Farms & Farm Machinery Issue 434

Clear Ridge Fabrication has made its Supa Bin even more super, adding a precision control system to a product which was already proving a winner >> Page 12

Counting blessings

Massaro Motors celebrates fifty years

New NFF president David Jochinke looks ahead

Jadan bale plunge counter transforms farm

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Image: Merlo

Welcome

to the latest edition of Farms & Farm Machinery

Normally when I start this column in each edition, I try to find an overarching theme or think about any articles that particularly deserve highlighting.

What struck me this month is just how much content we have managed to fit into our 88 pages.

One of my favourite things to do in this job is talk to farmers who are using the machinery we are writing about and getting to tell their stories.

There are multiple great examples of that in this edition, based on products big and small.

We speak to a New South Wales dairy farmer who enjoyed his McCormick X7 tractor so much he chose to purchase another one.

Also in New South Wales, one farmer’s use of a Jadan bale plunge counter – a small and simple product at its essence – has “completely changed the way I operate the machine”.

This is a glowing endorsement and it was a pleasure to share this farmer’s experience, as it was to write about a Victorian equine therapy charity’s use of a Rata Equipment Power Claw, which the operator called the “best piece of farm equipment I’ve seen.”

We were also fortunate enough to speak with new National Farmers Federation president David Jochinke.

This was a comprehensive interview discussing his journey to the role, what he sees as the biggest issues for agriculture, and most importantly – how he plans to advocate for Australian farmers.

On the cover of this edition is Clear Ridge Fabrication’s Supa Bin, which has been upgraded over time to improve on an already successful product.

We delve deep into what makes this

unique and how it is making life easier for its users.

It is time for celebration at Victorian dealership Massaro Motors.

February 28 will mark 50 years in operation for the dealership, and we spoke to owner and founder Ray Massaro about his highlights from half a century in business along with how the Gippsland farming region has changed.

Dixie Holdings has continued its growth journey with the acquisition of new trailers that will bolster its capacity to transport heavy equipment to customers around Australia.

We also take a look at Merlo’s Multifarmer machines that combine the benefits of tractors and telehandlers, review a Kuhn wrapper, and take a look ahead at the Australian Bulk Handling Expo, where grain handling will be a prominent topic.

There is a comprehensive look at the Natural Capital Accounting project which we discussed in the previous edition, along with a stack of industry news and new products and technologies both within Australia and overseas.

There is something for everyone in this edition and we hope the stories we have told will inspire your next farm purchase.

Lincoln Bertelli

Image: Judah / stock.adobe.com

The MultiFarmer

The applications are limited by your imagination

Record smashed

Global supply disruptions and excellent weather led Australian agricultural exports to a new record last financial year

Australia exported a record high $80.4 billion worth of agriculture, fisheries and forestry (AFF) products in the 2022-2023 financial year, according to a Commonwealth government report.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry report revealed a 17 per cent increase on the previous year which saw AFF exports land just under $70 billion.

A record crop production in 2022-2023 coincided with an increase in demand for Australian grain due to global supply disruptions and increased prices – allowing significant gains for Australian farmers.

Some of the biggest factors contributing to the record export number were emerging and expanding markets, higher commodity prices and a favourable climate for crops.

The report finding are summerised below:

Favourable climate for crops

Higher levels of rainfall caused by the 2022-2023 La Niña event provided favoura-

Big buy

There will soon be a new owner for Australia’s largest producer of cotton

ble conditions for crop production.

This in turn allowed Australia to gain an advantage over its key competitors who faced unfavourable crop-growing conditions – reducing global supply and increasing export prices, the report states.

Overtaking Canada and the US in 2022, Australia has become the second largest wheat exporter in the world after the European Union.

Emerging and Expanding Markets

China remains Australia’s largest single export market, worth approximately $17 billion in 2022-2023.

The market share of other Asian markets continued to grow, particularly for fast-growing economies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ($19 billion), with exports to Indonesia alone rising 25 per cent to $4.9 billion..

In 2022-2023, ASEAN’s share of Australia’s AFF exports reached a record high 23 per cent –Japan ($6 billion) and the Re -

Australia’s largest cotton processor –Namoi Cotton – has been bought out by the Louis Dreyfus Company Asia (LDC).

LDC already owned 17 per cent of Namoi Cotton and announced last month it had signed a binding agreement to acquire the remaining 83 per cent of shares.

“As a longstanding partner of LDC for the past decade, we look forward to working closer with a leading global agribusiness and cotton merchant,” Namoi Cotton executive chairman Tim Watson says.

“With our combined capability, we will further develop our excellence in cotton processing and marketing, delivering additional value to Australian cotton growers.”

Namoi Cotton’s history dates back to 1962 and operates both a cotton processing and supply chain business.

It has a ginning capacity of 1.6 million bales each year and an extensive logistics network, including 10 cotton gins in New South Wales and southern Queensland, along with three warehouse facilities that provide a combined static capacity for

Australia recorded a record high for AFF exports in the 2022-2023 financial year.

Image: VietDung / stock.adobe.com

public of Korea ($5 billion) also grew their market share.

The value of exports to India more than doubled – rising 106 per cent – after the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement entered into force, with lentils and cotton the chief beneficiaries.

And the value of exports to Mexico rose 71 per cent to $482.2 million in 2022-23, following the start of canola exports, the value of which reached $169.9 million.

Higher Commodity Prices

Inedible tallow, a key ingredient in some types of biofuel, recorded a 9 per cent commodity price increase in 2022-2023 –in response to higher global oil prices.

For the first time, Australian inedible tallow exports exceeded $1 billion.

Non-favourable grain production conditions in other major exporting countries contributed to higher global grain prices –benefiting Australian exporters.

Destructive flooding in Pakistan and drought in the US contributed to reduced global production of cotton – increasing Australia’s average export price for cotton 31 per cent compared to the previous financial year.

In 2021-2022, cotton was Australia’s seventh most valuable exported AFF commodity, in 2022-2023 it was the fourth most valuable, with Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Bangladesh major buyers for their new and established textile industries.

half a million bales.

Namoi also operates two joint ventures with LDC, namely the Namoi Cotton Alliance and Namoi Cotton Market Alliance.

The movie is expected to be implemented by mid-year subject to a number of conditions including regulatory and shareholder approvals.

LDC’s head of cotton Joe Nicosia says the move represents a long-term commitment by the company to Australia’s cotton industry.

“The proposed transaction reflects LDC’s long-term commitment to growing with Australia, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, supporting farming communities and contributing to local economic growth,” he says.

“The addition of Namoi Cotton into our Australian cotton operations also aligns with LDC’s global strategy to reinforce its leadership in core merchandising activities – in this case by strengthening our service to local cotton farmers, through an expanded ginning and logistics footprint.”

Bull market

2024 is officially underway, and with better weather and lower input costs, Rabobank predicts Australian agriculture has plenty to look forward to

pressure, as markets globally and locally battle with a supply outlook for 2024 that is more plentiful than in past years,” he says.

Australia’s agricultural sector is “moving confidently into 2024”, with an overall positive outlook for the nation’s farmers and agribusiness industries in the year ahead, Rabobank says in its annual outlook.

Better-than-expected seasonal conditions and lower input costs have helped set up the sector for a strong year despite a predicted slump in some agricultural commodity prices and ongoing concerns about global economic circumstances.

Report lead author, RaboResearch general manager Australia and New Zealand Stefan Vogel, said the “major agri sectors” were moving into 2024 with a confident outlook, after “El Niño didn’t turn out as bad as feared, with recent significant rainfall received across most farming areas except Western Australia”.

“Grain farmers are set to plan more optimistically for the purchase of farm inputs and the upcoming planting period for winter crops like wheat, barley and canola,” he says, “especially in the growing areas outside Western Australia, which was the only region that hasn’t received much rain.

“For beef and sheep producers, the outlook for farm-grown feed in the first half of 2024 overall looks more promising, allowing them to hold on to more of their livestock and go to market with heavier weight lambs for example.”

Price outlook

Vogel says price developments will vary per sector, with the Rabobank Rural Commodity Price Index pointing to prices tracking at improved levels in the year ahead and near the five-year average.

“Grain prices are likely to remain under

“For a significant 2024 price upside for grain, the world would need to see weather-related supply shortages arise.”

Dairy process are likely to improve with domestic markets supporting farmgate prices, he says, while the beef and sheep price outlook is more optimistic and above the 2023 lows.

“The animal protein sector will continue to work through large Australian production volumes that need to move into quite congested global markets, and the economic headwinds that are expected to continue in 2024 won’t help to much improve global demand,” Vogel says.

“Still, we expect 2024, especially the first half of the year, to see higher beef and sheep prices compared with the second half of 2023.”

Improved input costs

Farm input prices for fertilisers and plant protection products are forecast to be below last season, Vogel says, with markets likely to finally recover from the shocks of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine.

The bank expects to see local nitrogen fertiliser costs decline by 10 to 20 per cent and phosphate by 10 to 15 per cent this year compared with 2023 prices.

“Potash has an even higher potential to ease farming budgets, with prices expected to trend down even more than the other fertilisers,” the report says.

Agricultural chemical prices are also forecast to decline in 2024 – primarily driven by a “massive increase” in Chinese

production capacity in the past three years which is seeing the beginnings of a supply glut in 2024, Vogel says.

However, these price reductions may take some time to be felt at Australian farm gates, as older stock makes its way through the system.

Global Economic Outlook

Crude oil prices have remained “surprisingly subdued,” Rabobank says, despite conflicts in the Middle East, while shipping prices are below their 2021 COVID-19 high.

Vogel says the global economic outlook is subdued, with global markets now effectively navigating reduced exports from Ukraine, while they continue from Russia.

“This makes the possibility of massive grain price swings like the ones seen two years ago rather unlikely,” he says.

“China’s economy is likely to remain slow, which isn’t the best set up for our exports to the region, as Chinese consumer demand will need more time to gear up into full swing.”

Locally there is more positive news, with interest rates forecast to plateau for most of the next six months before rate cuts come in towards the last quarter of the year.

The Australian dollar is also expected to gain modestly towards the end of the year, bottoming out at US 65 cents before rallying up towards US 70c, the report says.

“This upward move in the currency would slightly contribute to relieving some of the cost pressure for imported inputs and goods used on farm, although it would not be enough to notably hurt Australia’s competitiveness when it comes to agricultural exports,” Vogel says.

Good Paddock: The outlook is good for Australian beef and cattle producers. Image: William Edge/Shutterstock.com

RaboResearch general manager Australia and New Zealand Stefan Vogel. Image: Rabobank

Fighting fire

The NSW government will allow farmers to drive unregistered vehicles they use for firefighting purposes within a 100km radius of their home

Transport for NSW and the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) have partnered to launch a trial registration exemption for farmers to help rural firefighting efforts.

The trial, ending on March 31, will allow farmers to protect their own and neighbouring properties in the event of a bush or grass fire, especially before emergency services arrive to the scene.

“Landholders in rural areas can play a key firefighting role and this trial allows us to test an arrangement that rural advocates have been calling for,” NSW emergency services minister Jihad Dib says.

“It is expected this exemption will make it easier for landholders to fight fires on or near their properties.”

vehicles (FFFVs) will now be able to drive on public roads, within a 100km radius of their home, even if the vehicle is not registered.

Many rural advocates and farmers have been calling for the legal use of these vehicles on public roads to attend nearby fires, the NSW government says.

“This will lead to an even more integrated relationship between farmers and the RFS, leveraging all available resources and the expertise and dedication of farmers in safeguarding our communities,” RFS commissioner Rob Rogers says.

NSW Farmers Rural Affairs committee member Garry Grant also says he sees this as an opportunity to further develop

This trial will allow farmers to better combat fires. Image: Ingus Evertovskis/stock.adobe.com

RFS, whilst being able easier fight fires.

“Stopping fires as soon as we can to minimise damage and loss is the ultimate goal,” he says.

In order to be eligible for this exemption, the vehicle must be maintained in a safe operating condition and have firefighting equipment permanently attached.

Informing future options for FFFVs, this trial will run until March 31.

To nominate a farm fire fighting vehicle for the trial, submit the completed Farm Fire Fighting Vehicle nomination form and include two photographs.

The form can be downloaded at tfnswforms.transport.nsw.gov. au/45065859-farm-fire-fightingvehicle-nomination.pdf

One photograph should be taken from the front, which includes the driver’s side of the vehicle and one from the rear, which includes the passenger side of the

Going green

Researchers are looking at ways to incorporate hydrogen fuel cells into the powertrains of tractors and other farming equipment

Federation University Australia is collaborating with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to develop simulations and perform small-scale system-integration studies, with the aim of retrofitting powertrains in tractors with a hydrogen fuel cell-electric system.

Australian-owned distributor of new energy heavy vehicles, Foton Mobility, is also collaborating to incorporate hydrogen fuel cells into the powertrains of tractors and other farming equipment – most of which have been fuelled by diesel for generations.

As the transition to renewable energy gathers pace across the nation, Federation University associate professor of hydrogen technologies Surbhi Sharma says there are clear advantages to hydrogen cells being considered for the agricultural sector.

“The significant advantage with the systems we are looking at is that they use hydrogen and oxygen from the air to produce electricity and water, there are no emissions except water vapour,” Sharma says.

“It’s important to note that these hydrogen systems generate electricity but use a

completely electrochemical process.

“With no internal combustion, the hydrogen combines with oxygen to make water and electricity, with a small amount of electricity used to generate an initial electrochemical reaction.

“This technology does not burn hydrogen, unlike what many people might think when they hear of hydrogen technology replacing diesel or petrol.

“The farm equipment will also have a small battery similar to the current equipment, making it a fuel cell-electric hybrid.

“The interesting part is having no internal combustion engine, it’s a very different system whose application into tractors will be studied as part of this project.”

As part of the project, the systems will be tested to see how they perform in a real-life agricultural environment, while researchers study the degradation of these components in seasonal and ambient conditions and at varying degrees of load and operation cycles.

Sharma says having battery-only systems would be a disadvantage for farmers with heavy vehicles because bigger capacity batteries add significant weight, meaning much more power would be required to operate the vehicle.

Unlike battery-only systems, hydrogen fuel cell systems aren’t weighed down by heavy batteries and will be able to generate a current as long as hydrogen is in supply.

“With tractors, the more load you have, the more soil compaction will happen, which is not what farmers want. They can’t afford the tractors to be heavy beyond a certain point,” Sharma says.

A second key consideration for not adopting battery electric systems for agriculture is the charging requirements.

“Farmers can’t afford to be charging their tractors for 12 hours or more at a time during their peak season,” she says.

“We are looking at large-scale decarbonisation with the entire agriculture sector going for electric or hybrid tractors. If they’re only dependent on batteries, that will put excessive strain on the electricity grid.”

Having all tractors charged at night with a growing number of electric cars would be too much for an electricity grid to handle, Sharma states.

“This is why we need a mix of hydrogen and battery technologies to come into the transportation and agriculture sectors together.”

Hydrogen fuel cell systems are lighter than battery-only systems, which require more power to operate a heavier vehicle.

The

HDB Bucket

Cut sizes 3.6m & 4.2m -Rips -Carries -Cross levels -Laser levels.

Honey Badger

Cut sizes 2.7, 3.0 & 3.2m-Rips -Carries -Cross Levels -Laser Levels.

Bale Bull Square Features an adjustable moving arm for feed out control and on road transport, capable of carring two bales.

Honey Badger DA

Cut sizes 1.8, 2.1 & 2.4m -Rips -Carries -Cross levels -Laser levels

Bale Bull Round

Magic TOUCH

Clear Ridge Fabrication has made its SUPA Bin even more super, adding a precision control system to a product which was already proving a winner

In many ways, Clear Ridge Fabrication has come across the ideal formula for success.

Identify an issue, devise a solution, then continue to evolve and perfect said solution.

For the New South Wales-based company, the winning formula comes via its multi award winning SUPA Bin.

At its simplest definition, the product is a self-contained grain and fertiliser handling grouper bin – but to use such a concise summary would be doing a disservice to both the extent of its capability and the continuing development which has seen additional features added.

Developed and manufactured by Kaidan and Dallas Boyd on their family farm near West Wyalong in NSW’s Riverina region, the SUPA Bin combines the brothers’ expertise as qualified welders along with their experience as grain farmers.

The product has been on the market

for nearly five years now and meets the fundamental criteria for any successful product - solving a common problem experienced by its customer base.

“We designed a product to overcome a very common issue at sowing time,” Kaidan says.

“The issue was inefficient, unsafe and often labour-intensive air-seeder filling with contamination, between products usually thrown in – just to add to the frustration of the operator.

