2021/22 HP Summer Magazine by Hutcheon and Pearce

Summer 2020/2021

High Performance Magazine

New H&P branches for Dubbo & Warren. p8

Work on the best, with the best, for the best p12

High Performance Magazine Edition 26 Summer 2020/21

Contents

Rolling out the Green Carpet!

New tech on display at Harvester Clinics

For all editorial and advertising enquiries, contact:

Harriet Forster Marketing Coordinator harriet.forster@hutcheonandpearce.com.au

Welcome to the 2020/21 Summer Edition

H&P welcomes new TOPGUNs to the fold

Work on the best, with the best, for the best!

FarmLink brings research to farmers

New H&P branches for Dubbo & Warren

COVID forces fundraising online

HOW YOUR BLOOD IS USED 34% 18% 10% 19% 13% 4% 2% Call 13 14 95 to make an appointment or visit www.donateblood.com.au and sign up to the Hutcheon & Pearce Community. 2

Hutcheon & Pearce

CANCER AND BLOOD DISEASES SURGICAL PATIENTS INC. OPEN HEART SURGERY & BURNS ORTHOPAEDIC PATIENTS INC. FRACTURES & JOINT REPLACEMENTS OTHER CAUSES OF ANAEMIA

OTHER MEDICAL PROBEMS INC. HEART, STOMACH & KIDNEY DISEASE OBSTETRICS, INC. PREGNANT WOMEN, NEW MOTHERS & YOUNG CHILDREN TRAUMA INC. ROAD ACCIDENTS

Welcome

Welcome to the 2020/21 summer edition of High Performance Magazine.

rom the bushfires to COVID-19 to a possible wet

At Hutcheon & Pearce, we are always on the lookout for new talent

harvest. I have to say I am very happy to soon be

and currently we have a higher number of technician positions

drawing a line under 2020 and setting my sights

available as we expand our offering. On page 12, we take a closer

on a brand new year.

look at these opportunities and what it could mean for you or

It’s not been all bad – in fact we’re all incredibly lucky to be in an industry that has fared relatively well this year. There are

someone you know. So, if you think you know someone that might be looking to step up to a career at H&P, tell them to get in touch!

lessons to be learned and we are a business that’s willing to

Before I sign off for the year, I want to extend my thanks to the staff

learn from the challenges we’ve faced this year.

involved in the acquisition of our new Dubbo and Warren branches.

For me, if anything is to be taken from this year it’s that we need to continue to invest and focus on TECSight. Data and remote telematics are gaining so much momentum that we need to

Their support and efforts have been outstanding. I also extend a warm welcome to the staff and customers at those branches – I look forward to spending more time up your way soon.

put our focus there for the future of our business and yours.

Thank you to every member of the H&P team for their efforts

It’s no longer about how we manage technology to the side of

this year – your commitment to your work and our customers is

our operations but how we integrate it into everything we do.

inspiring.

TECSight is about helping us to bring technology and data into everyday life and the business of farming. Read more about the power of TECSight on page 16. While we are thinking about technology and what it means for farming businesses and the broader industry, we should mention that it’s also having a profound effect on the way we recruit and grow our team.

To all our customers, across all 13 of our branches and communities, whatever next year brings – rain, hail, shine or continuing global pandemic – rest assured H&P is here to help every step of the way. In the meantime, I wish you and yours the merriest of festive seasons and a healthy and happy 2021!

Right now in Australian Agriculture, the opportunities for work are greater than the current workforce and potentially it could

Arron

be that way for some time. Also, the career opportunities we have now are not what they have been historically, and they will continue to evolve as Ag equipment technology extends. This is challenging us all to think outside traditional ideas of farm machinery capabilities and also forcing us to look at recruitment differently.

