3 minute read
MATE IN THE FIELD
The sugar industry is now using a datadriven platform in the quest for greater harvesting revenue gains.
The choice of harvesting settings, including fan and ground speeds, have long been a point of contention between harvest crews and growers. A new app which aims to find common ground based on hard facts, is now being used for the first full harvest season.
Harvest Mate is a free online platform and smartphone app designed to capture more yield from the paddock by determining the most economically optimal settings on the day of harvest.
Developed by Sugar Research Australia (SRA) in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), the tool uses farm data collected through SRA trials, which is supported by detailed economic data collected and analysed by DAF.
Herbert District grower Michael Reinaudo is among the first to be using it to harvest his own cane.
“Harvest Mate knows what blocks and what varieties and what ratoons there are in particular blocks, through all the data they’ve injected into the platform,” he explained.
“When you are in a harvester in the block, it’ll tell you the optimum fan speed and ground speed and how much money per hectare you can save by changing certain practices.
If a grower wants the harvester to slow down, the grower can say, ‘look if you slow down we’re going to earn $100/hectare more, we can share in that.’”
“It is a guideline,” Michael said. “It is great to know what you are able to do and then there’s the reality of what you can actually do.
We are definitely using the parameters and you adjust
every day to what the conditions are or the circumstances such as late bin deliveries. There is a myriad of things that can affect your day, which impacts how much benefit you can get from the Harvest Mate parameters. It’s about how close we can get.”
Harvest Mate has been developed to fill that knowledge gap and increase profitability
every day to what the conditions are or the circumstances such as late bin deliveries. There is a myriad of things that can affect your day, which impacts how much benefit you can get from the Harvest Mate parameters. It’s about how close we can get.”
SRA Agricultural Machinery Specialist, Phil Patane, said a need for such a tool was identified years ago.
“In 2019 SRA received 148 responses to a survey that asked growers and harvesting contractors about their harvesting practice,” he said. “The vast majority of recipients told us that they didn’t know the production and economic benefits when changing from their current practices.
“It’s been developed to be user-friendly, which we hope is reflected in the name.”
Michael said Phil has assisted with first-time teething issues.
“The support I’ve had from Phil has been great, making sure it’s all lining up and everything is assigned to the right blocks and everything like that. He’s been really helpful.”
Cane growers and harvesting contractors can register to use the tool by setting up their user profile online at harvestmate.au. Once that’s done, it’s simply a matter of downloading the app from Google Play or the Apple Store.