“Efficiency and safety were our main objectives, but we have achieved more than that.

“We have successfully produced a very user-friendly unit, that doesn’t require tipping in the paddock, has a higher load capacity and higher unloading capacity than the majority of competitor units and can easily be operated by one person.

“Some operators use multiple trucks and/or bins to fill their air-seeders with the various products required, but the Supa

Bin is a single, fully remote-controlled standalone unit that handles four separate products, with the option of more, plus a combined product capacity of up to 50,000 litres and that means less labour.”

One major development in the product’s evolution has been the addition of the SUPA Tube tubulator.

The SUPA Tube was developed to stop contamination when transferring products from the grouper into air seeders.

“It is one thing to get the products out of the bin contamination free, but it’s another thing to get them from the bin into an air-seeder contamination free,” Kaidan says.

“This is where the SUPA Tube comes into its own.

“A lot of the traditional groupers feed into an air-seeder’s own filling auger, which usually is quite a labour intensive, inefficient operation, often causing contamination due to the auger not being able to clean itself.” Images: Clear Ridge

The SUPA Bin is designed for ease of access and use

maximum working heights of around 3.5m, 4.5m and 5.5m respectively.

The tubulator has a delivery capacity of around two tonnes per minute, depending on what height it is running at and what products are being dispensed.

All tubulator lengths remain within legal road widths when folded to their transport position, which involves the SUPA Tube being lowered and folded another 90 degrees to lay alongside the base of the bin and rest in a cradle on the left-hand side of the unit.

All the SUPA Tube’s functions, including rotation and height, are hydraulically and remotely controlled, providing ultimate con

Design and manufacturing occurs in New South Wales

The SUPA Tube is another of Clear Ridge Fabrications’ products

with Kaidan saying large-scale cropping farmers and corporate farms are Clear Ridge Fabrication’s biggest customer base.

The impressive unloading rate of up to four tonnes per minute also makes the SUPA Bin an efficient option for transferring grain at harvest time, either into on-farm storage or directly into the various bulk handling systems.

The SUPA Bin is available in lengths and capacities ranging from 6m/22,000 litres up to 12m/50,000 litres with other options also available.

According to the company, the most popular sizes are the two-compartment, 6m-long single unit with a 60-40 product split and the four-compartment, 12m-long double unit with each bin again split 60-40.

Far from resting on its laurels with a successful product that has filled a gap in the market, the team at Clear Ridge Fabrication is constantly looking to improve it.

While Kaidan says blending products

percentages controlled by a touch screen mounted in a control box conveniently located on the bin.

A new remote control hand piece allows for multiple preset opening percentages to be simply programmed in, creating the operator’s commonly desired blends which then can easily be adjusted via the touch screen if a further different blend is required.

The actuators are programmable to enable door openings on any compartment anywhere from one to 100 per cent.

“With our old system, there was room for human error,” Kaidan says.

“The new system having computerised door control enables the operator to ‘set and forget’ knowing that the often expensive products feeding out of the bin are the exact blend they are looking for with each and every transfer, and products aren’t being wasted.

“With the old system you could tap the remote button to open the compartments

that it is not just limited to blending into air seeders, but it can also be used for blending into fertiliser spreaders, blending stockfeed grains into feeders and it can even be used to blend harvested grain that has high screenings with grain of a higher quality so as to raise it to a higher grade.

Recognising that not all customer needs are the same, Clear Ridge Fabrication also offers various customisable options including different bin compartment configurations, custom paint and sticker colours, various trailer options and more.

The Australian-designed and manufactured grouper bins have proven to be reliable for their owners around the country but are also backed up by 24-hour aftersales phone support.

The CRF SUPA Bin is available by contacting Kaidan Boyd on 0447 534 055 or visiting www.crfab.com.au

CRF SUPA Chaser 30T

Cooking with gas

A seaweed-based cattle feed supplement said to reduce enteric methane emissions by up to 90 per cent has made its first commercial sale

CH4 Global, a company that delivers products that enables the food industry value chain to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has begun deliveries of a cattle feed supplement which it says can reduce enteric methane emissions by up to 90 per cent.

Enteric methane emissions refer to the release into the atmosphere of methane gas from the digestive processes of ruminant animals such as cows, sheep and goats.

Since 2018, CH4 Global has been working to commercialise a cattle feed supplement containing the native Australian seaweed Asparagopsis, which has been found to inhibit the bacteria that produces methane.

The company has now made its first delivery of its seaweed-based food supplement dubbed ‘Methane Tamer’ to

meat processor CirPro, for use at its partner feedlot HB Rural, located south of Port Pirie.

CirPro plans to scale the use of the supplements up to 10,000 cattle daily by early 2025.

“2024 marks a pivotal year, one when the world wakes up to seaweed’s massive potential for curbing enteric methane emissions and we as a company aggressively scale up our efforts to combat climate change,” CH4 Global CEO Steve Meller says.

The company has also has started construction of the world’s first commercial-scale facility for growing Asparagopsis in Louth Bay, South Australia.

Scheduled to begin operations later this year, the ‘EcoPark’ facility will cultivate the red seaweed in large-scale saltwater ponds

Sturdy setup

Deep rooted legumes may help farms be more resilient during times of drought, a series of New South Wales producers have been told

Examining the soil structure and legume roots in the pasture formed part of the demonstration days. Image: UNE

Almost 200 producers in New South Wales are now better equipped to manage future droughts, the University of New England says, following field demonstrations it led last year.

Agronomists joined with UNE for the demonstrations as part of the ‘Overcoming the knowledge gaps’ project.

The project is funded by the federal government’s Future Drought Fund and aims to showcase the benefits of implementing deep-rooted legumes as a way of increasing farm resilience.

Held across a range of properties in drought-prone areas of NSW, the field days allowed producers to get a first-hand look at benefits such as land regeneration, improved soil health and structure, and increased productive pastures.

“The feedback was overall really positive, and the attendees enjoyed being able to get out and experience the success others have had with legumes as a drought management strategy,” associate professor and project lead David McNeill says.

“The workshops incorporated activities that asked producers to apply the learn-

and then turn it into the Methane Tamer feed.

The Louth Bay facility is estimated to produce enough Asparagopsis to supply 30,000 cattle per day, CH4 Global says.

“The first commercial delivery of Methane Tamer and the commencement of our EcoPark construction are concrete milestones in our quest to achieve a billion metric tons reduction in CO2-equivalent emissions by 2030,” Meller says.

Methane is over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) in trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year period, according to CH4 Global.

The company hopes its EcoPark facility will be the first of many that will eventually be built around the world.

ings to their own properties, giving them a really good starting point to actually take action and facilitate change.

“We were also able to give people useful contacts to reach out to, so that we can ensure this is a continuous learning process into the future.”

The property managers and various speakers who addressed participants emphasised the importance of grazing management to support plant diversity and groundcover, which they said would help maximise the value of rainfall during dry seasons.

The ‘Overcoming the knowledge gaps’ project has also seen more than 5,000 hectares of contrasting legumes sown across 12 participating properties since early last year.

The aim is to identify and address common constraints faced when implementing legumes, while also demonstrating their value to soil and livestock health.

“The main message we are trying to get across through the Overcoming the Knowledge Gaps project is that grazing management is essential for productive pastures, and incorporating legumes into your grazing system can be a great way to do this in areas prone to drought.” McNeill says.

The Asparagopsis seaweed used in the Methane Tamer product can help reduce enteric methane emissions. Image: CH4 Global

prescriptions that target weed pressures across the field.

Under surveillance

Crop imaging system could help eliminate the need for human involvement in crop monitoring, developers say

Canada’s Croptimistic Technology has developed a crop monitoring tool which it says could revolutionise the process.

It’s a recent development for the company, which has distribution partners for its current product range in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

Mounted on sprayer booms, Croptimistic’s SWAT CAM imaging system captures images every 60 feet (18.3m) as it is driven through a paddock.

The technology comes with no cab interface, so there is no action required by the farmer – images are automatically uploaded to Croptimistic’s SWAT records software where machine learning models assess and segment crop versus weed data.

After the data separates the weed from crop, an auto-generated map summarises these populations by zone.

This allows farmers and agronomists to evaluate and adjust variable-rate seed/ planting, fertiliser, or herbicide strategies to

Stock care

Stock Containment Areas could help prevent stock losses when adverse weather means keeping them in broader paddocks isn’t an option

An SCA can hold, feed and water livestock during adverse weather.

Source: CJO Photography / stock.adobe.com

Agriculture Victoria is encouraging the use of stock containment areas (SCA) to protect livestock during periods of extreme weather.

Agriculture Victoria land management extension officer Clem Sturmfels says an SCA can help minimise loss and illness to livestock during floods, droughts and bushfires.

An SCA is a selected area of a farm that is set up to hold, feed and water livestock during adverse weather conditions.

Typical SCA pens measure 50m by 50m and can hold approximately 500 sheep or 170 cattle, according to Sturmfels, with plenty of room for livestock to move around.

In addition to keeping livestock safe and well-cared for, an SCA can make management on a farm easier and more efficient.

By containing animals in an SCA, farmers can maintain ground cover across the rest of their property, protecting soils,

A newly developed plant stand count feature analyses each image and calculates individual plants per acre, as well as the average measurements of plant spacing, with the tool currently available for canola, soybeans, corn and potatoes.

“With SWAT CAM now having the ability to perform plant stand counts, it completely eliminates the need for human involvement in this labour-intensive process,” Croptimistic vice president of research and development Derek Rude says.

“It provides a 1000 times higher resolution of counts and is completely objective and consistent.”

“SWAT CAM uses constantly improving machine learning models to conduct these assessments. This is the pinnacle of observing what’s happening in the field,” he says.

water and pastures.

“It’s vital stock have enough feed and supply of fresh water, plus shade during the hotter times of the day,” Sturmfels says.

SCAs should be located close to existing feed and stock handling facilities, and away from houses, waterways and dams, he says.Sturmfels adds it is important that livestock enter an SCA in good health.

“They (livestock) should be drenched, vaccinated, and conditioned to a grainbased diet,” he says.

“Diseases and health issues can spread quickly in containment, so regular inspection and monitoring is essential.

“Common issues such as acidosis and shy feeders need to be identified early, with affected stock being moved to a pen of their own.”

For more information on stock containment areas visit www.agriculture.vic.gov.au

FOR THE OWNER

Double action

Backed by more than a century of history, Merlo combines the strength of Italian manufacturing with a local presence to ensure Australian needs are met.

The name Merlo bears resemblance to a popular red wine variety of similar spelling, and the machines the company produces can also be described as robust.

Solid and strong machines are a necessity for any Australian farmer, but even more so for heavier-duty products designed for the broadacre setting.

Adaptability and versatility are also sought-after characteristics, and Mer-

Merlo’s Multifarmer is the ideal solution for farmers who need the dual benefits of both tractors and telehandlers

The Multifarmer is a versatile piece of farm machinery

Merlo’s Multifarmer MF44.9

lo’s appropriately named Multifarmer has this in spades.

The company describes the Multifarmer as a “unique and unrivalled telescopic tractor”.

In a farming environment where telehandlers are growing in popularity, the ability to combine the benefits of a telehandler with those of a tractor in the one machine holds considerable appeal.

Two models of the Multifarmer are imported to Australia – the MF44.7 and MF44.9.

The MF44.7 offers a 4,400kg maximum

load capacity, 6.8m lift height and a reach of 1.7m while at maximum load capacity or 3.6m otherwise. The unit itself weighs in at 9,150kg – smaller than the 9,350kg weight of the MF44.9.

This larger telehandler also has an increased lift height of 5.8m and greater maximum reach of 5.8m, although the maximum load capacity of 4,400kg and reach of 1.7m while carrying the maximum load are both the same as the MF44.7.

Merlo highlights four areas which have been key to the Multifarmer’s develop-

ment – comfort, efficiency, performance and safety.

Within the realm of comfort, Merlo says an “unprecedented design” groups the information provided to the driver and various controls for optimal ergonomics, while the steering wheel’s reverse shuttle is also on the joystick.

The cabin door can be opened by up to 180 degrees to ensure simple and easy access, while a large handrail on the door’s inside further enhances this.

The air-conditioning has been developed in a way that cuts the warm-up and

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cool-down times in half when compared to a conventional system, the manufacturer says.

Efficiency is bolstered by full electronic management of the transmission and engine.

This helps to minimise RPM and fuel demand, therefore reducing fuel consumption and overall operating costs.

The axles ensure the maximum steering angle and make manoeuvring in tight spaces earlier, an aspect which is crucial to telehandler use.

Three different steering options are available.

Performance is at the forefront of every operator’s mind, and Merlo has given this careful consideration.

The Multifarmer has excellent braking capacity when the accelerator pedal is released, the manufacturer says, guaranteeing high torque to the wheels during materials handling and transfers.

The Multifarmer also features a four-cylinder combustion engine in an original Merlo mounting layout, designed to not only increase visibility but also provide maximum accessibility

to all components when maintenance is required.

All axles are manufactured and developed in-house by Merlo and can be equipped with differential lock.

In terms of safety, the Multifarmer can be configured with an aerial work platform that complies with EN280 standards.

They also have a metal structure above the glass roof to comply fully with FOPS Level II standard and protect operators from falling objects. Tipping prevention is also an important feature.

“In order to remain fully compliant with

The

regulations in frontal tipping prevention, Merlo handlers are equipped with features developed specifically to keep the operator safe from frontal tipping, without sacrificing performance, particularly of boom speed and lifting capacity,” the company says.

The Multifarmer is distributed by Merlo Australia, whose head office is at 120-124 Toongabbie Road in the Sydney suburb of Girraween.

The full range can be viewed online at www.merlo.com/aus/en

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FOR THE OWNER

Capital gains

Some might say nature is priceless, but the results of the Natural Capital Accounting project will put a value on a farm’s natural assets for both customers and other farm stakeholders

Farmers will be able to put a numerical value on the natural capital of their properties, as well as a value on its maintenance and support, following a four-year research project.

Natural capital refers to all living and non-living elements of the natural environment that combine to provide benefits or services to people.

This incorporates everything from the soil and water that support crops and pastures, to plants that provide food and shelter, and native animals (e.g., insects, reptiles, birds) that provide services such as pollination, pest control and waste decomposition.

Many of the services delivered by natural capital provide direct benefits for agricultural production – either through providing resources or avoiding expenses – and for the broader community, such as carbon sequestration and habitats for wildlife.

All these assets have value – but it’s not a value that can be recorded in one’s accounting ledgers or relayed to the bank manager. Until now.

Measured for Management

For the past four years, 50 farms across Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania have been involved in a La Trobe

University project aiming to help farmers place a value on the water, birds and trees on their land.

The ‘Farm-scale Natural Capital Accounting’ project has created a set of concepts and methods allowing farmers to measure the contributions their natural capital makes and the extent to which their investments and activities are having an impact.

This helps them improve both their farm performance and their management of natural capital, while maintaining natural resources and biodiversity.

Lead researcher Jim Radford says putting a value on natural capital means

Orana Park farm manager Matt Davis and Associate Professor Jim Radford, from La Trobe’s Research Centre for Future Landscapes

Images: La Trobe University

FOR THE OWNER

farmers can use their sustainability credentials for commercial benefit.

“This is the first time whole-of-farm natural capital accounts have been produced in bulk from different geographic locations across a range of farming sectors, such as grazing, cropping, mixed farming and farm forestry,” he says.

“This project demonstrates that it is possible to generate detailed, comprehensive, farm-scale environmental accounts.”

Natural capital accounts make it easy to see how natural capital assets benefit production and therefore can help farmers see where they can improve farm productivity and profitability.

By providing information relating to environmental health and sustainability, farm management decisions can be more informed.

For example, farmers can identify where to plant native shrubs and trees to increase pollination or pest control services.

Detailed Inspection

Farmers are now being asked for details about how well their farms are doing in terms of environmental issues like climate and nature risk.

By using natural capital accounts, farmers can provide solid data on their sustainability efforts.

Having a foundation of accurate and reliable data will enable farmers to market their farms as environmentally friendly and avoid accusations of falsity.

Farmers can easily share these accounts with various parties who need to reveal their own environmental impacts.

Special contracts, better prices and more secure sales can come to those who show off responsible environmental practices.

Across the 50 farms that were involved in the research project, about one-quarter of all Australia’s bird species were recorded – including 34 species listed as threatened.

One of the farms involved was Orana Park, a 5,250ha cropping and grazing operation in central Victoria, and its account showed more than 70 species of birds and 145 species of plants, including four threatened species.

“Our team has always understood the value of nature to farming and the future, but it was the lack of data for farmers about their natural capital which was the limitation,” farm manager Matt Davis says.

