2021 Autumn HP Magazine by Hutcheon and Pearce

Autumn 2021

High Performance Magazine

Weed control revolution with See & Spray™™ p4

Stihl range branches out!

High Performance Magazine Edition 27 Autumn 2021

Contents

Weed control revolution with See & Spray™

Stihl range branches out

For all editorial and advertising enquiries, contact:

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

Welcome to the 2021 Autumn Edition

Industry update in 5: Grains Market

Hot property: New tractor and loader combo arrives

Bumper harvest bumps up call volume

Three reasons to celebrate TOPGUN success

Mental health: one for the diary

DONATE BLOOD THIS autumn 1 in 3 people you know will need a blood donation in their lifetime. If you’re fit and healthy be the sunshine in someone’s life by becoming a blood donor! Call 13 14 95 to make an appointment or visit www.donateblood.com.au and sign up to the Hutcheon & Pearce Community.

Hutcheon & Pearce

Welcome Welcome to the 2021 Autumn edition of High Performance Magazine.

think it’s safe to say it’s been a fantastic start to the

For our large ag customers, we’ve also got something special

year for most of us in agriculture.

coming soon. John Deere has just released its cutting-edge See &

It was incredible to feel the optimism as the sector continued to gain momentum, and to see all the

happy farmers through a particularly strong harvest with some exceptional seasonal conditions. While the sector bounced back, we have been kept busy responding to demand for machines and support, and our focus is now staying on top of incoming inventory and predeliveries. For months we’ve been working with our customers to plan early and make sure they have exactly the machines they need in optimum working order when they need them. As a result, we’re seeing unprecedented numbers of equipment deliveries coming in and the team is doing an incredible job making sure every machine is spot on as it heads out on-farm. For us, it’s all about building capacity in all of our dealerships, ramping up as fast as we can while maintaining the high standards we’re known for. Nowhere is this more important than in our recently acquired

Spray™ technology. Capable of reducing herbicide usage by more than 90%, this machine is a potential game-changer and represents huge opportunity for the farming community and a huge win for sustainability and the environment. Our team has been buzzing about this machine and can’t wait to get out and demo it for you. Read more on page 4. And while your machine needs are taken care of, perhaps you can spare a moment to take care of yourself. Why not pop into your local H&P branch, to pick up your 2021 diary released by Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (PHN). We’re big believers that healthy farms and healthy farming communities rely on healthy farmers. The PHN diaries are just one way that farmers can access information and practical tips around mental health, and appropriate support to keep you running just as well as your farm. And they are 100% handy too. Be sure to grab your diary today. Enjoy this latest edition of the magazine. Here’s hoping the good conditions continue and you can make the most of them on your patch.

Dubbo and Warren branches. I couldn’t be happier with the transition to Hutcheon & Pearce, nor prouder of how accepting and hardworking the team has been with coming

Arron

onboard. Considering how tough these two stores did it during the drought, we knew early on that building capacity would need to be a priority and that that may take some time. Both stores are doing well on that front as we welcome all of our customers in these communities into the H&P family. We also thank our Dubbo and Warren customers for their continued understanding while things ramp up and I’m confident that the full H&P difference will be felt soon. Customers at three of our other H&P branches will soon be noticing changes, too, as we roll out the Stihl range in Forbes, Finley and Coleambally. Following the positive response in Orange, more of our customers will soon be able to access Stihl’s high-quality range of garden power tools, supported by our same first-rate service team. For details, check out page 6 and for those in the area, drop into your local store to see exactly what’s on offer.

Autumn 2021

High Performance Magazine Autumn 2021

Weed control revolution with See & Spray™ Today, the common practice in modern agriculture is to treat all plants as if they have the same needs. But new technology is about to change all that, empowering growers to make every individual plant count at scale. Meet See & Spray.

e hear the phrase ‘game changer’ a lot these days but See & Spray Select technology really is about to shake up how farmers operate.

Developed by American company Blue River Technology, See & Spray Select uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to detect, identify and make management decisions about every single plant on-farm. And as H&P Sales Operations Manager Andrew Watt says, the result will be a revolution in weed control.

“There are other third-party companies that have bolton solutions on the market right now and they’re quite expensive, starting at about $120,000 on top of the cost of the machines. John Deere is going to be the first to market across all sprayer manufacturers to have a factory solution fully integrated.

