallest machine we offer but still in a 25 horsepower, three-cylinder 1.3-litre engine capacity. “The Boomer 25C is a good example of what we call the garden tractor. It’s bigger than…

Elmore Field Days – Elmore From humble beginnings in 1964, Elmore Field Days has gained recognition as one of Australia’s premier agricultural Field Days. Elmore Field Days is focused on providing an unbiased service to agriculture and community with flow on economic benefit to regional areas. WHEN: October 4–6, 2022 MORE INFO: www.elmorefielddays.com.au Shepparton Agricultural Show – Shepparton Running since 1899, the Shepparton Agricultural Show is a family-focused event with animal shows, arts and crafts, horticulture, competitions and more. WHEN: October 7–8, 2022 MORE INFO: www.sheppshow.com.au Wandin Silvan Field Days – Wandin East Wandin Silvan Field Days’ focus is showcasing horticultural and agricultural producers and their products and services. This enables visitors to have direct contact with the local growers and producers of this region. When: October 14–15, 2022 More…

Australian farmers need no reminder they work in some of the world’s harshest and hottest conditions. A fire starting while working in an isolated paddock could quickly mean disaster – which is where Muster Fire’s transferable unit for fire fighting (TUFF) comes in. Available in three sizes – 38L, 66L and 110L – and two different pressure capacities – 700kPa and 1,370kPa – this is the Muster Fire product most suited to the agricultural market. Muster Fire’s biggest market is fully automatic systems for mining equipment, however, agricultural fires have several unique characteristics that require different solutions, according to Dale Sharpe, national fire product sales manager with Muster Fire distributor JSG Industrial Systems. “Most of the fires on mining equipment are on the engine, hydraulic pumps or where all the…

Individual grants of up to $22,000 are available to support the next generation of Australian researchers. Applications are open now for the 2023 Science and Innovation Awards, offering a total of $264,000 across 12 categories of research. Applications are open to young Australians aged 18–35 years, working or studying in a related industry, to undertake a project on an innovative or emerging scientific issue that will contribute to the ongoing success and sustainability of Australia's agricultural, fisheries and forestry industries. The categories are: • Adoption ready innovation and technology • Eggs and poultry (layers) • Red meat processing • Pork • Wool • Cotton • Biosecurity and digital innovation • Fisheries and aquaculture • Forest and wood products • Grains • Horticulture • Viticulture and oenology. Agriculture minister Murray Watt…

Material recycling is getting more popular but, for Thomas Manufacturing’s owner Errol Thomas, the demand for trommels has never slowed. “For recycling, we probably haven’t stopped for the last 10 to 15 years,” he says. “In all states we have lots of gear doing recycling.” Thomas Manufacturing builds trommels, batching plants, conveyors, industrial feeders and much more at its plant in Dalby, in south east Queensland. Used to sort through various materials to screen out undesired objects, the market for trommels is a wide one, Thomas says. “One plant might be mulch, the next one might be construction and demolition-based – you never know what the next phone call will be.” For mulch and ground green waste separation, the standard trommels Thomas builds are equipped with a 6m x 2m…

The Claas Lexion 8000 and 7000 harvesters arriving in Australia next year will boast a greater tank volume, improved operator assistance systems and a brand-new cab. That’s in addition to a more powerful engine in the top-of-the-line Lexion 8800 model, which now boasts a 16.2-litre MAN D42 six-cylinder engine that produces a maximum output of 700 horsepower (522kW). The 8700, 7700 and 7600 models retain the proven 12.5L six-cylinder Perkins 2206 D engine that delivers 571hp (426kW), 524hp (391kW) or 461hp (344kW), respectively. Claas Harvest Centre product manager for the Lexion Steve Reeves says all the new engines come equipped with both Claas’s on-demand variable-drive Dynamic Cooling system and the Dynamic Power engine management system that adjusts power for better fuel efficiency. “This system has been proven to deliver fuel…

Adding the latest technology to New Holland’s T7 HD tractor, along with a redesigned cabin, is further enhancing its popularity, the manufacturer says. New Holland’s Precision Land Management Intelligence (PLMi) platform has been added to the tractor, which is ultimately designed to improve productivity and reliability. Shown to the public for the first time at AgQuip, the T7 315HD model on display features “every bell and whistle”, according to New Holland’s mixed farming and livestock product segment manager Ben Mitchell. A major aspect of New Holland’s PLMi is the IntelliView 12 display and SideWinder Ultra armrest, which is fully configurable and is designed to offer comfort and logical control placement. Mitchell says the IntelliView 12 display also allows for easy connectivity between the tractor and dealer to keep the tractor…