Another beneficiary of the project are sheep farmers Jo and Greg Bear from northern Victoria.

“As long-term farmers, we have witnessed first-hand the tremendous impact that looking after natural capital has had on all facets of our business and our personal life, but we had no data or evidence to back up this experience,” Jo says.

“Natural Capital Accounting fills in the missing link by providing valuable evidence to key stakeholders in our business now and into the future.”

Researchers believe natural capital accounting will benefit the entire agricultural supply chain, right through to consumers.

How it Works

The Farm-scale Natural Capital Account Report is comprised of three key sections: Natural Capital Asset Accounts, Ecosystem Service Accounts and Environmental Performance.

Natural Capital Asset Accounts: - Register of natural capital assets (type, condition and extent)

- Biodiversity assets (birds, native plants)

Jo and Greg Bear

Project participants John and Isabelle Atkinson

Ecosystem Service Accounts:

-

for pollination decomposition and pest control services

- Measures of soil condition – ground cover and soil organic carbon (provided by Downforce Technologies)

- Forage production (for livestock grazing properties)

- Shade and shelter services

- A dashboard that summarises key metrics and results

Environmental Performance:

- Greenhouse gas emissions position – for whole of farm and per product

- Rainfall use efficiency

- Use of non-renewable (finite) resources

- Resource-use intensity – pollution generated per unit of product for whole of farm and per product

- Maps showing the distribution of different types of natural capital assets and provision of services across the farm

- L ist of all bird species, plant species and invertebrate species detected on the farm

- E xplanatory documents providing detailed information about modelling, datasets and terminology

- Access to the customised ‘Sensand Technologies’ digital platform that houses a digital copy of the account, including a user interface to examine the accounts and results of individual rapid ecological assessments, plant surveys and bird surveys at point location

- Access to ‘Downforce Technologies’ portal to view the results of the soil organic carbon assessments

Taking the plunge

Investing in Jadan Group’s bale plunge counter has transformed one New South Wales farmer’s operations

In agriculture, as with all industries, every little advantage and improvement counts.

The hope for any new product is that it will provide a modest but worthwhile boost to efficiency, thanks to a formula which will be continually refined over time.

Very rarely, however, something comes along that makes a farmer wonder how they ever coped without it.

For Bathurst-based Peter Kirkman, that moment arrived recently when he started using a bale plunge counter from Jadan Group.

“This one item has completely changed the way I operate the machine,” he says.

“It really makes you a better operator and gives you a better quality item.”

Endorsements do not come much more emphatic or glowing than Kirkman’s, particularly for a product which is so simple and straightforward to use.

Jadan’s bale plunge counter, as the name suggests, counts baler plunges as they happen and helps to ensure consistency – which is the key to achieving bale length

consistency. The counter resets after every bale, and also keeps track of how many bales have been produced.

It is simple for an operator to install, with Kirkman easily setting his up despite relying solely on the instructions and having not seen one physically installed elsewhere prior to purchase.

Sensor cables and power cables are provided, along with all the hardware for mounting the unit.

Neither the bale plunge counter’s pur-

Peter Kirkman has found greater consistency with his Jadan bale plunge counter.

Images: Peter Kirkman

FOR THE OWNER

pose nor operation is particularly complex, but Kirkman’s story emphasises its value.

Like so many farming stories, it begins with an endorsement from a nearby mate.

“My mate and I had a few conversationshe’s a much bigger operator than I am - and he got one put on when he bought his new baler,” Kirkman says.

“Over a number of conversations last year, he was saying how it had helped him out so much and how he was getting more consistent bales.

“I’ve also been told previously by another gentleman out of Cowra a few years ago, who had one of the first-generation ones, that it was one of the best things he had. That started the ball rolling.”

With the idea now in Kirkman’s head, the decision to install a Jadan bale plunge counter paid off both instantly and comprehensively.

“I’ve done small squares for five to six years now on my own and am still relatively young on the hay side of things, but I’ve always struggled with inconsistent bales,” he says.

“It’s a little bit to do with the inconsistencies in your crops, which obviously turn into an inconsistent windrow.

“I put this on and it straight away slowed me down. I was always travelling too fast.

“Literally within two packs of bales I’d settled into a steady speed and the bales were coming out nearly basically exactly the same length.

“What this plunge counter is doing is helping you keep the flow of material going through that baler the same.

“It’s the same as a water flow meter really - if you can keep that the same going in, you’ve got the same coming out.

“It’s made my bales so much more even in weight and length, and the consistency of

size is the most important thing.”

Its ease of use is another benefit which Kirkman cites as an advantage.

“You can put somebody in the tractor or on the baler that potentially doesn’t have a lot of experience and say ‘right, this is the speed you need to go’,” he says.

“You can tell them to watch the bale counter and it will tell you how much faster or slower you have to travel to get the right number of plunges.”

In addition to a positive experience with the product, Kirkman also has nothing but praise for his customer experience.

The relationship is, in some senses, an unlikely one – and there was also an element of fortune in how Kirkman came into contact with Jadan Group.

Kirkman had bought his baler second-hand and was experiencing issues with the scales, which he mistakenly thought had

The counter has helped Kirkman to develop more consistent bales

been installed by Jadan – a company which is located in Cowra, not far from his farm in Bathurst.

A call to Jadan’s Lorin Wallace not only cleared up the confusion, but started a customer-manufacturer relationship which has since thrived.

“Lorin said ‘they aren’t actually ours’, but from not knowing me, he helped me out, talked me through what the problem was and how to fix it,” Kirkman says.

“From that day forward, I haven’t gone anywhere else.

“They’re down to earth people who are just trying to help keep the local guys going and who go out of their way to help you.

“I can’t thank them enough for their information and help, and obviously for making these products which then helps me make a better bale.”

Kirkman’s also believes his bale plunge counter has already paid for itself despite only being operational for a short time.

“Everything has been positive for me out of it, and I should have had it years ago,” he says.

“People might say it costs you money, but it’s going to make me money.

“The bale is more consistent, so it’s easier to stack them on the truck and you’re saving time there.

“Anyone who doesn’t have one should be buying one. That’s one of the first things they should buy.”

Jadan Group is located at 45 Fishburn Street, Cowra.

The bale plunge counter, along with the company’s full product range, can be viewed at www.jadan.net.au or by calling 1300 523 263.

Game changer

Quality service and a product that exceeded all expectations has one customer singing the praises of Rata Equipment’s Power Claw

They say every cloud has a silver lining.

For Dean Mighell, director of Victorian equine therapy charity Path of the Horse, the silver lining from the damaging storm clouds of June 2021 was that it introduced him to the “best piece of farm equipment

That product was Rata Equipment’s mid-range Power Claw, which caught Mighell’s eye as a solution for managing fallen trees, but which has far exceeded his expectations.

Path of the Horse’s story provides an

agricultural products such as the Power Claw.

Based in Trentham, north-west of Melbourne, Path of the Horse works with veterans, emergency service workers, community groups and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants.

Its work is led by Mighell, who is not only a registered psychotherapist but also a National Australian Equine Therapist of the Year recipient.

“Path of the Horse is a charity that was founded to assist veterans who were being medically discharged, most with post-traumatic stress disorder,” Mighell

“I’m a psychotherapist and I have 10 beautiful equine assistants assisting me in the process, who are just masters of helping people calm and self-regulate.”

While not a traditional farm in terms of its output, the charity’s needs are still similar to those of any large landowner.

Path of the Horse’s property is bordered on all four sides by state forest – making fallen trees a regular occurrence.

Mighell counted 47 big trees which fell during the June 2021 storms that hit much of Victoria, and the regularity of this occurrence is highlighted by another two eucalyptus trees falling just last month and crashing through fences on the property.

Path of the Horse director Dean Mighell with his Power Claw

Images:

Mighell has used the Power Claw for clearing trees from Path of the Horse’s property

Rarely does a catch-all solution reveal itself, but the Power Claw has provided just that for Path of the Horse.

“Since we got the Power Claw, we’re able to not just pick up the logs we cut into lengths and manoeuvre them to split and stack them, but also using the facility on the front to bunch up all the rest of it for burning off has been a blessing,” Mighell says.

“It’s not just picking up logs and stumps and moving them, it can grab just about anything.

“I use it for all the rest of the rubbish that comes down with the fallen trees and I use it to spread out old hay bales for my horses.

“We depend on feed on our paddock and clear space for the horses. They love their tree cover, but the reality is that we’ve also got to deal with falling trees.”

The simplest way of describing the Pow-

er Claw’s general purpose would be to call it a substitute for the four-in-one buckets which are ubiquitous on Australian farms.

Rata says its regular feedback from customers is that the Power Claw’s versatility makes it the ideal replacement for buckets – and Mighell’s experience is no exception.

“I haven’t put my four-in-one bucket back on the tractor since I put the Power Claw on,” Mighell says.

“Once it was a nightmare to deal with fallen trees, but now that job has become a lot easier and a lot faster.

“It’s just a tough, robust, effective bit of kit - it’s exceeded my expectations to be honest.”

Rata Equipment was founded in New Zealand over 40 years ago and develops a wide variety of tractor and telehandler attachments, including multiple sizes within the Power Claw range.

Path of the Horse uses a mid-range

Power Claw, which is designed for tractors between 45hp and 75hp, along with small loaders.

This mid-range Power Claw is available in two widths – 1.5m and 1.8m – with the units weighing about 270kg and 300kg respectively.

Rata’s standard Power Claw – the largest model - is designed for tractors larger than 75hp, plus telehandlers.

The company also offers a compact Power Claw for tractors between 25hp and 45hp, and this model recently benefitted from a redesign which added a new folded-plate back frame.

Standard features across the Power Claw range include the tines being made from AR450 grade high tensile steel to ensure maximum strength and durability, plus interlocking tines to help with grabbing everything from large logs to a single stick.

The Power Claw has helped Mighell to move large logs

FOR THE FARMER

Rata has also grown its presence in Australia during recent years, adding Bronson Crick as sales and operations manager of its Ballarat facility.

Having a full-time presence within Australia has allowed Rata to devote more time to specific customer needs on this side of the Tasman, while Crick’s engineering background also proved valuable for Path of the Horse during its purchasing process.

Mighell is full of praise for Crick and the wider Rata team during what was an unconventional purchasing process, saying “they deserve every bit of praise they get”.

“We put a feeler out because the Power Claw looked like it would be really useful and they looked well made,” Mighell says.

“The difficulty we had is our tractor was all we could afford years back, and it proved to have a completely different way of attaching.

The mid-range Power Claw is a versatile unit for farmers

“There were countless calls and emails as Bronson and I, and the engineering team in New Zealand, did the specs to get it to fit.

“It wasn’t a straightforward attachment but they just put in so much time and effort - measured, re-measured, did the drawings, swapped them back and forward.

“I reckon it would be the most difficult Power Claw project he’s probably ever had, but he was great to deal with and nothing was too much trouble.

“If you wanted good customer service and support, you just couldn’t ask for more than what I got – I can’t speak more highly of Bronson and the team.”

Fast forward six months of “pretty solid work” by the Power Claw on Path of the Horse’s property, and the only thing exceeding Mighell’s satisfaction with his customer experience is his satisfaction with the unit itself.

“It hasn’t had an easy life in the last six months and there’s not one thing that’s even bent, crooked or non-functional on it - the quality of engineering is just outstanding,” Mighell says.

“In terms of safety, we’re doing less cutting around a fallen tree, we’re moving that timber away and cutting it where it’s clear under foot. I don’t know how you put a price on those things.

“With the time it’s saved and the value

it’s given us, I reckon it’s paid for itself over and over.

“I’m 61 and I reckon it’s the best piece of farm equipment I’ve seen. I’ll never be without one. It’s that good.”

The Power Claw can handle all sorts of farm debris

FOR THE DEALER

Fantastic fifty

Depending on when you read this, Massaro Motors will have either officially celebrated – or be about to celebrate – 50 years in business.

The dealership in Victoria’s Gippsland region opened its doors on February 28, 1974 under the leadership of Ray Massaro.

It remains this way to this day, with Ray owning and operating the dealership, but it also a true family business with a succession plan in place for son Luke to take over.

With a half-century in business, and being embedded in his local region for a lifetime, the stories Ray has to tell could fill several editions of this magazine alone.

In many ways, these tell the story of the Gippsland region, the evolution of Australian agriculture and the changing methods of doing business.

As Massaro Motors begins a year of celebrations to mark the half-century, Ray reflects on the journey to this point while keeping one eye on what lies ahead.

“We started way back then with Chrysler cars and Dodge trucks, and then not long after that went into tractors and farm machinery,” Ray says.

“A lot of our products are out there in the paddocks and the fields.

“In 50 years, we often have five generations of families out there.”

“We’re an older dealer than Kubota as Kubota Australia, but even in our council we’re a rate payer and local business for 50 years.

“It’s pretty big for the region too, I think there’s only two other families that have had businesses for that long in the whole of 76,000-odd people in Latrobe City Council.”

Kubota is the brand most associated with Massaro Motors, and customers can select from everything in the manufacturer’s range, from the likes of mowers and through to larger 175hp tractors.

Beyond this, Massaro Motors customers also have access to Kubota sub-brands such as Krone hay equipment, Baroness golf course equipment, Kubota farm implements and several manufacturers of other equipment to suit all farming needs.

Stocking everything for a wide variety of customer types speaks volumes about a dealership that understands the needs of its region’s farmers.

It should be little surprise, with Ray having spent a lifetime watching the Gippsland region’s agricultural profile evolve.

“I’ve been in business for 50 years but I was a farmer’s son prior to that and watched it from a farmer’s point of view,” Ray says.

“I used to catch the school bus and go to the high school and there were 25 dairy farms along one particular road - now there’s none.

“That land is owned by five farmers who cleared up and plant potatoes, onions and have cattle and sheep. The family farm has completely changed.”

Much of the Gippsland region’s farming history can be traced back to the Soldier Settlement Scheme, which occurred after both world wars and gave soldiers access to farming land to rebuild their lives.

“The hobby farm now is virtually what the old farm used to be with 100 acres,” Ray says.

“The soldiers got 100 acres each to go farming. Those farms all became little dairy farms and those little dairy farms eventually became bigger dairy farms.

The frontage may have changed, but Massaro’s location has not

A major milestone for Victorian dealership Massaro Motors is an opportunity for owner Ray Massaro to reflect on a lifetime in the region

Images: Massaro Motors

“Instead of milking 20 cows and sending cream off in cream cans, they bulk batch thousands of litres and they’re all buying next door and getting bigger.

“The farmer doesn’t do a lot of that work personally any more. He engages contractors that carry out some of that work, so it’s completely changed as far as the family farm goes.

“A farmer milks his cows and runs the herds, and somebody else is doing the fencing, driveways and laneways.

“Sometimes they don’t even milk the cows themselves because they have employees to do that, and now even have robots. Farmers can control the production of the herd more by just monitoring that aspect.”

These are far from the only changes Ray has observed, with technology, larger machinery and legislative requirements all influencing how farming occurs.

“Going back to after the war in the 1950s and 1960s, even the demographic of farms has changed a lot since then,” he says.

“Other than the hobby farmers, the machinery the farmers use is much bigger and a lot more automation has gone into it.

“I think the number of purchases per property is considerably less in numbers, but the value is much higher, like a $200,000 tractor instead of a two-wheel drive tractor that did everything, for example.

“You used to be able to sit on the back of a potato planter and drop potatoes in, now you don’t do that any more.

“Agriculture has changed too. They used to grow 10 or 15 tonnes per acre in potatoes, now it’s 20 to 25 tonnes per acre.

“You used to water with hand sprayers but now it’s all big machines with centre pivots to irrigate anything.

“You also used to pump water out of the creek, but you can’t anymore - you’ve got to have licences and permits and put in big dams and reservoirs or out of the aquifers. That’s all completely changed and become regulated.”

Even the nature of doing business has changed, to a more formal setup than the implied trust a handshake would provide.

“Back then you would discuss their needs, shake hands, look each other in the eye and we’ve done the deal - your word was your bond,” Ray says.

“As long as we met their needs, wants and costing and established trust we did a deal, we didn’t even need to have any paperwork back then. Not anymore.”

This year’s milestone is undoubtedly a time to reflect, but also provides the ideal opportunity to celebrate.

A 50-year staff reunion is being organised, while other events and celebrations

will occur over the next 12 months to mark Massaro Motors half-century.

Located at 497 Princes Drive in Morwell, the dealership’s physical site has huge significance for both the company and Ray himself.

“It’s been on this site from the very beginning when it also had a three-bedroom house, where I got married and lived in for a few years and where our first two children were born,” he says.