Summer 2020/21

High Performance Magazine Summer 2020/21

Rolling out the Green Carpet! There’s just something about owning a John Deere... The benefits of signing on with a world-renowned brand is something our farming clients have known for generations but for those who live on lifestyle blocks, Deere’s industry-leading design, technology and innovation are something new. So, we thought it was time to roll out the Green Carpet!

t Hutcheon & Pearce, we know that joining the

“The Green Carpet treatment is what we call the way

John Deere family means much more than just

we approach customer service. It’s about increasing the

owning a piece of quality equipment.

awareness of the John Deere brand and the wide range

No matter what machine you buy, whenever

of products we offer, but our ultimate goal is to ensure

you join the John Deere family, you get the full-service and our full attention – not just at sale time but well after your purchase, when it comes to servicing and support too. As Marketing Coordinator Harriet Forster explains, we see every new machine as just the start of a beautiful connection. “Hutcheon & Pearce values all business – from the mowers right through to combine harvesters – and we see every purchase not just as a sale, but as the start of a relationship that will continue to grow.

Hutcheon & Pearce

that every customer understands the many benefits they can expect when they purchase a John Deere ride-on lawn mower or lifestyle tractor, and they know how to get the best out of it. “While the perception is that Hutcheon & Pearce is a dealer for agricultural customers only, the truth is we have products for those on a hobby farm or suburban acreage and even tradies, so it’s important that customers know that we cater to their needs, regardless of their purchase.

“Each and every customer can have peace of mind knowing we are backed by a global brand and with that comes service and support offered by both Hutcheon & Pearce and John Deere.” The Green Carpet treatment includes: •

As Aftermarket Coordinator, Annabelle Dyer is responsible for one key component of the Green Carpet treatment – our Dealer Experience Follow Up. “With the help of Aftermarket Administration Assistant

Designated, expert staff in each branch who can talk customers through mower and lifestyle tractor options.

Emma Reid, it’s our job to contact every single customer

•

Dedicated time spent with customers to understand their unique needs and ensure the right machine for the job.

customer experience, any issue that they’re having or any

•

Upon delivery of a mower or lifestyle tractor, giving an onsite demonstration to ensure the customer is comfortable operating the machine and is aware of all features.

“This has been invaluable in improving our customer

Dedicated staff to pick up mowers or lifestyle tractors from the customer’s house when the machine needs servicing.

If there are any concerns the customer has with their

•

Occasional mower and lifestyle tractor demo days in each branch.

Annabelle says the Green Carpet take home message for

•

For any 1-5 Series lifestyle tractors, a Hutcheon & Pearce exclusive 10 year or 1000 hour warranty to give smaller lifestyle farmers and small acreage owners the peace of mind of a warranty that should see them through 10 years of use.

•

three months after their purchase, to talk through their feedback they want to give us. experience and ensures that, no matter what branch a customer walks into, they receive the same treatment. piece of equipment, these calls allow us to follow up and resolve them as swiftly as possible.” lifestyle and residential clients is simple. “When you choose a John Deere ride-on mower or lifestyle tractor from Hutcheon & Pearce, you’ll always have the peace of mind that you’re getting the best local support backed by John Deere’s global network.”

JOIN THE FAMILY Harriet, Annabelle and other members of the H&P team recently took to Facebook, creating a video to explain the Green Carpet treatment. “We love rolling out the Green Carpet for customers, but we decided we needed a new way to promote the real benefits for them,” Harriet said. “We were in a Zoom meeting one day, with a bunch of faces on the screen, and the idea to create a video drawing on the Brady Bunch theme song sprang to mind. “We changed the lyrics to make them about a customer journey and sales and service staff jumped on the video with us. It was a lot of fun to make and we’ve had plenty of views, likes and comments on Facebook.” Visit your local Hutcheon & Pearce Branch to experience the Green Carpet treatment for yourself.

You can check out the video on Facebook: www.facebook.com/watch/?v=303939540714854

Summer 2020/21

High Performance Magazine Summer 2020/21

New tech on display at Harvester Clinics When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a new machine and harvest on the way, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural to want to skip the introductions and get straight to work. But taking a moment to set up before harvest can be time well spent. Our Spring Harvester Clinics have been helping farmers across the region get to know their new rig and learn all about its capabilities before harvest really kicks into gear. The experts who featured in our recorded Harvester Clinic videos (L-R): Russell Bate, Glen Montgomery, Hamish Ross, Andrew Watt, Dan Hardy, Trent Royston

Hutcheon & Pearce

Glen Montgomery providing a walkaround of the John Deere S700.

n October, more than 150 H&P customers and staff headed to the Temora Agricultural Innovation Centre to take part in one of four Harvester Clinics we had lined up.