Lemken showcased its feature-packed Azurit 10 precision seeder to the Australian market for the first time at AgQuip. As well as the proven four, six and eight-row variants with spacings of 70–80cm that were available on the previous Azurit 9 model, the Azurit 10 is available with six or 12-row spacings of 50cm. Also available is Lemken’s DeltaRow concept – a twin row system that plants the seed in a staggered, or triangular, fashion. Lemken Australia area sales manager Craig Hopkins says this one change to planting technique makes a major difference to a farmer’s ability to use their land. “When Lemken introduced a planter, they wanted to look at what differences we could have to everybody else,” he says. “We don’t have a single row of seed, we’ve got…

Every farmer dreams of a simple option to increase their yields and, ultimately, the profit for their work. Big Tyre sales manager Robert Ward believes that option could be in simply switching to tracks rather than tyres on your tractor. “It means less compaction, better water penetration and better seed placement during planting, therefore better root development and better yield in the end,” he says. Reducing compaction and improving soil health are the biggest benefits of using tracks, he says, and there are several ways this takes place. Ward says tracks put less pressure on the soil than a regular tyre thanks to their larger surface area, which has the added bonus of also providing a smoother ride for the tractor operator. This is particularly important as farm machinery has…

Bobcat’s range of zero-turn mowers, one of the newest additions to the manufacturer’s stable, are designed to make life easier whatever the mowing requirements of the end-user. Taking Bobcat’s reputation for quality and putting it into mowers has resulted in a product line that has been a success for Australian distributor Clark Equipment since its arrival in the country late last year. “Everyone has been very positive and very happy with them, and we could sell more if we had more,” Clark Equipment general manager Cole Jones says. “There’s an entry level range, a residential range and then there’s a more professional range as you go up to the bigger machines. “We get more sales in the cheaper range than the more expensive range, of course, but we’ve found the…

A lot of hard work has gone into building the business of IMC Earthworks, and Makin Traks has been with them every step of the way. Based in Moruya, on the southern coast of New South Wales, the IMC Earthworks team performs earthworks around the Eurobodalla region – using a fleet of graders, dozers, excavators, small plant and road construction machines to do so. The company is owned and run by husband-and-wife team Izaac and Melissa Colbourn, both of whom come from third generation farming and earthworks companies, with ample experience in civil construction and project management. Melissa recalls that when the company was starting out about 12 years ago, one of their first moves was to scour the classified ads, looking for a second-hand dozer. They ultimately went with…

A Colombian fungus could be the solution in the battle against one of Australia’s most challenging agricultural weeds. The South American fungus is set to be piloted by the CSIRO as a biocontrol tool to help farmers Down Under to help fight flaxleaf fleabane. Initial research by the CSIRO identified the rust fungus – Puccinia cnici-oleracei – which infects flaxleaf fleabane and restricts it from growing by destroying the plant’s tissue. The fungus was imported into the CSIRO’s high-security quarantine facility in Canberra where it was studied to examine how safe it is to introduce into Australia as a biocontrol agent. A fast spreading weed that damages cropping and grazing areas, flaxleaf fleabane is one of the Australia’s most challenging weeds, estimated to cause revenue losses exceeding $43 million each…

As far as career highlights go, this is a hard one to beat. At just 22 years of age, Jaymee Ireland has been named the Australian Ag Service Technician of the Year at the second annual John Deere Technician Awards. But her recognition may be anything but surprising. Growing up in Queensland’s far north, Ireland was immersed into the agricultural landscape through her grandfather, Charlie Brischetto, a sugarcane farmer. Ireland would take rides on the cane harvester through the field – something which she recalls as a fond memory in her formative years. “They were scary machines when I was a kid, but it was awesome and I loved it,” Ireland says. Her penchant for all things agriculture and machinery continued throughout school where she did machinery-related subjects where possible…

Chinese demand for Australian beef and sheepmeat is expected to jump in the fourth quarter, in line with the northern winter months, despite a slowdown exacerbated by the nation’s COVID-19 response. Rabobank senior animal protein analyst Angus Gidley-Baird says Australian red meat exports to China had been impacted by the nation’s strict COVID-19 policies, which have changed consumption patterns across the nation. “For the first six months of this year, Australian lamb exports to China dropped by 30 per cent compared to last year,” he says, while Australian mutton exports to China were up by 11 per cent for that same period. Speaking with Rabobank’s Hong Kong-based senior animal protein analyst Chenjun Pan in a podcast entitled 'Is the Chinese meat market still firing?', he added that while Australia’s beef…

A technology used in the diagnosis of cancer and infectious human diseases is being assessed for use in detecting plant diseases – both at Customs and in the paddock. Portable nano-biosensors are currently used in medicine to assess human cells for diseases and conditions, but there are theories the technology could make the detection of high-risk plant pests and pathogens in the field more efficient. A new biosecurity innovation pilot funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) started testing the viability of this theory in August. If the technology is proven, researchers hope to develop a handheld prototype that can be used by frontline biosecurity officers, DAFF deputy secretary of biosecurity and compliance Chris Locke says. “When our biosecurity officers detect suspected high-risk plant pests presently, they…