“There have been a lot of changes here as far as facilities and buildings go. Everything got pulled down and virtually rebuilt over the years.”

For all the changes in farm machinery, farming demographics and customer

needs – the core principle of Massaro Motors existing to serve the Gippsland region’s farmers will never change.

“Our philosophy has always been that we’re in the people business,” Ray says.

“I think if you’re in the people business, you’re doing business with the farmer and not necessarily electronically where you don’t even see the farmer.

“We have loyalty and respect for them from the onset because we run this business to satisfy their needs.”

The company’s full range can be viewed at www.massaromotors.com.au, by visiting them at 497 Princes Drive, Morwell or calling (03) 5134 1422.

Massaro Motors has made Morwell home for 50 years

Growing haul

Expanding and diversifying are two key words that sum up the recent history of Dixie Holdings, but these two words only tell a fraction of the story

Dixie Holdings is a good example of a company not resting on its laurels just because it does its primary job well.

“We’re an earthmoving equipment dealership, but we like to differentiate ourselves from other dealerships in that we like to do everything in-house,” director Tom McDonald says.

“This includes our engineering and manufacturing of attachments, our workshop rebuild facility, our machine sales, machine rental and heavy haulage.”

It is this last aspect in which Brisbane-based Dixie Holdings has most recently invested. Last month, it took delivery of its new 5x8 swingwing and 2x8 dolly trailers from Drake, bolstering its capabilities in the heavy haulage division.

This division is managed by his brother Charlie McDonald, maintaining Dixie’s status as a family business after being founded in the 1970s.

Tom says the new acquisition has allowed the company to offer transport between one tonne and 90 tonnes, while also continuing the “longstanding relationship” it has with Drake.

“They’re known as the best trailer man-

many recent steps towards upscaling its

investing heavily in our transport division

Dixie Holdings has a haulage fleet for all machinery it sells

Images: Dixie Holdings

The new arrivals bolster Dixie’s already impressive fleet

FOR THE DEALER

Dixie Holdings moves machinery around Australia

prime movers, drop deck road train combinations, 50 tonne float and dolly combinations, and then the latest acquisition of the swingwing with dolly combination,” McDonald says.

“We have the transport equipment for the machines we’re buying and selling and renting out, but we’re also trying to capitalise on the shortage of these kind of combinations in Australia.

“Not only are we just doing transport for our customers that are buying equipment from us, but we’re also now concentrating heavily on external work and basically treating it as a separate avenue from the rest of the business.”

This is certainly adding another string to Dixie Holdings’ bow and helps to show the extent to which the company is identifying and addressing its customers’ needs.

It complements the other aspects of the business which Dixie has become known for, primarily the customisation of

machinery for the farming and earthmoving sectors.

The likes of wheel loaders, dozers, excavators and graders are staples of the operation – having custom attachments manufactured and added by Dixie’s expert team to ensure the machine can always meet the end user’s needs.

With so many of the machines headed to remote locations such as cattle stations, where single-use machines are impractical and versatility is paramount, having the skill and knowledge to turn these products into such all-rounders is why customers seek out Dixie Holdings.

Adding the ability to transport these finished machines anywhere around Australia without relying on third parties is just the cherry on top.

Dixie Holdings has become a one-stop shop and its growth pattern is showing no sign of easing up. Being able to offer so much to customer is something McDon-

ald is proud of – with the increased transport capabilities only adding to this.

“We’re trying to look after our existing customers and any new customers that need equipment moved professionally and quickly,” he says.

“A provider like us has the right insurances, the right permits and new equipment so that they don’t have the risk of worrying about things not turning up to site on time, because everyone always needs things done quickly.

“For us as a company, the only time we seem to have issues is when we’ve got to rely on other people to do things for us, so the more that we can do in-house, the more effective we can be in doing things properly and quickly.”

Dixie Holdings is based at 1343 Stapylton Jacobs Well Road in the Brisbane suburb of Woongoolba, and its full range can be viewed at www.dixieholdings.com.au

Dixie’s latest acquisition will allow the company to increase its heavy haulage

a power harrow and the rest of the time it’s either topping, running a mixer, pulling a trailer or moving bales.

trol, plus we run a seeder, slurry tank, and front mower.”

In many ways, the Pearce family’s story

op a good relationship with the distributor and its local branch to the point of adding other machines from the same source.

Pair of

Tom Pearce owns two McCormick X7 tractors, an X7.690 and X7.660

Images this page: Tom Pearce

FOR THE OWNER

FARMER

“We’ve had McCormicks in the past and we’ve still got an old CX85 in the shed, an old open cab tractor,” Tom says.

“Dad had a thing for McCormicks from years back, and we came across the newer X7s at a field day.

“We liked the updates they had made and the price point they were at compared to some of the other big players.

“Coming out of the Clark stable, they’ve got a bit of industry presence with Bobcat and all the other brands they do, so it

pretty easy to get in contact with,” Tom says.

The Pearces’ nearest Clark Equipment branch is in Fyshwick, and Tom is thankful for both the skill of the mechanics and speed of work when they have been called upon.

“The mechanics have been useful and they have got some pretty tech savvy people within the network,” he says.

“It’s handy that Clark is a larger company and they can probably draw from differ-

The X7 works alongside multiple attachments.

Image: Tom Pearce

McCormick’s X7 range comes with five different models, including the X7.660 and X7.690 which the Pearces own.

All X7 models are manufactured in Italy and are equipped with 6.7L, six-cylinder engines. The top-end X7.690 P6-Drive delivers a maximum of 225hp (166kW) when equipped with McCormick’s Power Plus, while the X7.660 P6-Drive offers a maximum of 181hp (133kW).

They offer a maximum torque of 897Nm and 738Nm respectively when boosted by

Both tractors are heavily used on the Pearces’ farm.

Image: Tom Pearce

It is far from the only step which McCormick has taken to ensure operator comfort while inside an X7.

The Premiere Cab is designed to ensure a clean and dust-free environment with a sound insulation system that McCormick says maintains an in-cab noise level of only 70dB.

Premiere Cab is also “a new-concept four-post design with rear hinged doors that provides unobstructed visibility in all directions, giving the driver full view of blind spots without the need to change position”.

The McCormick X7.660 and X7.690 are two models sold by Clark Equipment. Images this page: Clark Equipment

FOR THE OWNER

Expo returning

After a successful event in 2022, the Australian Bulk Handling Expo will return in September

The bulk handling industry is a diverse sector – made up of businesses that transport and handle bulk solids.

At first glance it might seem that grain handling – the element most relevant to the agricultural sector – may not have much in common with a major iron ore mine or cement plant.

However, they each use similar equipment like conveyors, silos, hoppers, and more to move their materials from one point to another.

A range of strategies are being implemented across the country to help address the issue of labour shortages, but there is no silver bullet.

It has led many organisations to begin looking at innovations like autonomous machinery to help increase their efficiencies as much as possible, whether it’s a port, mine, or manufacturer.

The Australian Bulk Handling Expo (BULK2024) plans to bring this diverse industry together under the one roof in September.

Located at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, the event aims

to help spread industrial knowledge, showcase the latest technologies and innovations and provide an opportunity to network with likeminded peers.

BULK2024 show director Lauren Chartres says the event is the only dedicated Australian expo for producers of bulk commodities such as grain and animal feed.

“The bulk handling industry is a vital part of Australia’s economy, with a wealth of knowledge and expertise to share,” she says.

“To have all these exhibitors under one roof is not only a great place for business opportunities, but a fantastic occasion to network within this essential industry.”

BULK2024 is aimed at bulk commodity producers who are looking to run their businesses more efficiently and keep one step ahead of the competition.

To ensure they can do that, the latest in equipment will be on display, including conveyors, silos, motors and drives, belt scrapers, container tipplers, dust control systems and weighing or level measuring products.

Attendees will have the chance to connect with industry leaders and innovators on the show floor and at various networking opportunities at the show.

The expo will be held in conjunction with one of Australia’s biggest transport, logistics and supply chain events, MEGATRANS2024, with one ticket entry for access to both exhibitions.

It will also host the 2024 Australian Bulk Handling Awards, and nominations are currently open.

“We’re inviting everyone to be a part of this game-changing expo – from hands-on decision makers in the bulk handling industry to CEOs, COOs, regulatory bodies, and government at all levels,” Chartres says.

“We’ve seen how impactful bringing the industry together was at BULK2022 and are excited to see the industry continue to grow.”

BULK2024 will be held on September 18 and 19 and the event’s website is www.bulkhandlingexpo.com.au

The Bulk Handling Expo was also held in 2022.

Image: Prime Creative Media

New ambition

David Jochinke outlines his goals as new National Farmers Federation president, while discussing some of the issues he has advocated for

New National Farmers Federation president David Jochinke has a simple goal – ensuring every farm in Australia is a profitable business.

Jochinke was elected president of the industry’s peak national body in October, replacing Fiona Simson who had served in the role for seven years.

In many ways, Jochinke was a logical successor – having served as NFF’s vice-president since 2017 and has also spent time in a top job, being the Victorian Farmers Federation president between 2016 and 2020.

He is also still a grain and livestock farmer in western Victoria and remains actively involved, having been “front and centre with the other lads” earlier in the morning when he spoke to Farms & Farm Machinery.

While he says NFF business will always take precedence while he is president, it is this day-to-day involvement on the land that he believes makes him an ideal advocate for Australian farmers.

“First of all, I’m one of them,” he says.

“Whatever the concerns they have, whatever issues they have and whatever government policy they hear or read about affects me as well.

“I have huge empathy for agriculture and the people who work within it, and

we’re constantly learning about different production systems and different farming communities. “Any time I’m on the road, I try to give as much time as I can to the locals to understand them and their issues.”

Agriculture is a complex industry with a raft of different issues at local, state and national levels, including some which may only affect a percentage of farmers.

It can be a delicate balancing act for Jochinke and the NFF and make it difficult to condense their overall ambitions down to one single answer, but Jochinke’s guiding principle is clear.

“When people ask ‘if you had a magic wand, what’s the one thing you can do’, it has always been to make sure that every farm is a profitable business,” he says.

“I want to talk in business language, and I want farmers to be respected as business people.

“I don’t care if we’re liked or not, but I do care that people know our opinion and they know we stand for something.”

The NFF has also has a stated goal of $100 billion in national farm gate output by 2030, and the push towards this target will form a major part of Jochinke’s tenure.

Farms & Farm Machinery spoke to Jochinke about this ambition, along with his

other priorities as president and his journey to the top job.

What drew you to these leadership positions within agriculture?

I’ve always wanted to be a part of an industry that had a voice and where we could get things done.

When I first came home at 18 and started working on the farm, I wanted to make sure that we had a voice and that if there was an issue that we get on and solve it.

I always believe every problem has got a solution and people need to work on fixing any problems and not just admiring it.

As a part of that, and my grandfather was very active in the community too, it was only natural that I wanted to have the opportunity to speak up and have my voice heard.

From there, I just rose through the ranks and had the great honour of being where I am now.

How do you balance your role as president with your work on farm?

The NFF always takes precedence, but when I’m home I try to make sure I keep my hand in all the farming.

I’m still very active on the farm, but it’s very simple - if there’s an issue, or the need for me

National Farmers Federation president David Jochinke

to travel or give time to any of the causes of the NFF then that always takes precedence.

I did a Nuffield Scholarship back in 2007 and the words of advice I had from some ag leaders I met around the world was ‘you’ve got to make sure you can create time’.

When the elections were on for the NFF president, we put an extra person on the farm and that has given me capacity to have time and dedicate and focus on national farming issues.

How important is the $100 billion in farmgate output target to the NFF?

I’m completely focused on the $100 billion - that’s the guiding light and something I’m completely committed to. It’s not necessarily just the number that we should be focused on, as far as it’s aspirational to be there and we want to achieve it - but all the things that allow that to happen is where the actual work is.

For us to be able to articulate that and have that in a document and report back on that every year is really both the scorecard of

I want to talk in business language, and I want farmers to be respected as business people.

how the industry is going and also how the NFF is going.

As a whole, I think we’ve made some really good headways in some areas, especially around careers and the ability for people to have more opportunity to get involved within the agricultural sphere at the national level.

If you ask how we are tracking, there’s a lot of confidence because of the weather we’ve had.

There are a few headwinds around policies that are going to make it hard for agriculture but one of the tailwinds we’ve got is we understand what we need to do and how to get there.

The ‘Keep Farmers Farming’ campaign was also launched when you became president – what does this involve?

The Keep Farmers Farming campaign is about trying to ensure we are respected when we walk around the halls of power or when we walk among agricultural communities.

We want to be respected because we have got clear direction on every issue that we’re fighting on and we can articulate that both at the farm level and the politician level, and also to the consumers and communities about what agriculture needs now.

There are a raft of things in there - simple

National Farmers Federation president David Jochinke

SPOTLIGHT

things like the cost of production of food, which is a very topical issue at the moment.

We’re trying to focus on making sure the supply chain works more efficiently, and that comes down to some simple things that we’ve always been fighting for - road funding, making sure we’re getting the most applicable industrial relations laws, making sure that environmental laws are workable and make sure that taxation is incentivising business growth in regional areas.

Additionally, if there are any bottlenecks within the system of supply chains these need to be identified and projects established to ensure there is an efficiency gain that can be shared among the supply chain from that.

What

are the biggest challenges you

ments that are going to make it harder for people with the bureaucracy of employing a workforce.

It’s not one issue. It’s just making sure that we can either prevent or fight bad policy.

Everybody searches for a silver bullet to solve their issues. The reality is that everything we need to do is hard work and that’s why it hasn’t been done.

We need to make sure we don’t lose sight of the fact that all these things need to happen.

We can’t just say we’ve ticked one thing off the list and everything’s tickety-boo now.

It is a combination of many issues that make up the frustration and heartache in agriculture at the moment, but to use simple, plain language - it’s just preventing bad policy from being endorsed.

Jochinke replaced Fiona Simson as NFF president

that organisation and that ability to articulate that in a succinct way is really important.

How should people get in contact if they want NFF to advocate for a particular issue?

If you’ve got an issue, we encourage people to get in contact with one of our members. We’re a federation and we need to have strong members such as a strong cotton group, a strong rice group and strong state bodies to give us information.

We rely on it because we’re not a direct membership organisation, so if you’ve got an issue we encourage people to get in contact with the relevant body, the relevant partner so that we can actually escalate it and collectively work on it together.

A lot of the time there are individual issues out there that somebody is concerned about.

I’ve got to get something that’s good for the whole industry and something sustainable

for the whole industry to really advocate for.

It’s the evidence-based policy that wins at the end of the day or at least gives us the best opportunity to win.

Lastly, what is your message to farmers who may be unsure about what the NFF can do for them?

It may sometimes feel like there are a lot of things going on in agriculture and we don’t necessarily reach down to the individual farmer bases, but we do care, and we want to make sure that every farm has the opportunity to succeed.

We have programs that try to assist with that, we have partners that have grants and information to help farmers run the best businesses.

We’ve got a dedicated staff focused entirely on policy that will make farming better for the future - not just now, but also for the future.

We want people to understand that we are advocating for them on a daily basis.

You may not necessarily always feel it directly, but we do a lot of work that is either unseen or celebrated by many.

We don’t always get it right at the National Farmers Federation, but we fight the good fight. Every time we switch the lights off at the end of the day, you can be rest assured that everybody has put their back out to make sure that we are focused on that farming community, focused on that farming business, focused on that individual family and how we can make it easier for them to succeed and what are the resources or tools they need.

To get involved with the National Farmers Federation, visit www.nff.org.au or the dedicated ‘Keep Farmers Farming’ website at www.keepfarmersfarming.org.au

NFF CEO Tony Mahar in front of a Keep Farmers Farming billboard in Canberra

That’s a (high speed) wrap

While combi wrappers are a popular choice for large-scale contractors looking to boost efficiencies, Mark Fouhy checks out the

With many combi wrappers getting pretty expensive in terms of investment, the standalone baler and wrapper option continues to offer many advantages,

Test time

Speaking of small weather windows, we managed to snag one of a few dry days amid fairly intensive rain patches to see the newest Kuhn VB 7160 baler in action on the outskirts of Hamilton in New Zealand, working in tandem with the Kuhn RW 1810 wrapper, a high-output round bale wrapper with the ability to keep up with the high-performing baler.

With Kuhn representative Deane Hughes on hand to talk through the newest features and innovations, it was an opportunity to find out about the latest technologies equipped on this inline bale wrapper.

Kuhn makes a range of bale wrappers, from single satellite linkage mounted to round/square bale combination machines or round inline tube machines. For me, the RW 1810 model is particularly well suited to New Zealand conditions.