“With the rise of herbicide-tolerant weeds, there are now fewer and fewer effective solutions, with farmers spending billions a year worldwide to keep weeds under control.

“The first limited production build machines will be incountry mid 2021. Hutcheon & Pearce will have access to one of those in August and we are planning an event to step our customers through this leading-edge technology.

“With See & Spray Select, a camera setup with advanced machine learning will identify and spray weeds in real-time and adapt on the go. As it captures imagery it learns what plant is a weed and what plant isn’t a weed, starting off as a fallow ground solution and building in more features in the future. “The result is up to 90% reduction in chemical, and 77% reduction on average, because See & Spray is only spraying the weeds that it needs to target, rather than doing blanket applications. This will not only boost farmers’ profitability, it will also have huge benefits for the environment.”

Andrew explained that John Deere, which acquired Blue River Technologies in 2017, has released See & Spray Select for ordering across its self-propelled sprayer range.

Hutcheon & Pearce

“We’re beyond excited to share this with our customers because it will fundamentally change the way we do things. People spend tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on chemicals and if you can save 90% of that cost, it pays for itself over and over again. “It also counters that city perception that farmers are the enemy, we’re the bad guys because we use herbicides. This is just another example of the research and development happening in the industry to reduce chemical use.

HOW SEE & SPRAY™ SELECT WORKS: Working in conjunction with the ExactApply™ system, See & Spray Select uses a combination of cameras and processors to detect weeds before activating only the nozzles necessary to apply a burst of herbicide to that specific weed. You’ll see: “We saw the ExactApply™ nozzle technology released a couple of years ago and this was really the last piece of the puzzle from a John Deere factory perspective to get the whole solution where we’ve got individual nozzle control.

•

Reduced solution use – by avoiding inefficient traditional broadcast applications and spraying only when weeds are detected, you can reduce the applied volume of herbicide by 77%.

“We can control the flow rate of the chemical and for turn compensation, we can apply the right pressure at the right speeds at the right rates and have that efficacy absolutely perfect. Now, to take that to the next level, the See & Spray Select technology is the game-changer to take us from, ‘Yes, we’re spraying correctly’ to ‘now we only spray the individual plants we need to spray’.

•

Greater cost efficiency – 77% spray volume reduction means significantly lower herbicide costs, fewer tendering stops, and more acres covered in a day.

•

Broadcast-level control – in testing, the See & Spray Select system consistently sprayed 98% of weeds present, giving you a level of control comparable to traditional broadcast application.

“The economic benefits for the farmer are huge, but it’s also another step forward in full machine autonomy when operators will no longer be in the machine cabs.”

See & Spray Select also offers a combined spray mode, allowing the operator to set a consistent broadcast rate from nozzle A, then a See & Spray rate for nozzle B. The broadcast application controls smaller, newly emerged weeds, while the larger dose takes care of more mature weeds.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SEE THE MACHINE IN ACTION, TALK TO YOUR LOCAL HUTCHEON & PEARCE SALES TEAM.

Autumn 2021

High Performance Magazine Autumn 2021

Hutcheon & Pearce Finley

Stihl range branches out

Hutcheon & Pearce Coleambally

Following the successful introduction of the Stihl product range to our Orange Branch, we have now rolled out the range to Forbes, Finley and Coleambally, with a firm ‘watch this space’ on other branches into the future.

ohn Deere offers best-on-market equipment across small to large ag applications, so when H&P was seeking a premium partner to meet our lifestyle product gap, Stihl was the perfect fit.

For Group Aftermarket Manager Tom Hensgen, bringing Stihl to the Forbes, Finley and Coleambally branches was a natural extension of an already strong partnership.

“Having established the initial relationship in Orange and seeing it working so well, we wanted to look for other opportunities to further that relationship. Forbes, Finley and Coleambally were identified as a good fit, with Forbes in particular having a large showroom to support the full product offering. While they won’t stock the full range, we’ll have a comprehensive selection of products to suit the Finley and Coleambally markets in those branches.

“Stihl is a very well-known brand name and the Stihl product complements the John Deere offering extremely well. John Deere produces ride on lawnmowers through to the full range of large agricultural equipment and having that quality Stihl product range from your whipper snippers and line trimmers to chainsaws and push mowers really fills that lifestyle product range not offered by John Deere.