Sales Operations Manager Andrew Watt said the yearly Harvester Clinics are a great way to familiarise operators with the latest in machine technology. “We know when it’s getting into harvest season and there’s a new machine in the field, it’s very hard to make people stop and spend a day training on all the intricacies of the machines. All they want to do usually is get in and start using it. “We think it’s really important to spend some dedicated time off-farm where we can give operators as much knowledge as possible before the season gets underway.” As well as stepping through the harvester and its features, the clinics had a particular focus on training operators in the use of technology. “We had four clinics this year, one for customers from all over our area and three customised training days for large corporate entities that have recently purchased new harvesters. “At each of the clinics we went through a walk-around of the machine and discussed all the daily maintenance points, all the optimisation points on the outside of the machine and then spent time walking around the harvester fronts. “We stepped through different calibrations that need to be performed, then went through the screen navigation and how to use all its technology, including the new Combine Advisor optimisation technology that allows the machines to optimise themselves. “We finished up on the MyJohnDeere cloud-based solution, where all the production data and machine data sits.” Andrew said Combine Advisor received a lot of interest from participants.

“The cameras look at the crop as it’s going into the clean grain tank and as it’s going through the tailings it’s able to sense what an unthreshed head might look like. It’s able to tell what’s straw and chaff versus what’s clean grain and if there’s too much chaff in the sample, then it automatically increases the fan speed, for example. “This technology is making a decision a thousand times a second versus even a great operator who might only make a change once an hour. The result is less losses, as you’re not leaving as much in the paddock.” Andrew said both staff and customers appreciated the Harvester Clinics. “Our staff love participating in discussions with their customers and I think it’s great for us to come together and learn from each other, and we’re really fortunate to partner with FarmLink and have our events there. They are always extremely helpful and having an event on a location of that size allowed us to reach our capacity of 150 people across the four events.” While COVID restrictions meant for the first time the clinics had to be invitation-only, H&P also had the chance to tackle things a little differently. “The clinics give us a chance to truck in both the customers and staff at the same time so we can share best practice once and it filters out to multiple locations. And this year we also recorded all of the sessions and spent some time turning them into videos and screenshots that we published in a private YouTube playlist and shared with our customers via email. “It’s really important that any of our customers who may have missed out attending an event in-person had the chance to watch and we’ve had some great feedback that people appreciated that. If you missed out on the clinics, you can always get in touch with one of our TECSight field specialists who can provide on-farm assistance with your harvester.” To contact TECSight, phone 02 5924 5111.

“It’s a new suite of technologies bundled under the name Combine Advisor and released in the S700 series last year. Basically, it’s a combination of smarts in the machine as well as cameras located on the tailings and clean grain system which automatically optimises the machine as the conditions change to achieve a target job quality that the owner or operator determines.

Summer 2020/21

High Performance Magazine Summer 2020/21

New H&P branches for Dubbo and Warren: Exciting times! It’s been a busy and exciting past few months as some of Hutcheon & Pearce’s finest worked to acquire two new branches and extend our reach northward in regional NSW. Now, having sealed the deal, it’s full steam ahead for our welcome new additions to the H&P family and we can’t wait to meet our new customers in and around Dubbo and Warren. We sat down with CEO Arron Hutcheon to get the lowdown on the acquisition.

ell us about the new branches and how and why this came about?

In October, Chesterfield Australia was taken on by RDO Australia Group. Hutcheon & Pearce managed to secure two of the 13 dealerships at this time and it’s an opportunity that just makes sense for the business and our customers. With its large-scale broadacre farming and irrigation areas, Dubbo and Warren are a perfect fit for our existing business. We have a long history in the small grains, hay, cotton and livestock segments throughout Southern NSW and Northern Victoria, which makes us well placed for a smooth transition for our new customers and staff. This is not about getting big for big’s sake. It’s actually all about getting to a scale that allows us to better invest in our property and people to deliver solutions to all of our customers, now and moving forward. Underpinning this strategic move, the evolution or growth we’ve seen to-date has been required to keep up with our customers and their changing business needs. So, it’s about having the required scale to be able to afford the resources that deliver solutions to our customers.