Applying six layers of film (not 3D wrapped), the capacity sits at around 100 bales per hour. If you’re working a 10-hour day, that’s 1000 bales — not too shabby. The machine we spent time with on our test day had been colour-matched with a M7.172 producing around170 horsepower (un-boosted), this proved more than adequate for the job.

With the wrapper only requiring a low 30 to 45 litres per minute oil flow at 150 bar, and one single-acting hydraulic connection with free return or one double-acting set of hydraulics, most tractors should be capable of running it. With a weight range of around 1200-1300kg, it’s not an overly heavy machine and the

Images: Mark Fouhy

The Kuhn RW 1810 bale wrapper

large transport wheels make it easy to tow.

Maximum bale weights sit between 1200 and 1400kg, which is a pretty heavy bale. Despite this, the total weight of the bale and wrapper combined is still only a maximum weight of around 2.8 tonnes.

Although we didn’t have hours’ worth of bales to wrap, what we did do definitely looked the part, with nice square sides, making them good for transport. Obviously, a fair amount of credit must go to the baler for making a tight, dense bale to start with.

With both being high-capacity machines, the wrapper was not far behind the baler. If you operate independently like we were, at least you know the wrapper won’t have to work half the night once the baler is done to catch up. The capacity of the RW 1810 allows it to wrap 100 bales

an hour, so even with two bales operating (each likely producing 60 bales per hour), this machine won’t be far behind them.

O peration

The VT30 control box makes the operation of the wrapper simple. A 3.5-inch colour screen tells you what’s happening and what stage the wrapping process is at, etc. To switch from transport to field mode, all you need to do is press the button and it will auto-switch to the other function. Once in field mode, select auto pickup. With the bale size programmed into the monitors, the laser mounted underneath the hat at the centre point of the wrapper will activate the arm when it registers the bale, picking it up onto the wrapping table.

With no delay transferring the bale,

once on the table, wrapping begins. Once the wrapping is complete, at the push of a button you can drop the bale in a suitable spot. In a flat paddock, you can dump on the move, creating a non-stop fully automated process. Without a bale turner, bales will be left on their sides. The bale turner leaves them on their ends ready for picking up. In the transport position, the bale kicker neatly folds onto the wrapping table.

Wrapping

One of the patents Kuhn has on the RW 1810 wrapper is its Intelliwrap system. This controls the film overlap and the required number of layers of wrap to suit specific conditions. Although six layers of wrap is pretty standard, Intelliwrap offers the choice of odd as

Maximum bale weights sit between 1200 and 1400kg

Additional storage for wrap

The large transport wheels make it easy to tow

REVIEW

well as even numbers of wrap — useful if bales are going to be stored longer, are made of particularly stalky material (such as longer lucerne), or if you want to add an extra layer to ensure the quality of feed, etc.

Many design elements of the wrapping table system are used throughout the range of Kuhn wrappers. For example, using a four-belt bed provides a secure cradle for the bale, allowing maximum traction and even rotation for wrapping the bale.

Equally, the satellite arms and pre-stretchers are a proven design, made of aluminium to avoid tack build and film breakages. The centrally driven satellite

arms each hold one pre-stretcher with a 750mm film roll. In the final stage of the process, the film is cut using a scissor-type cutting action, holding onto the wrap ready for the next bale.

The wrapper is also equipped with a high-speed double satellite, with a boost function that increases the speed to 40rpm when driving at five kilometres per hour or more. In turn, this helps achieve an output of around 100 bales an hour, when wrapping with six layers of wrap.

bale first, similar to what’s now possible with film-on-film binding balers, helping bales maintain their shape and removing more air that would otherwise affect the ensilaging process.

With a baler that can make bales between 100 and 160cm in diameter, the RW 1810 can wrap them up to a sizeable 1400kg, probably twice the weight of standard bales.

An optional feature of the RW 1810 is 3D wrapping. This has been a feature and key point for Kuhn balers for some time. 3D wrapping will wrap the barrel of the

Able to carry two rolls of wrap as standard, I think it’s well worthwhile optioning the additional storage to cater for another six rolls. These are conveniently mounted on the drawbar of the wrapper, handy to where you need them.

Laser-mounted technology to activate the auto pick up arm

With a weight range of around 1200-1300kg, it’s not an overly heavy machine

Applying six layers of film, the capacity sits at around 100 bales per hour

Kuhn RW 1810

Bale dimensions 120 x 100–160cm

Max bale weight 1200–1400kg @ 180 & 200 bar

Machine L x W x H 504cm L x 279cm W x 308cm H

Loading system Inline loading arm connected to wrapper table

Wrapper system Dual satellite with 2x 750mm pre-stretchers

Intelliwrap Standard

Wrapping table 4 belts

Operation In-cab controller

Kit for ½ table speed Standard

Fully auto film cutter Standard

Film roll carrier 2 x standard, 8 x optional

Pre-stretch ratio Standard 70% 60% Optional

Hydraulic requirements 1 single-acting with free return or 1 double-acting

Oil flow required 30–45L/min at minimum 180 bar

Road lights Standard and marker boards

Weight min–max 1150–1300kg

Intelliwrap with a choice of 4,5,6,7,8,9 layers

baler, the Kuhn RW 1810 could still be the answer to this. Kuhn make kits to fit almost any baler: McHale, Fendt, John Deere, Goweil, and Krone, for example, and Kuhn. Requiring only one doubleacting or one pair of single-acting hydraulic remotes, as well as extra wiring for lighting and electrical functions, it’s pretty straightforward and easily done.

Running in line with a baler, you will need the pressure sensor unit to tell the arm when to pick up the bale, as it’s too close for the laser system to function correctly. Running a system like this, you have the option of running baler and

wrapper together on flat/easy country. If working on steeper ground, drag the wrapper to the job and disconnect the wrapper. Bale and then wrap, so the job can still be done with one tractor, or the rake tractor can drop the rake and start wrapping once done raking to speed the job up.

Summary

I found the Kuhn RW 1810 wrapper simple to use, even for an operator new to the brand. Modern technology and automated processes make life easier for the operator while ensuring excellent work rates and a quality end product. And these days, this kind of capability and capacity ticks a lot of boxes.

Anchored down

Australian farmers should take note of the ongoing dispute at the ports, as sooner or later this is going to hit home and hold up imports needed for seeding.

Yet again the wharfies are on strike, with one of the two big stevedores, DP Worldwhich has been owned by the Dubai royal family since 2015 - caught up in industrial action that has been going on for months.

Unfortunately for the owners, this is not the United Arab Emirates where there is a queue of cheap foreign workers standing at the gate ready to replace any worker that goes on strike.

This is Australia, a country that seems to prefer paralysis to productivity, with its pro-union government and complex industrial relations laws that gives vast powers to those that can hold Australia to ransom.

Unfortunately, some things never change. In the 1970s we had the Painters and Dockers running endless strikes, which in part led to the establishment of the National Farmers Federation when farmers had had enough.

Unfortunately, farmers cannot respond as we did back then by heading down to the wharf and taking over the job ourselves.

Nor do we have a Minister for Industrial Relations as tough as Peter Reith and a stevedore business owner like Chris Corrigan who has the courage to sack all the waterside workers and replace the crane drivers with farmers’ sons who actually want to work.

Since the last big fight, now a full quarter of a century ago, Patrick – now owned by Brookfield Asset Management and Qube - has worked out the solution to peace on the wharves - fewer people and more automation.

Patrick got there by agreeing to big pay rises in exchange for introducing new technology and removing clauses in its enterprise agreement that gave unions a say in the hopelessly inefficient rostering system that paid workers vast amounts to be on call.

This delivered a productivity offset which has left their rival DP World behind and allowed them to pay more. As a result, everyone is a winner except for the unions which see their membership numbers and income shrinking.

The fact that DP World’s workers are now being paid significantly less than Patrick’s workers is the basis for the latest round of industrial action.

The union’s want an eight per cent increase which would get them close to Patrick’s pay levels, but without any productivity trade-offs.

The problem is this would make the billion-dollar DP World business unprofitable and effectively worthless, not that the unions or the government seem to care.

According to an article in The Australian, the waterfront unions also appear to have a hidden agenda of wanting the Dubai owners to sign a two-year agreement.

That way, Patrick and DP World’s enterprise agreements will mature around

the same time and open the possibility of massive disruption in 2026.

This will mark the opening for the unions to threaten to shut down the vast bulk of Australia’s stevedore operations at once and therefore threaten large chunks of the country including our agricultural exports and supply of essential imports.

This will be a disaster for the agricultural sector, as yet again Australia will be seen as an unreliable exporter and farmers will suffer massive delays in waiting for the essential imports needed to put in a crop.

Many farmers are already joining the dots of the risk posed by the wharves and now routinely pre-order and have their seasonal requirements delivered months before the first rains arrive.

But that does not help getting our containerised exports of grain, hay, meat and wine off the wharfs in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Without having the likes of Corrigan and Reith, there is no easy fix to the current dispute.

The problem is having a foreign investor

Ports such as Melbourne are crucial for keeping machinery flowing into Australia. Image: Aerometrex / stock.adobe.com

Trevor Whittington is CEO of WAFarmers

Ongoing disputes and industrial action at Australian ports spells bad long-term news for the agricultural sector, WAFarmers CEO Trevor Whittington says Image: WAFarmers

who likes the profits but not the fights that come with dealing with Australian unions.

Unless DP World is prepared to stare down the unions and stump up millions of dollars in new capital upgrade, they are going to be forever at the mercy of the MUA.

Apparently, the Dubai royal family have worked out that dealing with Australian unions is all too hard and want out, but there are no buyers.

No investor wants to take on a business that has the backing of a government that hails from the hard left and see business through class war eyes.

The government’s only contribution to the dispute is via the Minister for Industrial Relations, whose solution is to simply lift Australian stevedoring prices and recoup the higher labour costs from importers

action at Australian ports could threaten agricultural exports.

Image:

Philip Schubert / stock.adobe.com

The fight on the wharves has a long way to go, but the unions are patient and they

fully automated ports, as has happened in many parts of the world where they

Industrial

*0.99% over 36 month finance is offered on new Bobcat compact tractors on a chattel mortgage with 10% deposit required, followed by equal monthly repayments and no balloon. Finance is subject to credit approval and is only available to approved ABN holders. Not available in conjunction with any other offers. Terms and conditions apply. For further details, contact Clark Equipment.

Events Calendar

Here are upcoming field day and agricultural events for 2024. Information was current as of going to press.

Royal Canberra Show –Canberra ACT

The Royal Canberra Show, Canberra’s largest all ages event, is staged annually by the Royal National Capital Agricultural Society. While having agriculture at its core, the Show has broadened over the years to reflect more entertainment, educational features and exhibitions, ensuring that there is a vibrant mix of ‘city meeting country’ and ‘country meeting city’.

When: February 23–25, 2024

More info: www.canberrashow.org.au

King Island Show – King Island, Tas

Experience King Island’s major annual event, the King Island Agricultural, Horticultural & Pastoral Society Show. Visit the pavilion for the arts and crafts display and wool judging, tasty food is for sale (the donuts are a must!). There is cattle judging, horse riding displays, pet competitions and so much more.

When: March 5, 2024

More Info: kingislandshow37374937. wordpress.com/

Wimmera Machinery Field Days – Longerenong, Vic

Wimmera Machinery Field Days is hosted at the purpose-built Wimmera Events Centre at Longerenong near Horsham in western Victoria and has grown into one of Australia’s largest agricultural and agribusiness trade shows.

When: March 5–7, 2024

More Info: wimmerafielddays.com.au

Wagin Woolorama – Wagin, WA

Over two days, the community comes together to showcase the diversity of

agricultural life in WA and how ‘ordinary things can be done extraordinarily well’. It is a fantastic day out for the whole family with lots to see and do, including prestigious livestock, art, photography, craft, home industries, fashion, rides and entertainment for all ages, plus a spectacular Rodeo on Saturday night.

When: March 8–9, 2024

More info: www.woolorama.com.au

Central District Field Days –Manfield, NZ

Central Districts Field Days is a unique agriculture event where communities come together to connect, discover and experience the future of New Zealand’s primary industries. From farmers and foodies to tech heads and townies New Zealand’s largest regional field days has something for everyone. The event showcases, cutting edge machinery and equipment, the latest developments in rural innovation, thrilling FXM shows, lifestyle stalls, top notch regional food and local brews.

When: March 14-16, 2024

More Info: www.cdfielddays.co.nz

South East Field Days –Lucindale, SA

Held at Yakka Park, Lucindale, there will be farm machinery and other local business exhibitors, dog trials, displays, competitions and entertainment for all the family.

When: March 15-16, 2024

More Info: www.sefd.com.au

Sydney Royal Easter Show –Sydney, NSW

First held in 1823, the Sydney Royal Easter Show is Australia’s largest annual ticketed event, attracting over 850,000 attendees on average. Revenue generated by it allows the RAS to invest

in agricultural programs, competitions, education, youth and rural NSW.

When: March 22–April 2, 2024

More info: www.eastershow.com.au

Karoonda Farm Fair – Murray Bridge East, SA

The Karoonda Farm Fair is an annual two-day event showcasing local, state and interstate farming and general interest products, services and events. With over 300 exhibitors each year, and crowds of around 7,000–10,000 over the two days, Karoonda Farm Fair caters for everyone.

When: April 5-6, 2024

More Info: www.farmfair.com.au

East Gippsland Field Days –Bairnsdale, Vic

An iconic event on the East Gippsland calendar, this Bairnsdale-based field day has proudly been run by the Lindenow Lions Club since its inception in 1986. With over 350 exhibitor spaces and numerous quality promotions at the Field Days, East Gippsland is not one to miss.

When: April 5–6, 2024

More Info: www.egfielddays.com.au

Seymour Alternative Farming Expo – Seymour

Held in the heart of Victoria at Kings Park, Seymour, the Expo features approximately 500 exhibitors and attracts 20,000 visitors across three days. Explore the latest technology, practices and trends in small and backyard farming, visit the animals and enjoy the market style shopping, food and entertainment.

When: April 12-14, 2024

More Info: www.seymourexpo.com.au/

Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo –Sydney, NSW

Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo is a family-friendly event designed to boost the Western

Sydney construction boom – showcasing the biggest range of earthmoving machinery dealers, earthmoving attachments, trucks, bikes, utilities, mowing equipment and much, much more.

When: April 12–14, 2024

More info: www.dieseldirtandturf.com.au

FutureAg Expo

– Melbourne Showgrounds, Vic

In its inaugural event, the FutureAg Expo will bring together exhibitors with cutting-edge agritech solutions - from precision farming to AI-powered analytics and robotic automation. With interactive demonstrations, expert-led panels and presentations and many networking opportunities, FutureAg 2024 will be a ground-breaking event.

When: April 17-19, 2024

More info: www.futureagexpo.com.au

The Wagin Woolorama is a showcase of Australian regional life. Image: Wagin Woolorama.

CASEIH8240Header 2018,1840EngineHoursand1470 RotorHours,DualIF580/85R42FrontTyres,750/75R26Rear Tyres,PoweredRearAxle,CropscanProteinMonitor,UHF Radio,FullGuidance(RTX)2018MacdonD145DraperFront,

Tier4Bmulticontroller Ultimatespectractorwithapprox.800hours&thetractoris stillwithsomewarranty.480/65R28fronttyresat90%& 600/65R38reartyres. TA1184273. $192,500

CASEIH8230

leddrivelightsandlightbar,grainanalyser/proteinmonitor, pro 700,nav,372receiver.Harvestready. TA1168468. $220,000+GST

JOHNDEERE469SILAGESPECIAL 2017,5760bales,vin 1E00469SLHH432026,verytidycondition. TA1187074. $60,500inclGST

CROPLANDS4024 CroplandsPinto4024,BT40/24XP/1512, BA7000controller,PTOdrivenpump,5sectionboom,granni pot, r/h fencelinenozzle,goodcondition. TA1197426. $60,500

NEWHOLLANDBB1290 2017,Plus,4x3BigSqBaler,Packer ,2017Build,24,600Bales,GazeekaMoistureMtr,Grevillea AgInnoculantTank. TA1208566. $99,000incGST

CASEIH7240 2017,(BoughtNewin2020)1020enginehours 865rotorhours,Dual620/70R42drivetyres,600/70R42steer tyres, Pro 700,NavII,372,UnlockedtoRTK,Chopper.Located

CROPLANDSPEGASUS603630hw/1002 BA7000controller nonsectioncontrol,7section30mbargamboom,hydfold,lift &tilt,60ltchemmix,handwashtank,airmix110-02nozzles, AR185pumpPTOdriven,series500compressor,airbag suspension,20.8-42tyres70%. TA1168472. $62,000+GST

CASEIHUNKNOWNMaxxum135

HARDICOMMANDER5030 HardiCommander5030,HC5500 controller,Hydraulicdrivenpump,5sectionboom,fenceline

JETSTREAMOVERSEER3000LTR60 3000LT,60FT,3section controlbox,inasiscondition,Temora. TA1151080. $9,000

Torque show

A limited-release TYM T2900 tractor labelled a ‘game changer’ will be distributed Australiawide by Inlon Agrimec Group

With plenty of torque at low RPM and an auto throttle control, the limited release, Korean-made TYM T2900 is a “gamechanger”, its local distributor says.