“At Hutcheon & Pearce, we limit the number of suppliers we deal with to ensure we build quality relationships and product knowledge within our team. The Stihl team has provided extensive systems, technical and sales training to our staff at each branch to ensure they know the new product range inside and out and are ready to answer customer product, parts and service enquiries.”

Hutcheon & Pearce

Hutcheon & Pearce Forbes

Forbes Branch Manager Barry Reidy anticipates existing farming customers as well as homeowners will be interested in the Stihl range. “Stihl and John Deere are the leading product in their respective markets. Because the two tie together so well, it really will create a one-stop shop for our customers. “The install process itself was seamless. The crew from Stihl turned up and did the full fitout for the shop plus trained 14 staff members here in the branch, so from my perspective, it is extremely good to be working in a partnership with a company like Stihl knowing that we can pass that quality and expertise onto our customers. “The thing that excites me most is Stihl’s battery range. The technology that’s gone into the battery range over the last few years is very exciting and it gives people more choice – they can choose between battery and petrol technology – and also better interaction between their machines, with the ability to take the battery from the chainsaw to the whipper snipper to the lawn mower.” For Finley Branch Manager Brendan Prentice, one of the bonuses of the new Stihl range is keeping people shopping in Finley.

FOR INFORMATION ON THE STIHL PRODUCT RANGE, JUST HEAD INTO THE FORBES, FINLEY, COLEAMBALLY OR ORANGE BRANCHES TODAY. “There wasn’t a Stihl dealer in the area, the closest one was in Cobram. That’s nearly a 40 minute drive, so having Stihl products here keeps Finley locals and people across the district shopping local. It also means people will be able to get their chainsaw serviced here or be able to grab parts here, which makes it more convenient for our farmers but also grounds care, SES, fire fighting and local government customers. Anyone who needs these products, parts and accessories. “There’s already been a lot of interest. We actually sold some Stihl products here in Finley before the shop fitout was complete! So, we’re really excited about it. I’d love to see Stihl and John Deere products all over our area, in everyone’s shed, because they are two well-known, high standard products and they will be well serviced and represented by Hutcheon & Pearce in Finley and Coleambally.” Tom said H&P remains open to growing the number of branches that stock Stihl products. “We’re open to further growth as it gives us more opportunity to serve our customers, a bigger network so we can swap products and parts between branches as needed, and develop and deliver internal expertise across multiple outlets, which is an approach we know works so well for our John Deere customers. “Watch this space!”

Autumn 2021

High Performance Magazine Autumn 2021

Three reasons to celebrate TOPGUN success! Each year, the HR Team puts in the hard yards to recruit a new crop of TOPGUN recruits and do all they can to ensure every apprentice and trainee makes it through the course. It’s no surprise, then, that every orientation and graduation is special for them. Here, HR Mentor Matt Duffy tells us his top three reasons for celebrating our TOPGUN program.

Hutcheon & Pearce

irstly, both graduation and orientation events are a great success in their own right. Orientation, I believe, gets better every year.

HR gurus Sarah, Rach and I work hard to get things in place for orientation and it’s a great team effort. Funnily enough, teamwork was the unofficial topic of orientation this year and I hope the bond we created between apprentices, managers and the company will hold strong for years to come. With the acquisition of H&P’s two newest branches in Dubbo and Warren and our ‘build from the ground up’ attitude, we had record numbers this year with 23 mechanical apprentices and six spare parts apprentices. It was a big group, but we managed to fit everything in without a hitch and even made the local news. Highway patrol came and reminded the apprentices that it doesn’t take much to illegally modify your car especially the ‘B&S Utes’. And our annual game of paintball was hectic, with Grace from Finley overcoming her fear, multiple bloody welts and one heck of a headache (thanks Brodie!).