Hutcheon & Pearce

What does this mean for the staff at the Dubbo and Warren branches? It’s exciting times for everyone as we work with the teams on the ground there to bring them into the H&P way and introduce them to all the H&P family. We are hoping the staff at these branches can already see the passion, drive and focus the rest of the team has for the business. We also hope they can appreciate the investment that Hutcheon & Pearce puts into our people so they can deliver. We want our team to feel they have purpose and a future with an employer focused on longterm sustainability so we hope they feel that security and are as excited as we are. We really are grateful for the incredible response from the Dubbo and Warren staff so far – their support and willingness to remain openminded is a credit to them and seeing just how well they’ve handled the change makes me very excited for what’s to come. Everyone is really looking forward to getting up there to learn about the teams and their operations, and also get to know the customers to see how we can support them in the ways they need.

What can customers in Dubbo and Warren expect from Hutcheon & Pearce? Customers can have confidence that we bring our 67 years of experience in the agricultural industry to the table. We are ready, willing and able to contribute to the already outstanding local sales, parts and service teams that have supported them in the past, and keen to continue supporting them into the future. This is an opportunity for us to build on the strong foundations already in place in Dubbo, Warren and the surrounding areas. And now with 13 locations, our new and existing customers have access to more resources, support and expertise than ever before.

Will Dubbo and Warren stores still be green? Absolutely! Our blood runs green, so John Deere will be our lead brand. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll simply be narrowing our focus to John Deere because we want to be exceptionally good at it and in order to do that we will not be continuing with some of the other brands that have been in those branches to-date. Any final words? I am incredibly proud and grateful for the team thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been involved with the acquisition in Dubbo and Warren. While the timing is not ideal, being in the middle of a global pandemic and a particularly busy time, their support and effort has been fantastic and really made sure everything went as well as it possibly could.

Arron Hutcheon with Dubbo & Warren Branch manager James Niemeyer (maintaining their social distancing)

ACT

NSW VIC

Summer 2020/21

High Performance Magazine Summer 2020/21

H&P welcomes new TOPGUNS to the fold COVID-19 threw us one very big curveball when it came to TOPGUN recruitment this year, but in true H&P style, we rose to the challenge, drawing strong application numbers.

hen HR Mentor Matt Duffy realised the many impacts COVID-19 would have on recruitment activities for our TOPGUN apprenticeship program, it’s fair to say he was a little ruffled.

“I won’t lie. There was a fair bit of head scratching when we realised how badly COVID was going to affect recruitment. I usually speak to around 20 schools a year talking about H&P and our TOPGUN program and attend about 10 career expos. COVID restrictions meant a big hit to the number of people I got to see face-to-face.

“We made some short videos of our current apprentices which were superbly directed by the Service Managers. These proved very effective in getting different messages out there on things like how to apply, where to apply and application deadline. We had some apprentices showing off the machinery they get to work on and some graduates explaining their roles now as qualified technicians. Harriet kept our H&P social media pages updated, which in turn became enquiries.”

Of course, with TOPGUN ‘never say die’ spirit on his side, Matt promptly put the call out for some fresh thinking.

The first hurdle cleared, Matt and the HR team soon had another to overcome as he got more than he bargained for.

“It took Sarah, Rach and Harriet – our social media experts – to come up with new ideas to reach potential applicants as well as old school channels like radio, which ended up being pretty effective.

“We had above average applications this year proving our different approach had worked. But we then had to cull down to a realistic number of applicants to interview and, funnily enough, COVID helped us out.