The model is now in stock through TYM dealers Inlon, with the dealer’s sales and marketing manager Gary Surman saying the limited release model has plenty to offer the local market.

“The TYM T2900 1,175cc turbo-charged diesel engine delivers 28hp (21kW) at just 2,600RPM, taking performance and efficiency to the next level,” he says.

“The two range HST (hydrostatic transmission) has side-by-side pedals for easy forward and reverse changes. Auto throttle links the HST pedals to the engine

throttle to synchronise the tractor’s speed and engine RPM.

“This simplifies operation, helps increase productivity and reduces fuel consumption,” Surman says.

Perfect for loader work and heavy jobs requiring extra stability, the new vehicle has a wheelbase of 1,502mm and a tractor-only weight of 841kg.

Large industrial front and rear tyres give the T2900 extra traction to handle heavy loads when using front-end loader operations, Inlon says.

The tractor also boasts cruise control

Inlon Agrimec Group will distribute the TYM T2900 tractor in Australia. Image: Inlon

and extra leg room for the driver, and a two-post folding rollover protection system (ROPS) that helps operators navigate low clearance spaces.

Inlon will distribute the Korean-made tractor all over Australia, available with a limited release launch package that includes a quick detach loader, four-inone bucket, bump guard and parking stands. For more information, please visit www.tym.ag/930 or call Inlon on 1800 945 090.

Magnetic appeal

Australian sprayer manufacturer Croplands will distribute technology developed by Ireland’s MagrowTec across its 170 Australian and New Zealand outlets under a new deal

Croplands says adding MagrowTec’s patented technology to its range will provide growers with an opportunity to make their existing spray applications more effective, within their current farming systems.

Designed to retrofit on any boomspray regardless of make or model, the MagrowTec technology uses permanent rare earth magnets to expose crop protection fluid to static non-uniform magnetic fields under appropriate flow conditions, according to Croplands.

This creates a specific spray droplet formation, impacting droplet dynamics and

adhesion to plant leaves, Croplands says.

Critically, MagrowTec technology allows growers to create much smaller droplets without the drift and waste normally associated when using these smaller nozzles, Croplands says.

Croplands also says MagrowTec’s in-field crop science studies have consistently demonstrated agronomic benefits, such as greatly improved coverage, better canopy penetration, improved water management and drift reduction.

The technology requires no power, has no electronics, can be transferred to new boom sprayers and is virtually maintenance free.

“Current users of the product are not only seeing the benefits of improved crop protection but are also realising that their spraying program is becoming more efficient by either reducing the amount of sprays required or by not having to increase their water rate to do a better

machines. Image: Croplands

job,” MagrowTec Southern Australia BDM James Turtle says.

“The proven performance of this technology will help optimise your chemical application and deliver an excellent return on investment.

“Every time you spray, you’ll be landing more droplets and therefore chemical on the target, which results in improved crop health and yield, putting more dollars back into your pocket whilst also benefitting the environment.”

Croplands Equipment general manager Sean Mulvaney says Croplands is excited about working with MagrowTec and the positive impact he expects it will have.

The company will be demonstrating the system live during its SprayWise demonstration days planned for early 2024 and wishes to encourage any growers keen to inspect the technology to register their interest through their local Croplands territory manager.

Magnetic spray assist technology can be retrofitted to existing machines or installed on new

Kubota M9540 2014 model

New Holland T7.190

New Holland T7.235

New Holland T6070

New Holland T5040

New

New Holland TT4.44

New Holland L170

Skid Steer | 2010 model

Self directed

Kubota’s electric concept vehicle showcases the manufacturer’s vision for automation and artificial intelligence (AI) applied to farming

Kubota has unveiled its new fully electric and multipurpose concept vehicle, designed to support a wide range of agricultural tasks.

The new agricultural concept vehicle comes with six independent drive motors and a three-point hitch, allowing it to use many existing implements for operations such as mowing and tilling.

Providing flexibility to operators, the vehicle has impressive charging capabilities – being able to charge from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in less than six minutes.

Customers will not be constrained to long charging times, thus having reduced vehicle downtime with the agricultural

The multipurpose concept vehicle can also be easily operated in residential settings or at night due to the electric drives that make operation quieter than non-electric vehicles.

Released alongside the concept vehicle was an immersive video highlighting Kubota’s vision of autonomous technology and AI working to provide solutions for farmers.

Key technologies highlighted in the video include:

• automatic data collection;

• real-time monitoring;

challenges;

• water management automation; and

• data platform enhancing productivity.

“This concept vehicle, as shown in the immersive video, displays the future potential of fusing digital and physical to provide complete solutions for our customers,” Kubota North America senior technologist Brett McMickell says.

“Many technologies, such as AI, connectivity, and autonomy, need to come together in order to realise Kubota’s vision of providing solutions across the food value chain – from growers to consumers.”

JOHNDEERE9750STSHEADER

CASEIH7140

FLEXICOILST820

The

Out of this world

Guidance for longer booms and an integrated hydraulic pump bring better ground contact for Amazone’s UF 02 mounted sprayer series

Amazone has introduced a number of new features into its popular range of ‘UF 02’ series of mounted sprayers.

Among the new features, active boom guidance has been implemented, as well as quad nozzle pods and an integrated hydraulic pump.

Notable for their simple operation and compact design, the UF 1602 and UF 2002 sprayers are available in 1000 or 2000 litre tank capacities and with boom widths from 12 to 30 metres.

Local distributor Claas Harvest Centre says the upgrades mean the UF series now delivers the same convenience and performance as the UX trailed sprayers.

Available on booms wider than 27 metres, the new ContourControl guidance system provides fast and precise boom guidance for optimal application and performance.

The tilt angle of each boom is controlled by a pre-pressurised hydraulic cylinder

With a twist

ContourControl helps to maintain a constant 50cm distance between the nozzles and the target surface, regardless of terrain Image: Amazone

equipped with a rapidly switching valve.

The cylinders for the tilt angle of the two outer ends of the boom are controlled using the same principle.

“This system helps to keep each boom parallel to the ground, reducing any effects caused by uneven terrain or high operating speed,” Claas Harvest Centre

new trailed

spreader offers greater versatility when spreading fertiliser, both in substance and distance.

Amazone’s new ZG-TX trailed ‘combi’ spreader can spread granular fertilisers up to 54 metres or lime up to 16 metres with just a few simple adjustments.

Claas Harvest Centre’s Amazone product manager Blair McAlwee says the new series combines the advantages of Amazone’s TS disc spreading system with a newly developed lime spreading unit.

“Switching from spreading granular fertilisers to lime is extremely simple,” he says.

“Changing the spreading discs, the splash guard and the delivery system can be completed in less than 30 minutes.”

Available in two configurations, the ZG-TX offers variations in hopper capacity and maximum loaded weight.

The ‘Special’ configuration has a hopper capacity of 6,800 or 9,000 litres, a maximum loaded weight of 17 tonnes and can be supplied either with a top or lower-mounted drawbar.

The heavy duty ‘Super’ configuration has a capacity up to 11,200 litres, a maximum loaded weight of 21 tonnes and a rigid bottom-hitch drawbar.

Amazone has introduced a number of new features to its UF 02 mounted sprayers. Image: Amazone

Amazone product manager Blair McAlwee says.

“Besides preventing contact with the ground, this helps to maintain an optimal distance of about 50 centimetres between the boom and the target surface, ensuring optimal coverage and reducing the potential for spray drift.”

UF 02 boom sprayers can now be fitted with ‘AmaSwitch’ quad nozzle bodies on 25-centimetre spacings – allowing the operator to select nozzle setting that fits their spraying conditions.

The boom has independently controlled hydraulics at each pivot point, meaning each section can be folded independently and thus allowing the operating width to be adjusted.

“Alternatively, two sections of the boom can be folded in or out at the same time, significantly reducing set-up time,” McAlwee says.

Wrapping up the new features is a fully integrated 300 litre per minute hydraulic pump – available for the UF 1602 and UF 2002 mounted sprayers.

“Pump speed is completely independent of the tractor’s engine speed, which is particularly useful when applying crop protection agents in hilly terrain, where the tractor’s engine and power take-off (PTO) speed is constantly changing,” McAlwee says.

“Maintaining a constant pump speed ensures optimum application results and prevents the pump from overloading.”

Both versions of the unit move material to two spreading discs via a floor belt that rises by five degrees during spreading for optimum load distribution.

Whereas conventional spreaders typically use a simple chute to deliver fertiliser onto the spreading discs, the ZG-TX features an electric double shutter at the delivery point that enables accurate rate adjustment.

An optional rate reduction shutter enables the precise application of lime at low rates of less than one tonne per hectare.

The application rate of each disc can be adjusted independently, allowing 16 part-width section control or perfect headland control if using an ISOBUS terminal.

The TS spreading unit also incorporates a border spreading system on the right hand side of the machine, while a border spread deflector for lime is also available.

The ZG-TX can be controlled by any ISOBUS terminal, depending on the configuration, and reach a top speed of 40 km/h.

The ZG-TX 11200 Super trailed combi spreader accurately spreads lime up to 16 metres. Image: Amazone.

Amazone’s

combi

Face off

Artificial Intelligence is being integrated into a new user interface for Lindsay Corporation’s FieldNET irrigation platform

Lindsay Corporation has unveiled a new user interface for its FieldNET platform – providing farmers with assistance in routine monitoring and agronomic recommendations for irrigation.

trends and more,” Lindsay Corporation president of global irrigation Gustavo Oberto says.

FieldNET

A global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology, Lindsay Corporation’s FieldNET is a remote irrigation management technology.

Setting new standards in irrigation water management, the new FieldNET Next Gen user interface offers recommendations to growers and agricultural professionals to help make informed decisions.

“Our FieldNET platform monitors fields and creates recommendations for farmers by processing thousands of points of data, from soil metrics to weather, to historical

KUBOTARTV520 Variable Hydrostatic Transmission,2 cylinderKubota engine .S791. TA1207848.

Artificial intelligence has been integrated into this user interface, allowing the technology to learn from historical trends and make personalised recommendations to conserve water resources – enhancing overall operational efficiency.

The redesigned user interface uses easy to understand maps and graphics and a mobile app, which will allow farmers to quickly assess their needs to make informed decisions.

“With FieldNET NextGen, farmers can tell at a glance, from any location, how their irrigation system is performing. They can make adjustments quickly to ensure

their operation is as efficient as possible,” Oberto says.

A key feature of this technology is its remote monitoring and control which can be accessible from anywhere.

With remote monitoring and management of field operations, users can adjust irrigation settings, detect and resolve issues, and reduce both labour and travel costs.

Featuring satellite imagery, NextGen users can geographically visualise and interact with their irrigation systems and fields.

The NextGen user interface has been trialled in a beta for more than a year, with thousands of hours of use from farmers across the globe, the company says.

FELLATS671 FellaRake,Good workingcondition, 6.6MWORKING WIDTH.S664. TA1155500. $15,900

KUBOTA M7152STD DELUXE 2023, 150hpdiesel engine,50k powershift transmission. S759. TA1190033. $218,000

KUBOTA MX5100HD Brand newenginefitted 3rangehydrostatic Powersteering Cat2linkends. S774. TA1202416. $44,990

JOHNDEERE

5080R 2009, 16-speedfour, speedpowershift transmission. S787. TA1205524. $64,990

VICONRV2160 2008,low29000 bales,bale wrapper combination,wide pickup.S615. TA1134225. $37,990

KUBOTASE4325 2022,InStocknow, frontandrear connect,540/1000 rpmunit.S639. TA1143676. $23,058

Giant leap

Deere will roll out StarLink internet connection terminals on compatible machines in the USA and Brazil this year under a new strategic partnership

John Deere will work with Elon Musk-run SpaceX to expand rural connectivity to farmers through satellite communications.

SpaceX will provide satellite communications (SATCOM) services to John Deere customers under the new strategic partnership, John Deere says in a statement.

Farmers will utilise SpaceX’s Starlink network – which SpaceX says is a world-first satellite constellation that uses a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet.

This solution helps farmers in areas with poor internet access to make the most of advanced farming technologies that improve accuracy and efficiency.

Customers will be able to be more productive, profitable and sustainable in their

operations as they continue to provide for their communities, John Deere says.

“The value of connectivity to farmers is broader than any single task or action. Connectivity unlocks vast opportunities that were previously limited or unavailable,” John Deere Ag Production Systems vice president of production and precision Adam Wetzel says.

“For example, throughout the year, farmers must complete tasks within extremely short windows of time.

“This requires executing incredibly precise production steps while coordinating between machines and managing machine performance.

“Each of these areas are enhanced through connectivity, making the entire operation more efficient, effective, and profitable.”

New and existing machines will be connected by the SATCOM solution, through

has partnered with SpaceX to provide satellite communications service to farmers.

Image: Miha Creative / stock.adobe.com

satellite internet service and satellite terminals.

This will fully enable technologies such as autonomy, real-time data sharing, remote diagnostics, enhanced self-repair solutions and machine-to-machine communication – all of which help farmers work more efficiently while minimising downtime.

To activate the SATCOM solution, John Deere dealers will install SpaceX’s Starlink terminal on compatible machines, along with a 4G modem to connect the machine to the John Deere Operations Center.

The SATCOM solution will initially be available through a limited release in the United States and Brazil starting in the second half of 2024.

PRICES ARE INC GST, CONDITIONS APPLY

DEUTZAGROTRON180 2016,7LEngine 24/24Syncrotransmission 540/1000PTO 3PointLinkage CabSuspension Frontpivotingfenders Trainingseat 4setshydraulicremotes fittedwithTrima&5.1FELwith a210Eurobucket TopconX25console&AES-35 electricsteeringwheel. WSXCI20200LD10150. TA1205557. $104,500

HARDI7036 COMMANDER

2009,forceFTZboom, upgrade464pump, 6sectionEFCfluid system,filteredfresh waterfill HC5500controller, 60litrechemicalhopper 20.8-42Tryes.1002779. TA1167795. $55,000

CLAASLEXION770TT 2017,enginehours1956 Separator1350 Specialcutspreader 735terratrac 4XLauger,13,500Lgraintank CEMOSauto Sep,clean,cropflow,cruisepilot Guidanceunlock 2017MACDONFD7545' w/trailer.102818102819. TA1168771. POA

CATIT28F

1997,Caterpillar3116DIT (97KW)130HPDiesel EngineTier Tyres20.5/2560% 189LFuelTank Transmission-CatPower Shift4F/3RSpeedranges Topspeed38km/h Generalpurposebucket withboltonteeth. IJL00344. TA1198089. $90,750

HARDICOMMANDER 7036

2008,FTZforceboom8 sectionEFCwithtriplet nozzles,2yearold464 hydraulicdrivepump,35 litrechemicalhopper withdirectchemical suction,3"banjofresh waterfill,HC5500 controller,102837. 0406001437. TA1164910. $55,000

CLAASLEXION770 2017,635mmTerraTracSystem CEBISIISystemwith8.4" Screen CEBISyieldmapping CEMOSAutoCruisePilot C-MotionJoystick 12,500Lgraintankw/foldinglids 3XL130Lminunloadauger V8Mercedesengine,16Lair compressor 13.7m/45ftflexdraper(no trailer).102830-102831. TA1171737.

POA

CASEIH9230

**HeaderOnly** Cursor13Tier2 4speedhydrotrans 12,300Lgraintank AFS Pro 700 Mavchopperspreader 600/70R28steertyres 620/70R42driveduals Chaffdecknot included.102825. TA1178603. $297,000

SIMPLICITY304TERRITORYPLANTERAND30 SERIES

12m53tyres,230mmspacings,fittedwith WS-80rootbootpoints,2021Simplicity30 seriestowbetween,2binaircartX35control, 10'auger,5000lliquidtowbehindcart,liquid systemcontrol.102746-102747. TA1126262. $539,000

John Deere

Expansion plan

Western Australia-based Veratin has announced new products and a new industry partnership as the company looks to grow

Veratin has added two new products to its range and partnered with vegetablesWA for a year-long trial.