Graduation, like orientation, also gets better every year. Arron made a warm welcome to everyone and made public some great stories about the graduating team’s adventures and mishaps during their apprenticeship. The first-year recruits mingled with the graduates and were able to talk about all things that make up the four-year journey. I sat in on a few conversations and heard some interesting pieces of advice going around, especially from “Filthy” Phil Creighton. The other two reasons I speak of success are a little more personal. Two major components of my role are selecting and presenting good applicants to the parts and service managers, and helping apprentices get to the end goal. With the new recruits, it is with pride that I can say we have a great bunch of first years this year – all successfully on-boarded and having started their on-the-job and formal training. With the graduates, we had 16 start in 2016. Four Parts apprentices finished at the end of 2018 and are all still with us in varying roles. We had 12 mechanic apprentices start and 11 finish with eight staying on as new tradesmen in the H&P team. To me, that’s success right there. Matt Duffy

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High Performance Magazine Edition 27 Autumn 2021

Plenty of challenges Plenty of support We caught up with two recent graduates to learn all about their apprenticeship and their plans for the future. Jack Callan

Tom Watson

Hometown: Tomingley, near Dubbo

Hometown: Berowra, north of Sydney. Griffith for the past 8 years.

Position: Service Technician Branch: Forbes, then, Wagga, Albury and now Dubbo Why did you want to enter the TOPGUN program? I had a passion for agriculture and a passion for all things mechanical and it just seemed like the best way to combine the two. What's been the most challenging part of the apprenticeship? I've moved several times due to personal reasons and having to start over again each time has probably been the most challenging thing – learning new places and new people. But the great part was H&P supported me all the way through. With TAFE, with each branch I went through, there was always plenty of support and help. If I had a question, I could always find an answer for it. How do you feel to have graduated? I’m pretty proud of how far I've come over the past four years. It has been hard in some aspects, like the hydraulics and the electrical side of it, so to get to where I am now is a good sense of accomplishment. Do you want to build your career at H&P? I do. I think it is a great company to work for. There's plenty of support. There's lots of training and just to deal with the product itself is, I find really good to work on. My goal at the moment is to become a diagnostic technician in the next four years. I’m working towards that. What would you say to someone else considering the TOPGUN program? Doing the TOPGUN apprenticeship was one of the best things I've done in my life. It’s an amazing program. I wouldn't be where I am today without the support of Hutcheon & Pearce. So, anyone thinking about doing an apprenticeship with them, I really recommended it.

Hutcheon & Pearce

Position: Service Technician Branch: Griffith Why did you want to join the TOPGUN program? I was in a stagnant point in my life where I was looking for something more. The agricultural diesel apprenticeship was something that pricked my ears up and John Deere is a reputable brand, so I thought I'd go for it. What was the most challenging part of the apprenticeship? Probably trying to pay a mortgage on apprentice wages. Sometimes in this job, you feel that you are ready and prepared for something and then you get brought straight back down to earth, which is all a part of the learning experience. I had a reasonable amount of mechanical knowledge prior to here, but it was kind of like starting from scratch with what had to be learnt. How did that feel to graduate? It's a big achievement. The last four years have been an enduring time for me personally, especially being mature age in an apprenticeship. Getting to graduation was a really big thing. It’s just a feeling of accomplishment. What's your favorite part of the job? I've actually just recently started in the repair of air conditioning systems on machinery. It's a qualification that I finalised at the beginning of this year and it’s something that I'm enjoying at the moment. Summer doesn’t really let up, and I found harvest good because we were always on the move. What would you say to someone else considering the TOPGUN program? I think if you're going to immerse yourself into the apprenticeship, you have to go in full steam. You can't go in half-hearted. You just have to be committed, get through the hard times early on and then reap the rewards afterwards.

OUR 2021 SERVICE CATALOGUES ARE OUT NOW! HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE OR YOUR LOCAL HUTCHEON & PEARCE BRANCH TO PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY!

MAKE THE MOST OF AUTUMN

ONLY T AVAILABLE A N O HUTCHE & PEARCE ORANGE, LEY FORBES, FIN ALLY & COLEAMB

CATALOGUE OUT NOW! Autumn 2021

High Performance Magazine Autumn 2021

Industry update in 5: Grains market If you’re a grain grower, there’s no doubt this past harvest will have felt quite different to previous years. We’ve seen a significant turnaround in seasonal conditions and there have been some major changes in the domestic and international markets. So just how well is grain performing and what does the market look like now? We asked Grain Merchant Nick McCarthy of Robinson Grain Trading to share his insights in five quick answers. How are things going in grain following harvest 2020? Very positive. Most people in agriculture right now seem to have a spring in their step. A lot of commodity prices are high, with plenty of money to be made and there’s positivity in the market with another good start to the year. We’ve just come out of a record winter cereal crop in NSW, with huge numbers in Victoria and quite a big season for Queensland. So right across the east coast, grain growers will be pretty happy at the moment. We’ve got so much grain this year and our grain is pricing up really well into the world markets. Aussie products are at a premium, with tighter supplies across the world. Our export numbers are high, especially on wheat and barley, with huge numbers leaving the country on a weekly basis. We’re seeing both bulk vessels and container vessels loading as quickly as they can get the grain into the port right across the country. It’s a good time to be in grains.