Hutcheon & Pearce

“It’s the start of a new era for a new group but I can’t forget the end of a tough four-year stint for our mechanical apprentices and two years for the parts guys. I cannot congratulate these people enough and we look forward to seeing how they progress in the business.” Matt Duffy, Apprentice Mentor

“We normally interview 20 for all 11 branches but choosing to hold an extra day in the ‘border bubble’ allowed for more numbers. We had our usual day of 20 interviewees in Wagga which catered for all branches other than Coleambally, Finley and Albury and then a day in Corowa for their applicants which were predominantly border residents. In the end, it was a bumper TOPGUN season to match an expected bumper harvest. “The two days were a success, giving the branches and applicants the best opportunity to achieve the end goal and that is to find a match. “The applicants go through branch interviews, industryrelated interviews, HR interviews, aptitude and comprehension tests and teamwork activities. It is a big day for most of them considering it was their first interview ever.

“It is a fairly in-depth process for a fairly in-depth apprenticeship, but we need the right candidate fit for every position. It’s a partnership. And as usual, I know our hard work will pay off and we’ll end up with another cracking group this year. “With the current harvest requirements, most branches opted to give the apprentices a soon-as-possible start option. Some are jumping at the chance, some have HSC commitments, some are doing harvest with their family and some are doing whatever they can to save money for future expenses. Soon enough they’ll all be settled in and, with the acquisition of Dubbo and Warren, we could possibly have a record number of TOPGUN apprentices in this intake. We might even need two classes at TAFE. “Not bad for a year in COVID crisis!”

Summer 2020/21

High Performance Magazine Summer 2020/21

Work on the best, with the best, for the best If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a qualified Agricultural Technician or Mechanic, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to deny a job with Hutcheon & Pearce is a chance to be at the top of your game. Working with the best quality machinery in the world, in a team handpicked from the best technicians in the field and for a company that we reckon is pretty hard to beat, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only made better by generous wages, performance incentives and training opportunities. But what does it take to join the H&P family? Our Human Resources Manager Sarah Johnson dishes all the details on the latest round of vacancies and what you can do to be in the running.

Hutcheon & Pearce

t Hutcheon & Pearce, we believe we’re only ever as good as the relationships we build with our customers and the quality of our people. That’s why hiring in the very best and finding the right fit is a big focus for us. As of 1 November, we have 15 vacancies across the service department that Human Resources Manager Sarah Johnson and her team are working to fill. As Sarah explains, no two jobs are really ever the same, with the positions on offer including a number of service technician roles of varying skills levels. “Every job is different and requires a different skillset or experience. For our service tech roles, candidates will ideally be trade qualified (Diesel Mechanical – Ag, Plant or Commercial) with 12 months or more experience as a qualified Heavy Vehicle Mechanic, killer troubleshooting skills, and excellent customer service. “Obviously, as a company with a reputation for excellence, and as an employer of choice, we generally look at the best in the field first. However, the skill level required in a particular location will determine the experience required and above all we stand by the ethos of hiring for attitude and training for skill. “So, who you are as person and as a team member, your values as an employee, as a coworker and member of the community are all important at H&P. If you’re a good fit from that point of view, then we’ll make sure you get all the support and training you need to stay at the top of your game, too. We offer role-specific training for all positions within the company, and our technicians are provided with online training through John Deere University as well as technical training through our purpose-built facility partnering with TAFE NSW to deliver skillsets and certifications.” As well as offering some of the best training in the sector, H&P also offers incentive programs for technicians and parts staff to further reward exceptional on-the-job performance and service that exceeds our customers’ expectations. Combine that with a great pay cheque and it all adds up to a real opportunity to get ahead.

“We like to reward good work and commitment. We pay well above award wages. In fact, we recently assessed the market rate for our industry to ensure we remain competitive and have reviewed all technicians to ensure equality throughout the group based on benchmarked skillsets. We also have a very clear career progression pathway for all Service and Parts staff and work with each individual to assess career aspirations and develop strategies to help achieve those career goals.” For many, the chance to work on the big green machines is a big drawcard. For others, it’s less about the John Deere appeal and more about working in one of the world’s greatest industries. For some it’s the only place they want to start a career while others are looking to change gear in theirs. Sarah says whatever your motivators for considering a career with H&P, it could just be the best decision you make. “We have international technicians who have travelled half way around the world to work with us and others who have never left their hometown but have dreamt of working for the local John Deere dealer since they could say ‘tractor’. Some of our technicians are from major metropolitan areas and others are from towns with fewer than 100 people. We have technicians with formal university engineering degrees and others with no formal qualification but decades of experience and proven skillsets. They come from auto backgrounds, mining backgrounds, retail, finance and so much more. “But there are two things every one of our technicians, and all employees, have in common – passion and pride. Passion for the brand, passion for agriculture and passion for providing our customers with the very best service they can. And pride – in their job, their career and the standard of their work. “If being part of a passionate and proud high performing team sounds like you, then it’s time to look to H&P for your next career move.” For more information on H&P vacancies, visit www.hutcheonandpearce.com.au/careers.