The Verigrow range of products.

Images: Veratin

The Perth-based company is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSX) and describes itself as a “multi-industry company to develop sustainable high end value products from low grade wool.”

Veratin’s products are made from upcycled waste wool and are used in sectors as diverse as cosmetics, fertilisers, biodegradable materials, food and nutraceuticals. The newly launched products both come under the company’s Verigrow range, which is also where the vegetablesWA partnership will occur.

Veratin has developed a “world-first soil

performance of the Verigrow products on soil health, crop yield and taste on crops including lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes and fruit trees in WA.

“The importance of natural-based or bio-based products for soil health is only going to grow and increase, and we believe farmers will see faster growth, improved yields and better soil quality,” Veratin founder and executive chairman Ramiz Boulos says.

In a separate announcement, Veratin has also launched two additional products to its range – Verigrow Pot and

HARDICOMMANDER

10000LTR

45maluminiumboom isobus,oneowner,in excellentcondition,will beworkshopserviced.

S47. TA1174680. POA

Verigrow Supplement.

Verigrow Pot uses a novel biodegradable material that acts as food as it decomposes, the company says, which helps plants to get the nutrients they need as they are placed in the ground.

The Veriglow Supplement “compliments the company’s existing range of liquid fertiliser and soil improver products by acting as an all-purpose product containing a balanced blend of macro (except phosphorus) and micronutrients, and trace elements”.

Veratin also announced a capital raising of approximately $500,000 through issuing new shares on the NSX, to scale national distribution, expand its cosmetics range and increase both marketing support and research and development.

CASEMAGNUM290

Oneowner,lowhours, Dualsallround,3PLand PTO,inexcellent condition,GPSfitted.

S49. TA1205614. POA

Clean concept

Yanmar has revealed its e-X1 concept model, an electric drive compact agricultural machine designed to achieve zero emissions

Japanese manufacturer Yanmar has released its e-X1 concept model agricultural machine as part of its commitment to a green future.

The concept model can accommodate various implements such as rotary tillers and grass cutters at the front and rear – enabling tasks like weeding, snow removal and cultivating.

Improving working conditions and

environmental performance, the electric machine has an environmentally friendly electric motor, as well as a quietness that just couldn’t be replicated on machines that are powered by fuel.

Being an electric agricultural machine, it can improve conditions for those who work in an enclosed space, or in circumstances where quiet operations are a must.

Radio royalty

Australian communication technology company GME has released a first-of-its-kind handheld radio which doesn’t rely on smartphone GPS location data

The XRS-660

is designed to keep Australians connected, even in areas where smartphones cannot pick up reception.

With only 27 per cent of the Australian landmass covered by mobile phone reception, the global-first handheld radio could be a ‘life-saving’ piece of technology, GME says.

The new device is suited for campers, hikers, 4WDers and those who work in regional and remote areas.

Ensuring true location awareness, the device is in-built with GPS functionality so an operator doesn’t have to rely on their smartphone to provide location data.

To ensure stable operation on slopes and uneven terrain, Yanmar designed the machine with crawlers instead of wheels.

Designed without a driver’s seat, it is operated via a remote control – guaranteeing safety for operators when carrying out agricultural tasks, with Yanmar saying the incorporation of autonomous driving features is also under consideration.

Yanmar plans to start market monitoring in 2025, actively progressing towards mass-production through rigorous design and testing.

While Yanmar currently sells commercial marine and compact construction equipment in Australia, it does not currently have a distributor for its agricultural products.

XRS-660 hand-held radio is the first-of-its-kind to have GPS tracking capabilities. Image: GME

“For Aussies travelling or working in remote and regional areas, staying in touch is vital to ensuring they get home safe. That’s why GME is proud to launch the XRS-660 –the first-ever XRS handheld radio with GPS tracking capabilities,” GME safety expert Tony Crooke says.

“Australians can now have total peace of mind knowing they can communicate with their fellow travellers or workers all while their live location is visible, without mobile phone service.”

XRS-660 will also be the first UHF CB radio to feature a colour TFT (Thin Film Transistor)

LCD screen, providing an easily visible display for all environmental conditions –even in full sunlight.

In addition to this, Bluetooth audio connectivity allows the hand-held radio to wirelessly connect to an extensive range of third-party audio accessories, providing users with new and improved ways to stay connected.

After going through a series of tests, GME states that the XRS-660 is the “toughest and most advanced handheld UHF CB radio yet”

For GME’s full stockist list available, visit: www.gme.net.au/au/find-a-dealer

Yanmar unveiled the prototype zero emission electric machine at a stakeholder event. Image: Yanmar Agribusiness Co Ltd (Yanmar AG)

The

handheld UHF CB radio

SAMMUTTRUCKTRAYS H/DAustralianmade.3mmor5mmfloor.Custombuild. Chassismodifications.Newandusedtrucksavailable. S360. TA1025472.

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SAMMUTMILLMUDSPREADERS,AUSTRALIAN MADE 2020,H/DAustralianmade Fullhydraulicdrive,singleor3row Frontfeed,Singleordoubleaxle,optionalrear spinners Sizesfrom8m3to30m3.S365. TA1025500. Pricefrom$28,000+GST

TOSCANOSTONEBURIEREXTRAHEAVYDUTY 2020,Extraheavyduty Hydraulicliftroller,geardrive Anti-panblades 2200mmto3200mm.S369. TA1025532.

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SAMMUTSPREADERS

2020,H/DAustralianmade,fullhydraulicdrive Wecancustombuild.Optionalfrontfeed Optionalsidedelivery.Chainorbeltfloor Sizesfrom2m3to30m3.S367. TA1025524.

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TOSCANOSPEEDDISC

FIMAKSVERTICALFEEDMIXERS

2020,Hardenedbinandfloor,H/DComerItalian gearboxes,sizesfrom3m3to30m3,scales,incab controls,ptionalfoldingconveyorwithoptionallength, reductionbox.S371. TA1025537. From$25,000+GST

2022,Buydirectfromtheimporterandsave! Heavyduty,Hydraulicliftcrumbleroller,560mmdiscs ,3plandtrailing,2.5mtrto6mtr(trailing).S368. TA1025525.

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2022,BuyDirectfromtheimporterandsave!From5 toneto30tone,heavyDutyconveyorchain,slurrydoor, incabcontrols,twinverticalbeaterswithbottom spinner,suitable for allyourhardtospreadproducts etcWetcowmanure,mulch,greenwasteetc,18TONE MACHINE(ASPICTURED).S373. TA1025543. From$69,000+GST

$9,500INCLGST

MASSEYFERGUSON65MKIITRACTOR 2wheeldrive,roll frame,diesel,203engine,approximately58horsepower,3 pointlinkage,nearnewtyresallround, mechanically excellent,hasbeenthroughworkshop,readytogo.7110. TA1147470.

$11,900INCLGST

KUBOTAL405TRACTOR diesel,4wheeldrive, power steering,3pointlinkage,rollframe&roof,double clutch, approximately38horsepower,goodworkingorder,as traded,asis.7301. TA1200484.

$37,000

$35,500INCLGST

TA1150886.

JOHNDEERE1585TERRAINCUTRIDEONMOWER 4 wheel drive,reardischarge,diesel,airconditioningcab,72" mower deck,yearapproximately2016,1,497hoursasindicated, excellentunit,readytogo.7116.

$52,000INCLGST

TA1166753.

CATERPILLAR428CBACKHOE 4cylinderturbodiesel, with trenchingbucket,front4.1bucket&forks,showing2,300 hoursapprox(wethinkgenuine),tyres90%allround, exceptionalcondition.7152.

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MASSEYFERGUSON240TRACTOR 2wheeldrive,newtyres allround,extrahydraulicpump,powersteering,45 horsepowerapproximately,newroof.6893.

$11,650INCL GST

TA1184478.

7122. TA1155052.

FORD5610TRACTOR 4x4,frontendloaderwithforks, rops,roof,windscreen,72horsepower approximately, immaculate(frontendlLoaderarms&forksbeingfitted).

$18,250INCLGST

KUBOTAK008-3MINIEXCAVATOR 1,800 hrs approx.,3cylinder diesel,2xbuckets:-450mmGP,900mmtiltingmud bucket, SWL65kg,folddownrollframe,hydraulictrack adjustment, newrubbertracks,goodtightmachine,excellent condition, readytogo.7062. TA1121629.

$98,000INCLGST

7135. TA1159450.

JOHNDEERE5525FWATRACTOR yearapprox.2005-2008,4 wheeldrive,frontendloader,ROPS&roof,91 horsepower approximately,PTO,withfrontweightframe(no weights), approx.1,900hoursindicated,3pointlinkage.7089. TA1133372.

$34,000INCLGST

TA1190218.

CASE3230TRACTORFRONTENDLOADERFORKS& BUCKET 4wheeldrive,QuickReleasefrontendloader,forks &bucket,rollframe&roof,approximately1,600hours/60 horsepower,immaculate,withbooks.7262.

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TA1200157.

JCB3CXBACKHOELOADER,4CYLINDERDIESEL engine no:SB3240344U1538214,approx.2,589genuinehours indicated,rearextenderboom,3xbuckets,nooilleaks.

JOHNDEERE3250TRACTOR JohnDeere3520Tractor,2 wheeldrive,PTO,3pointlinkage,approximately37 horsepower,suspectedtappetnoise,goeswell,astraded, asis.S2704.

NOBILINOBILI/SILVANVKD230FLAILMOWER sideshiftto therightwithhydraulicsideshift&heightcontrolisbyan adjustablefullwidthroller,withnewspareblades&bolts,3 pointlinkage.7250.

TORO228-DGROUNDSMASTERFRONTDECKMOWER excellentcondition.7261. TA1190213. $12,500INCL GST

$12,850INCL GST

7281. TA1193905.

SAMEDELFINO35TRACTOR SameDelfino35Tractor,4 wheeldrive,3pointlinkage,approximately35 horsepower.

$39,000INCLGST

approx., withnewfrontQuickreleasehayforkattachment.7249. TA1182872.

CASE

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CASE IH

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CATERPILLAR

CHALLENGER SERIES – 35, 45, 55, 65, 65C, 75, 75C, 75E, 85C, 85D, 95E, 65E TRACK MACHINE, MT765D, MT765C, MT865C

FORD

3000, 3610, 4000, 4600, 4610, 5000, 5610, 5640, 6000, 6600, 6610, 6700, 6810, 7000, 7600, 7700, 7710, 7840, 8000, 8210, 8230, 8340, 8401, 8600, 8700, 9000, 9600, 9700,, TW5, TW10, TW15, TW20, TW25, TW30

INTERNATIONAL

385, 414, 434, 444, 484, 514, 554, 564, 574, 585, 624, 660, 674, 686, 696, 706, 756,766, 786, 856, 866, 885, 886, 956, 976, 986, 1056, 1066, 1086, 1256, 1466, 1468, 1486, 1566, 1568, 1586, 3288, 3388, 3588, 3688, 3788, 4166, 4186, 4366, 4386, 4568, 4586, 4786, 5088, 5288, 5488, 6388, 6588, 6788, 844S, AW6, AW7, AWD6, AWD7, B250, B275, W6, W7,

JOHN DEERE

950, 1050, 1130, 1140, 1640, 1750, 2010, 2020, 2030, 2040, 2120, 2130, 2140, 2250, 2450, 2650, 2850, 3010, 3020, 3120, 3130, 3140, 3350, 3640, 3650, 4010, 4020, 4030, 4040, 4050, 4055, 4230, 4240, 4250, 4255, 4430, 4440, 4450, 4455, 4555, 4560, 4620, 4630, 4640, 4650, 4755, 4760, 4840, 4850, 4955, 4960, 5010, 5020, 5310, 5515, 5300, 6030, 6110, 6170R, 6200, 6220, 6300, 6310, 6320, 6330, 6400, 6410, 6620, 6630 Premium, 6810, 6820, 7210, 7330, 7510, 7520, 7600, 7610, 7700, 7800, 7810, 7920, 7930, 8100, 8200, 8285R, 8300, 8310, 8330, 8345RT, 8360RT, 8370RT, 8400, 8400 TRACK, 8410, 8430, 8440, 8450, 8520, 8520T, 8530, 8630, 8640, 8650, 8760, 8770, 8850, 8960, 8970, 9400, 9410R, 9420T, 9430T

NEW HOLLAND

7840, 8430, 8560, 8870, 8970, 9482, 9682, 9860, 9880, 9882, 9482, 9484, G210, G240, L85, L95, T6020, T7030, TG230, TG235, TG255, TG285, TJ375, TJ425, TJ450, TL70, TL90, TM125, TM135, TM195, TN55D, TN95F, TS100, TS100A, TS110A, TS125A, T9060

STEIGER

KP525, KP 1350, KP1325, KP1400, BEARCAT 3 & 4, COUGAR 2 & 4 CM250, PANTHER 2, PANTHER 3 ST310 & ST325, PANTHER 4 CM325, TIGER ST470,

VERSATILE

500, 700, 800, 835, 836, 855, 875, 895, 900, 935, 945, 946, 950, 956, 975, 976, 1150, 1156

ALSO WRECKING

VARIOUS MODELS OF CHAMBERLAIN, DEUTZ FAHR, FIAT, JCB, LAMBORGHINI, MASSEY FERGUSON, MCCORMICK, SAME – CALL US TO ENQUIRE

NEWHOLLANDSC180 1998,180bushel/ 6343litre,2bin,castorquad,auger. AS1355. $53,900

SIMPLICITY305ALLROUNDER 2005,40' @12".AS1584. TA1168170. $86,900

SIMPLICITY4000DTR 1991,5700litre,2 bin,towbehind.AS1382. TA984613. $20,900

4WD TRACTORS

IHC 3588 Snoopy, 167hp, 4800hrs

JCB 155-65 FASTRAC, 150hp, 3PL, 5500hrs

JCB 155-65 FASTRAC, 150hp, 3PL, 7300hrs

JCB 155-65 FASTRAC, 150hp, 3PL, 8000hrs

JCB 185-65 FASTRAC, 185hp, 3PL, 4900hrs

JCB 185-65 FASTRAC, 185hp, 8000hrs

JCB 3185-65 FASTRAC, 185hp, 3PL, 8700hrs

JCB 3220-80 FASTRAC/SPREADER, 220hp, 11200hrs

JCB 3230-65 FASTRAC/SPREADER, 230hp, 5825hrs

JCB 3230-80 FASTRAC/SPREADER, 230hp, 11000hrs

JCB 7230 FASTRAC, 230hp, 3PL, 6900hrs

2WD TRACTORS

IHC 5088, 150hp, 4750hrs

FWA TRACTORS

CASE IH MX170, 161hp, Fr & Rr 3PL – pto, 9500hrs

CASE IH MX200, 200hp, 3PL, 8750hrs

FORD 6640SLE, 85hp, 3PL, 5100hrs

FORD 7710, 100hp, 3PL, 8650hrs

JOHN DEERE 6210 / FEL, 90hp, 3PL, 6700hrs

MISCELLANEOUS

BLIGHTY ENG’ 30’ Rubber tyre Roller

BROONS Combination Roller

BURDER 9000 FEL Kit – JCB 8250

CASE 480E Loader, a/c, 10000hrs

CASE 580E Backhoe Loader

CIH MX 460/85R42 dual kit (80% tyres)

JCB 2CX-4WS Backhoe Loader, a/c, 2050hrs

JCB 3CX-2WD Backhoe Loader 7900hrs

JCB 3CX-2WD Backhoe Loader, 12745hrs

JCB 8018CTS Excavator, 1.6T, 1100hrs

JCB 8025ZTS Excavator, 2.6T, 705hrs

JCB 55Z-1 Excavator, a/c, 5.5T, 2150hrs

FLEXICOIL2640 2009,quadcastor,260 bu/9000L,auger.AS1564. TA1168172. $55,000

EZEE-ON3550 2003,40'@10".AS822. TADPLIn107338. $53,900

MORRISCONCEPT2000 2002,35'@9", p/wheels.AS1248. TA509568. $44,000

SIMPLICITY 4000TB

SIMPLICITY 4000DTR

SIMPLICITY 4000DTR

JCB 4CX Sitemaster Backhoe Loader, a/c, srs, 5600hrs

KOMATSU PC78MR-6 Excavator, 7T, 3600hrs

KOMATSU WA300-3E Wheeled Loader, 16000hrs

SIMPLICITY Small Seeds Box suit 8200TB3

VICTORY VL200 Wheeled Loader, 1385hrs

WCM 30 Wheeled Loader, 2800hrs

COMBINES

CONNOR SHEA 14 Row Pasture Drill, coulters, roller

BARS

EEZE-ON 3350 40’@10”