Where is our grain going? Who’s buying? We normally send a lot of grain, feed barley in particular, to China but thanks to trade tariffs have had to find some new homes for product. Saudi Arabia really stepped up and purchased a big whack of barley in the past few months. They look to us as our grain tends to price well into the Middle East and it’s pretty competitive. We’re also still stacking up pricewise here in Australia so we’re not having to discount our barley to world prices, which means there’s plenty of money flowing into the pockets of farmers here.

Hutcheon & Pearce

How are grain prices and how have they held over the past couple of months? Since November, prices have been bullish, and we’ve seen a rise to back above the $300/tonne for wheat delivered into port, and barley has pushed close to the $250-260/tonne mark. Compare this to our last big season, 2016/2017, when it was $50-$80/tonne less depending on the grain. In saying that, prices did come off a touch for a couple of weeks late February to early March with just a little less buying. Growers were also finding it difficult to execute sales into port zones due to the fertiliser shortage. The system in port usually works great – farmers will sell grain and deliver in February and March and have contracts for fertiliser in place so that they can literally go from delivering their grain to another terminal where they load up with fertiliser. But with the world shortage of fertiliser, it was almost impossible to get a timeslot to load in March. This means people are executing existing contracts until April rather than selling more – which created a bit of stagnation in terms of buying and selling, and softened prices a bit. But we’re still in a good spot. The price remains nice and high year-on-year compared to our last big season and growers did well at harvest selling the cash crops like canola, so there’s not many out there chasing money and needing to sell grain.

What are the big issues facing grain farmers at the moment? The lack of fertiliser is an issue, especially in the north where last season produced big, high protein crops (APH1 and APH-2 in wheat) which pulled a lot of nutrients out of soils. Growers will be spending a lot of time with their agronomists this year working out ways to replenish nutrients in the soil without readily available fertilisers, and with the shortage it will be a challenge to get the fertilisers in time and at a good price. There’s also still a large portion of grain stored either on-farm or in the bulk handling system that hasn’t been purchased yet. This means a significant carry heading into the 21/22 season and if we have another big year, we may see some selling pressure put on the prices as people look to sell instead of paying additional warehousing fees. Then, with a glut of grain into the market, prices will soften. And, as always, we need to watch above us. But as long as it keeps raining, we’ll all be happy!

Nick McCarthy

How have China’s trade tariffs affected things? It was disappointing at the time and I know it hurt a lot of people when China followed through with their threats of trade tariffs, but I think we’ve been quite lucky in Australia in that the effect hasn’t really lingered, particularly on the barley front. We have seen additional destinations pop up, like Saudi Arabia who are continuing to buy our barley as quickly as we can get it on boats for them, so we price up well. China seems to be quite happy procuring a lot of feed-grain and human consumption grain from the US and they’re not likely to be short on grains anytime soon. We’ll always send barley to China because it works really well for us pricewise so if they came back into market and started bidding for major tonnage, it would go there again. But we have good, non-traditional buyers picking up our grains this year thanks to the quality and our price standing worldwide. So as frustrating as it was at the time, we’re lucky that the world supply on other feed grains is a bit tighter this year, which means we have been able to maintain a good domestic price while retaining export parity. The lesson is, we need to be careful that we are not reliant on a specific location but are always looking for markets for our product.

Autumn 2021

High Performance Magazine Autumn 2021

Hot property: New tractor and loader combo arrives Let us introduce you to the 4044R – the first compact tractor with factory-installed loader!

hen you work with a top-quality brand like John Deere, you come to expect innovations large and small.