Summer 2020/21

High Performance Magazine Summer 2020/21

FarmLink brings research to farmers As we prepare for Harvest 2020, we caught up with our friends at FarmLink to discuss the year that was and see how the transition from a more conventional tyne-based farming system to a controlled traffic, disc-seeded, stubbled-retained system has rolled out.

stablished in 2003, FarmLink is a not-for-profit agricultural research and extension organisation in southern NSW owned by growers involving advisers and researchers. It coordinates and communicates private, public and grower group funded research and development activities within the region and H&P is happy to play its part by providing the latest farming equipment and technology for use on their 600ha research farm at the Temora Agricultural Innovation Centre (TAIC). Matt Kelly is a relatively new appointment at FarmLink, taking on the role of Extension and Engagement Manager in August this year. His day-to-day consists of managing the extension component of FarmLink’s research portfolio, working to bridge the gap between researchers, advisors, and farmers. His role is to ensure what FarmLink does is relevant to members’ businesses, and engage with stakeholders like H&P. “Hutcheon & Pearce is a big part of our stakeholder network, providing farm equipment and technology. But it’s more than that. It’s a real partnership. The TAIC has never looked better, which is due in large part to the Hutcheon & Pearce relationship with our farm manager, Chris Williams. “On the farm, we work with a number of trial users including the National Variety Trials, so our windows can be really tight with weather conditions and trial growth stages. The ability to complete our farming activities in a timely manner is vital and our partnership with H&P allows us to do that.

Hutcheon & Pearce

“The benefit for local farmers is the chance to see the latest equipment and tech operating in a real-world environment. We have also had the privilege of hosting H&P as well as John Deere for a range of events, with our state-of-the-art Trefle Exhibition shed and meeting rooms combined with access to the farm providing the perfect combination for staff training and development.” Despite the impact of COVID-19 on their operations, Matt said the crew at FarmLink is excited for harvest. “COVID definitely had an impact on FarmLink, with a lot of our face-to-face activities only just now starting to resume. One of the big impacts was our Open Day being cancelled, which normally draws more than 300 farmers and industry partners to our site to showcase the latest research and developments. We have had to be flexible, and luckily farmers have a great appetite for knowledge, which allowed us to still deliver great content online during that period. Our staff worked from home for a period of time, but we’re quite an adaptive group, so it worked quite well considering! “On the research front some of our projects have been delayed to next year due to COVID, so we will certainly be busy, but that’s a great problem to have. We have just had our first face-to-face workshops and farmers signed up in droves, so we are excited to get back in front of our members and showcase the latest in ag research.

“I think right now we’re all also pretty excited about harvest. We have been in the strip and disc model (disc seeder sown into Shelbourne stripper front straw) during the past two drought years, so to see the capacity of the stripper front and S780 in a decent crop will be fantastic. Any farmers that want to come and see it working can give the office or myself a call.” Matt encourages all farmers curious about the latest in research and development activities to check out the FarmLink website or pick up the phone. “We have a fantastic relationship with partners such as the GRDC, NSW DPI and CSIRO as well as other farming systems group, and we collaborate across the sector to ensure what research is conducted and delivered to our members is relevant to our local area. “Becoming a FarmLink member gives you access to the latest research outcomes delivered to your mailbox or inbox, and you can also have direct influence over what research and extension should be covered. Plus, all of our members have access to the team who are always searching for ideas to feed back to those key research partners. “To join, just head to www.farmlink.com.au and hit the ‘become a member’ button in the top right-hand corner of the homepage. That gives a good overview of the benefits and different membership packages. We also welcome people to call in if they are in the area. We have a number of staff that can show you around the farm and the facilities we have on offer. Promise there’s no hard sell either!”