GASON 50’@10” Scaritill, Kelly rotary harrows

HORWOOD 36’ Scaribar, 12”, p/wheels

JANKE F500 UDD Planter, 40’@12”, coulters, p/wheels

JOHN DEERE 735, 40’@10”, p/wheels

MORRIS 2000 CONCEPT 35’@9”, 400lb, p/wheels

SIMPLICITY 10M ALLROUNDER, 9”, I/F p/wheels, banding

SIMPLICITY 305 ALLROUNDER, 30’@12”

SIMPLICITY 305 ALLROUNDER, 40’@12”

AIR SEEDERS

FLEXICOIL 2640, 260Bu/9000Li, 3 bin, castor quad, auger

HORWOOD 4000 STREAMLINE, 2 bin trailed, spur gear

NH SC180, 180 Bu/6343 Li, castor quad, auger

SHEARER (EEZE ON) 2175, 5T Trike, SSB, auger

SIMPLICITY 6000TQC2, SSB, auger

SIMPLICITY 6000TQC2, SSB, auger

SIMPLICITY 9000TQC2, 2M, SSB

SIMPLICITY 9000TQC3

SIMPLICITY 9000TQC3, auger

TELEHANDLERS

DIECI DEDALUS 28.7, a/c, 315hrs, 6.3m x 2.8t

DIECI DEDALUS 28.7, a/c, 3700hrs, 6.3m x 2.8t

DIECI 30.9 AGRI, a/c, 3200hrs, 9m x 3t

JCB 525-58FS, 6000hrs, 5.8m x 2.5t

JCB 525-67FS, a/c, 7000hrs, 6.7m x 2.5t

JCB 526-55, a/c, 2950hrs, 5.5m x 2.6t

JCB 526-55, a/c, 10675hrs, 5.5m x 2.6t

JCB 527-58 AGRI, a/c, 1800hrs, 5.8m x 2.7t

JCB 527-58 AGRI, a/c, 5650hrs, 5.8m x 2.7t

JCB 527-58 AGRI, a/c, 6775hrs, 5.8m x 2.7t

JCB 527-58 T4i AGRI PLUS, a/c, 1000hrs, 5.8m x 2.7t

JCB 527-58 T4i AGRI PLUS, a/c, 2525hrs, 5.8m x 2.7t

JCB 527-58 T4i AGRI PLUS, a/c, 3100hrs, 5.8m x 2.7t

JCB 530-70, a/c, 6000hrs, 7m x 3t

JCB 530-70, a/c, 6200hrs, 7m x 3t

JCB 530-70FS, a/c, srs, 3000hrs, 7m x 3t

JCB 530-70FS, a/c, 6250hrs, 7m x 3t

JCB 530-70FS, a/c, 7500hrs, 7m x 3t

JCB 530-70FS, a/c, srs 7000hrs, 7m x 3t

JCB 530-70FS, a/c, srs, 10000hrs, 7m x 3t

JCB 530-70FS SUPER, a/c, srs, 5500hrs, 7m x 3t

HORWOODBAGSHAWSCARIBAR 1999, 36'@12",presswheels.AS1599. TA1168171. $44,000

JOHNSHEARER2175 1992,(EeezeOn),5 tonne2bintrailedtrike,SSB, auger.. AS1178. TA357690. $16,500

DIECIDEDALUS28.7 2005,poultry pro, hydro,aircond',6.3metrex2.8tonne,3676 hours.AS1477. TA970216. $65,450

JCB 530-70FS SUPER, a/c, srs, 6000hrs, 7m x 3t

JCB 531-70CE, a/c, 5900hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70CE, a/c, 7200hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70CS, a/c, 6850hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 2750hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 3350hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 3800hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 4200hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 4500hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 4900hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 4900hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 5600hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 6300hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 7400hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 8300hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, 11600hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI, a/c, srs, 6300hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 3400hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 6000hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 6940hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 7000hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 7100hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 7160hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 9800hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 T4f AGRI PRO, a/c, srs, 3200hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 1300hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 4750hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 5600hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 6800hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 531-70 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 7200hrs, 7m x 3.1t

JCB 532-70 AGRI-FS, a/c, srs, 3100hrs, 7m x 3.2t

JCB 535-95, a/c, 4500hrs, 9.5m x 3.5t

JCB 535-95C, a/c, 3850hrs, 9.5m x 3.5t

JCB 535-95 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 6700hrs, 9.5m x 3.5t

JCB 536-70 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 6240hrs, 7m x 3.6t

JCB 540-70FS SUPER, a/c, srs, 2000hrs, 7m x 4t

JCB 540-70FS SUPER, a/c, srs, 6300hrs, 7m x 4t

JCB 541-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 3050hrs, 7m x 4.1t

JCB 541-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 5200hrs, 7m x 4.1t

JCB 541-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 5700hrs, 7m x 4.1t

JCB 541-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 6100hrs, 7m x 4.1t

JCB 541-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 7250hrs, 7m x 4.1t

JCB 541-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 8100hrs, 7m x 4.1t

JCB 541-70 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 2400hrs, 7m x 4.1t

JCB 541-70 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 3900hrs, 7m x 4.1t

JCB 541-70 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 7100hrs, 7m x 4.1t

JCB 542-70 AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 5360hrs, 7m x 4.2t

JCB 550-80 AGRI PLUS, a/c, srs, 2250hrs, 8m x 5t

JCB 560-80 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 3400hrs, 8m x 6.0t

JCB 560-80 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 3500hrs, 8m x 6.0t

JCB 560-80 T4i AGRI SUPER, a/c, srs, 3600hrs, 8m x 6.0t

JLG 4013, a/c, 7700hrs, 13m x 4t

MANITOU MVT628T, 4400hrs, 6.8m x 2.8t

MANITOU MT728-4, 7800hrs, 7m x 2.8t

MANITOU MLT731, a/c, 4200hrs, 7m x 3.1t

MANITOU MLT731, a/c, 6000hrs, 7m x 3.1t

MANITOU MT732, a/c, 4300hrs, 7m x 3.2t

MANITOU MLT741-120LSU, a/c, 7100hrs, 7m x 4.1t

MERLO P40.7, a/c, 2800hrs, 7m x 4t

NEW HOLLAND LM630, a/c, 9600hrs, 6m x 3t

NEW HOLLAND LM435A, a/c, 3000hrs,

NEW

WANTED

CONNOR SHEA SEEDERS ANY CONDITION.

NAPIER 24 DISC WHEEL OFFSET MASSEY-FERGUSSONPLOUGH3CYL DIESEL

JF 6 DISC MOWER/ CONDITIONER GCS2800

22' LOXTON MOWER SLASHER (GREEN SERIES)

2 TONNE SEYMAUR BELT SPREADER

GREAT PLAINS TRIPLE DISC COULTER PRESS WHEEL TEN RUN SEEDER

3 PT LEAKAGE AIRWAY AERATOR 8’

15 RUN AGRO SEEDER WITH COIL TYNES BAKER BOOTS & COULTERS

CRONE 4FT NETWRAP ROUND BAYLOR

CONNOR-SHEA 7’ COIL TINE BAKER BOOT DIRECT SEEDER

TONUTTIE 10 WHEEL V HAY RAKE

5' CONNOR-SHEA 3PL DISC SEEDER (LATE MODEL)

7 TYNE AGRIPLOW SUB SOILING 3PL

FORD 4600 DIESEL TRACTOR 60HP 3PT LEAKAGE WITH POWER STEERING

12FT LANDPRIDE FOLDING WING SLASHER

SOUTHERN CROSS 350 TRAVELLING IRRIGATOR

LILLY 4FT 3PL FORAGE HARVESTER AND CART

8' PAGE 3PL HG

LYCO HYDRAULIC POST DRIVER WITH PILOT HOLE BORER

AMAZON 3PT LEAKAGE ZAM1500 SPREADER FORD 7000 90HP WITH FRONT DOZER BLADE

2 TONNE AGWARE SPREADER SHEARER 16 RUN G-SERIES WITH DIRECT SEATING BOOTS

WANTED

CONNOR SHEA SEEDERS ANY CONDITION.

10’ 3PT LEAKAGE TOPPER/SLASHER

3PL ROCK RAKES 6 TO 10 FT WINDROWS, RAKES & LEVELS, 6’, 8’ & 10’. TA307516. POA

KUHN FEED MIXER WAGON

DEUTZ DX160 FRONT END LOADER 160 HORSE P

CONNOR-SHEA 9’ COIL TINE BAKER BOOT COULTER SEEDER

8FT BEREND 3PL GRADER HYDRAULIC SET BLADE

FIAT 60-66 60HP DIESEL 3PL

ISEKI 6500 4WD TRACTOR 60HP

SHEARER 24 DISC WHEELED OFFSET PLOUGH (WITH NEW DISCS AND BEARINGS)

9' CONNOR - SHEA DISC SEEDER WITH 3 BOXES + HYD RAM

WALLACE 5 TYNE SUB SOILING PLOUGH WITH COULTERS

13’ LOXTON MOWER SLASHER

PARKS INDUSTRY HAMMER MILL MIXER

3 TONNE SAM BELT SPREADER

ROBOT HYDRAULIC TIPPING TRAILER 10X6

CAMBRIDGE CULTI-PACKER KINGPACKER MULTI RING ROLLERS

DUNCAN 734 15 RUN TRIPLE DISC SEEDER

DWYER VE SHEEP HANDLER

WANTED

CONNOR SHEA SEEDERS ANY CONDITION.

AMAZONE ZAM 2TN 3PL

24 DISC GIBBONS ROARING WHEELED OFFSET PLOUGH (H-DUTY)

DUNCAN 23 RUN DOUBLE DISC SEEDER WITH 3 BOXES

AGRIPLOW 15 RUN COIL TYNE BAKER BOOT SEEDER

CONNOR-SHEA 7FT 3PL

HEAVY DUTY STUMP JUMP HARROWS

FARM MASTER HAMMERMILL MIXER

IZEKI- BROLENS 18HP TRACTOR

KUHN 1860 EUROMIX II

17 RUN BETTINSON TRIPLE DISC SEEDER

SILVAN 2000LT AIRBLAST SPRAYER

HARDI BOOM SPRAY 6MTR BOON

KOMATSU 2.5T

CONNOR- SHEA 7FT COIL TYNE BAKER BOOT DIRECT SEEDER 3PL

LEITH 6 TONNE BELT SPREADER

16 RUN SHEARER G SERIES COMBINE WITH DIRECT SEEDING POINTS

CONNOR-SHEA 5FT 10 RUN DISC SEEDER 3PL

MARSHALL 825T TWIN SPIN BELT SPREADER

Breathe easy

Workplace exposure standards for welding fumes are being strengthened – these tips can help you meet them

Work Health and Safety Ministers across Australia will strengthen workplace exposure standards (WES) for welding fumes, creating a new statutory maximum upper limit for the concentration of total welding fumes within a worker’s breathing zone when legislated in each jurisdiction.

The new WES for welding fumes not otherwise controlled by the standards is a time-weighted average of 1 milligram per cubic metre – cut from the previous average of 5 milligrams per cubic metre – over an eight-hour working day in a ve-day week.

Safe Work Australia says welding fumes are a complex mix of hazardous chemicals, which can result in occupational lung diseases – including lung cancer –among people who are exposed to them.

With the changes set to be implemented, employers and other people carrying out a business or undertaking (PCBUs) will need to either eliminate or minimise the risks to worker safety that these fumes pose.

To do this, Safe Work Australia recommends that PCBUs identify the hazardous components in the welding fumes at their workplaces, either from the safety data sheets from welding rods used or air monitoring data.

It also suggests PCBUs assess work processes and the work environment, consulting with workers and reviewing any incident reports to nd other ways to

reduce the risk of exposure to fumes.

Weld Australia recommends the introduction of at-source fume controls method, such as local exhaust ventilation systems like a hooded fume extractor or on-gun fume extraction - with any captured fumes to be ltered and exhausted into atmosphere, preferably outside the workshop.

Weld Australia also suggests personal respiratory protection such as Powered Air Purifying Respirators or air-fed helmets for welders, particularly where the welder’s head is likely to be near the weld plume.

Seeking specialist advice about workshop ventilation from an occupational hygienist, or another form of fume exposure monitoring will also assist, Weld Australia says.

The group is currently developing new online safety training courses for welders, welding engineers and supervisors that is due to be released this year, Weld Australia says.

Weld Australia CEO Geo Crittenden says the group is revising its Fume Minimisation Guidelines for Welding, Cutting, Brazing and Soldering, to be released soon.

“Welding can and should be considered a safe occupation; when proper precautions are taken, welders have no cause to fear accident or injury,” he said.

“Safety must be taken seriously in the workplace, to avoid the risk of long-term impacts.”

PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Lithium-ion battery forklifts are becoming more popular in China and parts of Europe. Image: Ratchapon/ stock.adobe.com

Charging ahead

Light up your job site with Atlas Copco’s new HiLight B6+ light tower

Sales of new lithium-ion battery powered forkli s will overtake those of lead-acid batteries by 2030 worldwide, according to a report from a UK-based market research group.

Interact Analysis research manager

Maya Xiao, the group’s lead analyst for Liion battery and forkli research, predicts lithium battery-powered forkli s will become the top seller in China and parts of Europe by 2025, with Class 3.1 forkli s leading the way.

“By 2030, the global market share of lithium-ion models will exceed 50 per cent in all classes, and Class 3.1 will become the rst forkli type to achieve over 50 per cent lithium-ion rate,” the report said.

Xiao also predicts that all Class 3.1 forkli s will be lithium electri ed before 2032.

Along with China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom will see the proportion of lithium-ion/ electric vehicle models sold exceed 50 per cent by next year, and by 2026 for the rest of Europe.

Xiao writes that the rapid pace of change in both regions is driven by their respective focuses on shi ing to the new technology – with lithium-ion powered forkli s already popular in those places.

At the same time, the volume of lithium-ion forkli s in Africa is expected to reach 50 per cent by 2029, primarily due to the dependence of the region’s market on imported forkli s from China.

More than half of all new Class 1 forkli s sold by 2030 will be lithium-ion models, Xiao predicts, except for Japan and South Korea, where local manufacturers dominate the market and have responded more slowly with lithium-ion electric vehicle models.

For Japan, South Korea and the rest of Asia, Xiao predicts that it will not be until a er 2030 that most forkli s sold new have lithium batteries.

Local exhaust ventilation systems may help employers meet the new workplace exposure standards for welding fumes. Image: Fotogrin/ Shutterstock.com

FIATALLISM100C Justinfordismantling,Allis10,000 seriesengine,wetengineclutch,transmissioningood order,Moldboardpitchcylinders,allpartsavailable, PhoneBrendan0267624466.S175. TA1162783. POA

ALLISCHALMERSM65GRADER JustinforDismantling, 10FootMoldboard,D262Engine,GoodRunningGear, TransmissioninGoodOrder,AllPartsAvailable,Phone Brendan0267624466.S179. TA1198862. POA

RING ALL HOURS

500, L400C, L600C, D600D Super, D700C

JOHN DEERE : 1010C, 850

LOADERS

ALLIS-CHALMERS: TL12D, TL14, TL20, 545, 605B, 645, 745B,C FIAT: FR20B LD3, LD5, LD7 & LD9 Scoopmobile HANOMAG/MASSEY 22,33C,44, 55, CL55C,66C-D, 77

GRADERS

ALLIS-CHALMERS: D, DD, M65, 65B, AD30-40, 45, 145, M100A, B, FG95

DRMCO/CHAMPION 562, 600, 720, 740

JOHN DEERE 570, 570A, 670A, 770, 770A, 772A

ALLIS WHEEL TRACTORS

AC D17, D19, D21, XT190, 7000, 7010, 7020, 7040, 7060, 7080, 8010, 8050, 8070, 7580, 8550, 440

ALSO AVAILABLE

Track Chains, Rollers, Idlers, Sprockets Various 4-1 Buckets, POA

JOHNDEERE670 justinfordismantling,startsrunsand drives,6414Tengine,8speedpowershifttransmission, rearrippersandscarifiers,12footmoldboardwithnew edges,goodrubberallround,allpartsavailable,phone Brendan0267624466.S176. TA1181375. POA

ALLISCHALMERSDDGRADER JustinforDismantling, 10FootMoldboard,D262Engine,MidMountScarifiers, TransmissioninGoodOrder,AllPartsAvailable,Phone Brendan0267624466.S180. TA1198863. POA