That’s exactly how our Sales Operations Manager Andrew Watt felt when learning about the newest addition of Deere’s compact tractor lineup – the 4044R. “Up until now, our tractors and loaders have been shipped separately. That means a little bit of extra work at the dealership in terms of set-up time and can also mean delays with one being held up in delivery. “It’s the first time we’ve had the option of the tractor and loader being assembled together at the factory and then shipped together. That gives us a faster turnaround through the workshop and allows us to become a bit more price competitive. It also means we can confidently set expectations with customers about when they can put their new machine to work.” Andrew said this new model will include a factory-installed 440R Mechanical Self-Leveling Loader (less bucket) and will be available as an open operator station. There will be no cab option available at this time. “The 4044R has all the premium features you have come to expect from an R-spec compact tractor, and is powered by a 2.2 L, 4-cylinder, Yanmar diesel engine, capable of producing 43.1 hp (31.7 kW), providing plenty of power under heavy load.

Hutcheon & Pearce

“This will be coupled with an eHydro™ transmission providing infinite speed selection and change of direction with Twin Touch™ foot controls for unmatched productivity. 4WD is standard to optimize traction and power to the ground for maximum performance. “We haven’t had a machine in that horsepower range in an R-spec for a while. Previously, we’ve had a 49 horsepower and a 66 horsepower R-spec tractor, but we found there is still a need of a lower 40 horsepower type tractor in this premium segment with all the eHydro transmission benefits and the electronic controls that come alongside that. “This will allow us to replace one of those long-term, highly popular models – the 4105, a machine we love – in that small acreage market where this will be the main tractor to use for slashing or raking and maintaining larger properties up to around 100 acres. It’s also a key one for us in our golf course and sports turf market because having those electronic controls over your speed means that you’ve got less chance of damaging the ground.” Andrew explained that the 4044R transmission allows the operator to engage the machine very slowly, so there’s no risk of someone dropping the clutch and spinning the wheels. The operator can also set things like cruise control and load match so the engine and transmission are matching, making it a very easy machine to control.

“Ease of use has been a big focus on the R Series in the compact tractor range. John Deere has tried to use an automotive style symbol and user interface with their eHydro convenience control module. So, put simply, the R Series has symbols that look like a car dash to engage your cruise control, to set your speed or to hit your resume switch when re-engaging your cruise control. There’s a big dial that will change your speed of engagement so there’s less chance of turf damage. There’s gear icons and engine icons that show when your electronic throttle is activated, or your load match is activated. And it’s very easy to use, especially if you’re coming out of your car and you’re not a farmer that’s driving tractors every day.” For those interested in taking a look at the 4044R with 440R loader, H&P will have machines in stock midAutumn. “We have stock arriving in April and if people want to arrange a demo, it’s as simple as contacting their local branch. We’re pretty excited to see this machine in stock, especially on that golf and sports turf management side because the machine can be optioned up with turf tyres. They’ll be hot property once they arrive. “Keep an eye out for our promotions and a demo near you as we’ll be getting out and trying to introduce these little beauties to as many people as we can, right across our area.”

For more information on the 4044R with 440R loader, contact your friendly sales team at your local Hutcheon & Pearce branch.

Autumn 2021

High Performance Magazine Autumn 2021

Bumper harvest bumps up call volume A bumper harvest and an important software upgrade has seen our TECSight team helping more than 100 callers each day – and that’s just the way this customer-focused crew likes it. Here we talk harvest hard yards and all things TECSight with Hamish Ross.

nlike many other Australians who enjoy a quiet January before kicking back into work mode in February, our TECSight team has been working right through and harder than ever to ensure our customers can access technical expertise when they need it most. As TECSight Integrated Solutions Manager Hamish Ross explains, the bumper harvest really upped the call volume into TECSight HQ. “It was a big harvest for our customers, and a busy time for us. At TECSight, we normally receive 40-50 calls a day and that enables us to do the other things we need to do as well, like maintaining our base stations and staying on top of equipment orders. “During harvest, we were receiving about 100 calls a day on average – a lot of combine setups, diagnostics, and fixing issues customers were having with their machines – and our team were still out in the field, running demos and optimizing new machines. “While it was a busy time for us, it was really satisfying to help our customers and talk to people that were having one of their best harvests in years. We’re already looking forward to the next one.”