Summer 2020/21

High Performance Magazine Summer 2020/21

TECSight insights for a happy harvest Our dedicated team at TECSight is gearing up to support our farmers with their precision ag data needs through this bumper harvest. The one message they have for farmers this season: Sort out your software and subscriptions.

t’s a fairly safe bet that this harvest it going to be huge, and as combines start to move out of sheds and onto paddocks, TECSight Integrated Solutions Manager Hamish Ross says the key to an optimal harvest will now be your data and software. “It’s going to be an exciting couple of months and, if the rain stays away, it’ll certainly be an above-average harvest. We’ve got customers asking us, ‘What capabilities has my machine got and what can we do to maximize that potential?’ It’s great that they’re keen to use available technology to their advantage. “We’ve got a mix of owner-operators and farmers who bring in contractors and we’re finding they’re now saying, ‘You need to have John Deere and you need to be able to do the data recording.’ Some are also specifying that they want the two-centimetre accuracy you get from being hooked into the Hutcheon & Pearce base station network. “From our point of view, whether you’re a contractor or it’s your farm, as harvest kicks off it’s important to check your software and make sure that you’ve got all subscriptions in order. You’ll want your machines connected to My Operations Centre to know data is being recorded to the cloud.”

Hutcheon & Pearce

Hamish also reminds readers that from 1 February 2021, ITC receivers will become obsolete and StarFire 6000 and 3000 receivers will require a software update. “The ITC receivers are now 10+ years old and the satellite frequency that drives them is being turned off. That means that anyone with an ITC won’t be able to use that from the end of January. “If you have StarFire 6000 or 3000 receivers, the key date is 1 February 2021. The 2020 second software release was issued in late August, and it’s a really important one because it’s a change to the frequency that our receivers use. If it’s not updated before the end of January, receivers will lose that signal until they update their software. “While updating is as easy as going through the display in the tractor or downloading it from the John Deere website and putting it on an USB to plug it into the tractor or display, the TECSignt team is certainly available to talk you through it if you encounter any dramas. “Alternatively, you can bring your displays and receivers into us in the TECSight office to do the update. If you’re a subscriber, there’s no cost. You can also take them to the workshop, but there is a charge for that.”

Hamish added that upgrades to the RTK network are still being carried out to give H&P remote monitoring capacity. “We’ve been making good progress and seeing some really positive results with the ability to monitor our base stations. Right now, that will take a bit of a backseat as harvest starts to fire up but we’ll get back to that work as soon as we can and hopefully have our upgrades done by February 2021.” Meet the team Hamish said the TECSight team has a range of skills to make harvest as seamless for customers as possible. “We have Toby who is heading into his first harvest with us and is really looking forward to getting into it. He’s got a livestock background and is really passionate about technology and farming and what access we can give to customers to help achieve their data analytics goals. “Then there’s John who has been with us for a few years and has a background as a mechanic but also has a pretty significant level of experience in the GPS world and has worked in various parts of the globe working with GPS for 15 years before coming to H&P. “We’ve got Jess, who was predominantly in the workshop before TECSight, so has that real mechanical background, and Michael, who’s not got a huge ag background but definitely has a mechanical background with Holden in New Zealand. He’s picked it up like a duck to water, and really great mind for analysing and error resolution and diagnostics.

“Dan is one of the more experienced guys in TECSight with more than four years’ experience on the phone talking customers through their issues large and small. And finally, there’s Carolyn, our admin assistant, who’s responsible for all the billing and stocking of products. “It’s a really good little team we’ve got, and we’ll be all hands on deck to see customers through harvest.” Hamish asks that if you have particular data needs this harvest, contact the TECSight team direct. “If there’s anything we can do to add value to your operations, we really want to know so we can be more proactive in our service. Whether that’s yield mapping, sowing and spraying data, or the satellite imagery service that we provide, there’s plenty of things we can do. “We can really help our customers to make the most out of their data and their relationships with their other trusted advisors, like accountants, banks and agronomists, that bit easier.”

For more information on the services TECSight provides, please contact the team on 02 5924 5111.

Summer 2020/21

High Performance Magazine Edition 26 Summer 2020/21

Charity changes tack: COVID forces fundraising online At Hutcheon & Pearce, we love seeing rural families thrive. For years, we’ve supported Ronald McDonald House to help families in their time of need and we’re there again this year, lending a hand when it’s needed that little bit more.

wenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, Ronald McDonald House Wagga Wagga gives seriously ill children the best gift of all – their families. This home-away-from-home has provided thousands of families with a comfortable place to stay and the peace of mind that they can be together, close to their child’s hospital. Lisa Simpson has been the Ronald McDonald House Wagga Wagga Executive Officer for just on a year now and oversees the running of the house, including taking care of families in need, managing house maintenance, coordinating the 100+ volunteers and handling the allimportant fund raising. “It’s been a year of firsts for me, and for many others with COVID a big factor. The house absolutely runs on donations and volunteers and COVID has had an impact on both. “We cannot run without our volunteers – they’re the heart of what we do. When COVID first hit, and we were in that incredibly uncertain time, we had to suspend most of our 100 or so volunteers in their best interests. We wanted to make sure that everyone was being looked after so we had a small selection of what we call mission critical volunteers who enabled us to operate.

Hutcheon & Pearce

“I slept here overnight. We always had our bags packed, ready, because if sometimes we can’t fill an overnight volunteer spot, we stay. Our mission critical volunteers who don’t fall into a high risk or a vulnerable category were still able to do our overnights and we relied on them so much more than we usually do. “There was a time where we weren’t accepting new families. Only families already in the houses were able to stay. Our priority as an organisation was a safe and sequential return to operations, so we have slowly reopened. We have worked our way back up to being open to our full capacity.

Ronald McDonald House Wagga Wagga Executive Officer Lisa Simpson is pictured with the 12-volt battery operated children’s tractor which formed part of their recent online auction. The winning bidder was Sammy Schubert.

“With the field days cancelled this year, Hutcheon & Pearce has still made a generous donation – a 12-volt battery operated children’s tractor and stake wagon – which formed part of an online auction along with a couple of other items donated to us. The auction is a first for us as we’ve had to look at different ways to raise funds. Things like the loss of income from raffles, from Henty, really add up because we basically run on donations. “It’s been great that Hutcheon & Pearce has been able to continue its support because all funds raised mean we are in a better position to broaden the experience for our families when they stay. That might mean a new paint job for our guestrooms, new linen, TVs in the rooms or outdoor play equipment. It’s only through businesses like Hutcheon & Pearce that we can build and continue to nurture our community. “We are here for people out in the country and in regional areas. They’re the families that come and use our house so we need to make sure that they know we’re here for them. Getting our name and presence out there, through the Henty Field Days, through Hutcheon & Pearce and its channels, through word of mouth is vital. “We don’t have all of our volunteers back just yet. It’s hard because we want them back and they want to be back, but some are in what we would consider a vulnerable category and ultimately we want to make sure that we’re doing the right thing for them. What’s in their best interest is in our best interest.” Lisa said COVID-19 has also affected fundraising with regular events giving way to online fundraising.

“Our mission is to provide a home-away-from-home for families. That’s at the heart of what we do and every decision we make. We thank every individual and business that has ever supported us, and we ask them to continue supporting us because the families that stay here appreciate it. They don’t know what they would have done otherwise. The support that Hutcheon & Pearce and others provide means we can continue to support these families when they need us most.”

“Ordinarily we would have had a position at the Henty Machinery Field Days, for example, to increase awareness of the House and raffle off an item kindly donated by Hutcheon & Pearce.

If you’d like more information about Ronald McDonald House or are keen to volunteer your time or donate, simply visit: www.rmhc.org.au/programs/houses/nsw/ ronald-mcdonald-house-wagga-wagga

Summer 2020/21

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