Hutcheon & Pearce

NETWORK UPGRADE Hamish explained the increased call volume during harvest slowed down progress on our RTK network upgrade which commenced in early 2020. “Harvest slowed us down a little on the upgrade front as we weren’t able to get out in the field as often as we’d like, but we’re still ticking along fairly well. We’ve now done a substantial review of our RTK network and, where the gaps are, we have solid plans in place to build some additional towers and backfill into areas where we want to give our customers improved signal and operation. “Our network is a constantly evolving thing. Prior to our acquisition of the Dubbo and Warren branches, we could have been working to around 60 towers. Now that could quite easily be 100, as we want to ensure our customers out that way get the best coverage possible.”

“I think it really highlights the value of the TECSight subscription, to know what’s going on ahead of time. We’re going to help everyone who calls but our subscribers get emails and text messages, so they know what’s coming well in advance.” If you’re interested in learning more about a TECSight subscription, head to www.hutcheonandpearce.com.au/ agriculture/precision-ag-technology

MAKE SURE YOUR STARFIRE™ RECEIVER HAS THE CORRECT SOFTWARE UPDATE: •

3000 RECEIVER SOFTWARE – 2.80S

•

6000 RECEIVER SOFTWARE – 4.40P

IF YOU’RE UNSURE HOW TO ACCESS OR INSTALL THIS SOFTWARE, CALL TECSIGHT ON 02 5924 5111.

STARFIRE™ RECEIVERS

FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO JDLINK

If the TECSight team thought the end of harvest would mean they could catch a break, a mandatory software update pushed that idea from their thoughts.

Hamish said right now it’s all about data and connectivity.

From 1 February, ITC receivers became obsolete and StarFire 6000 and 3000 receivers now require a software update. “We have been taking 200 plus calls a day to get receivers updated. At the moment that’s vital as some of the jobs our customers are doing are time critical. For example, some guys have got sprays that can’t sit in a tank for too long, and they rely on this technology.

“It’s about making sure that is a customer’s machine is capable of being connected to JDLink, they get them connected. John Deere is looking to change the way JDLink Connect works and at the moment there is a free 12-month subscription to sign up. “There is some qualifying criteria around that but some customers may have received a coupon code by email so it’s worth having a look. And if they haven’t and it’s something that appeals to them, by all means they can give us a buzz and we can talk them through it.”

OPERATION CENTER APP UPGRADES Hamish also wanted to let customers know that the My Operations app is now called Operation Center, inline with the online tool, and that significant gains are being seen in both the app and web interface. “One thing we’re excited about, and it really points to our journey towards automation, is the ability to plan within the app now. So, you can now plan work in Operation Center, send the planned work to the equipment, confirm the planned work on the Gen 4 display when entering the field, and analyse the work in Operation Center. This allows owners and farm managers to ensure their operators are putting the data in correctly – meaning quality data in, quality data out and better business decisions as a result. “Any customers using Gen 4 displays will see the Operation Centre app and they can now keep an eye out for the ‘plan’ icon and have a play.”

For more information on the services TECSight provides, please contact the team on 02 5924 5111. Autumn 2021

High Performance Magazine Autumn 2021

Mental health: One for the diary One year on from the 2019-20 bushfires, Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) has released its latest mental health support diary, chock-full of helpful information about mental health and wellbeing. Hutcheon & Pearce is proud to lend our support to the initiative to deliver the diaries to those who need it most.

etting mental health and wellbeing information into rural communities is one thing the MPHN has thought long and hard about.

MPHN’s Senior Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Manager Anita McRae said the diaries are just one initiative of the Australian Government’s Empowering Our Communities program, but an increasingly popular initiative. “As part of our drought funding, called Empowering Our Communities, we worked with a Steering Committee to support us in the roll-out of the funding to ensure it gets to the people most in need. The Steering Committee members have really strong links to the community, with rural representation, people with lived experience of mental health issues as well as agencies that have rural ties. The Steering Committee was really key to ensuring the right people were engaged so we could get our information and support out to rural people who maybe wouldn’t otherwise know what MPHN does. “One of the things the Steering Committee identified was the need to have information available in different ways and in ways people would access it and feel comfortable to access it. Having something useful people would pick up and hang onto, like a diary, that also contained wellbeing and mental health messages and information woven into it was something the Steering Committee came up with, and it’s been so well received.

Hutcheon & Pearce

“People have absolutely taken up the diaries. For example, in 2019, thousands of diaries went out the door at the Henty Field Days. Over the three different iterations of the diary, we have seen almost 60,000 go out into the community. “Without businesses like Hutcheon & Pearce helping us to distribute the diaries and really get those messages out there, we would be missing a big audience. They have supported us the whole way through and we thank them and all our supporters for their help.” Along with space to write in all those important appointments and milestones of the year, the diary also contains tips for managing stress, practicing self-care, how to identify if someone might need support and information that links people to mental health services. The 2021 diary also includes contact details for local and national supports available for people affected by the bushfires. Steering Committee member, retired farmer and mental health advocate John Harper said that the diary format is a smart way of getting health and wellbeing information into the hands of farmers. “Farmers and men in particular aren’t proactive in picking up this type of information and taking it home. But most farming business have need for a diary, so we thought incorporating our messaging in diary format that has other uses for the farmer was a good move.

“Agriculture is an amazing industry to be in but its cyclical nature – with the high highs and low lows and unpredictability – can make it pretty tough. As farmers, it’s taken us all a long time to recognise that we need to look after ourselves mentally as well as physically, and to look after one another to stay in this game and prosper.

“The delightful part of the diaries and Hutcheon & Pearce’s involvement is that they are businesses – they’re not focused on mental health – but to their credit, they realise that they are part of the process and so have come on board to distribute them. That’s because mental health is intertwined with every aspect of life, so it’s everybody’s business. “You need the physical aspects of being a good farmer, and that’s being able to work hard, be resilient and resourceful. You need the equipment, which is what Hutcheon & Pearce provides. But you also need the will, the mental capacity, the mental ability to deal with all this stuff, and that’s why it’s important that this information gets out there in different formats, so people can start to understand. “You’ve got to give credit to the PHN, for taking the idea of the diary on board and to Hutcheon & Pearce to help distribute it, but you also have to give credit to any of the farmers that actually use the diaries and read the messages, because it could help change or even save their life or other people’s lives.” CEO Arron Hutcheon believes that anything H&P can do to support rural communities with their mental health and wellbeing is worth it.

“As such, we are happy to have these 2021 mental health support diaries available for collection in our Coleambally, Finley, Temora, Griffith, Lake Cargelligo and Wagga Wagga branches.” Another initiative of the Empowering Our Communities program is Farmer Health Checks, which will be held at the Riverina Field Days in Griffith in May. Anita explained that MPHN engages the Centre for National Farmers’ Health to do physical health checks along with psychological distress, farmer safety and alcohol use checks. “We did the Farmer Health Checks at previous events like Henty, and found they were really important in catching some people who had health issues, but they didn’t have time to go to the GP. So we encourage any farmer who may be at the Riverina Field Days to drop in for a check-up.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health emergency call the Murrumbidgee Accessline 1800 011 944, Mental Health Line 1800 011 511, Lifeline 13 11 14, or call 000. Or to access the Head to Health website visit www.headtohealth.org.au.

“Hutcheon & Pearce is wholeheartedly behind helping our farmers and communities to be well and thrive.

Autumn 2021

GROWWITH

H&P

WE’RE LOOKING FOR GOOD PEOPLE TO DELIVER GREAT SUPPORT FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. For more information, visit www.hutcheonandpearce.com.au/careers/ ALBURY 222 Travelstop Way Albury NSW 2640 Phone: (02) 6058 6800

COWRA 64-68 Young Road Cowra NSW 2794 Phone: (02) 6341 4800

LAKE CARGELLIGO 63 Canada Street, Lake Cargelligo NSW 2672 Phone: (02) 6898 1305

COLEAMBALLY 7 Bencubbin Way Coleambally NSW 2707 Phone: (02) 6954 4280

DUBBO 22R Narromine Road Dubbo NSW 2830 Phone: (02) 6885 3300

ORANGE 26 Scott Place Orange NSW 2800 Phone: (02) 6362 9988

CONDOBOLIN 1a May Street, Condobolin NSW 2877 Phone: (02) 6891 2222

FINLEY 16 Riverina Highway Finley NSW 2713 Phone: (03) 5883 1655

TEMORA 101 Kitchener Road Temora NSW 2666 Phone: (02) 6977 1100

FORBES 56 Angus Clarke Drive Forbes NSW 2871 Phone: (02) 6862 1666

GRIFFITH Cnr Oakes Rd & Irving Place Griffith NSW 2680 Phone: (02) 6969 5300

WAGGA WAGGA 57 Moorong Street Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 Phone: (02) 6933 7900

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