Milestone Archive
Improving Billet Planter Efficiency
The aim of North Clarence Innovative Planting Group was to produce an efficient billet planter for a dual row cane system that provided minimal working hours and labour, thus reducing costs, and having minimal impact on the farming environment. Consequently this will increase profit margins. The dual row billet planter was to be compared to the conventional method of a Hodge dual row planter.
Photos of self propelled planter
Seed To Fuel -Enhancing the value of rotational break crops to produce oil and Bio-fuel in the central region
Mackay Fibre Producers found that producing oil and bio-diesel from soybean adds value to producing soybean in rotation with sugar cane. Producing a legume rotational crop is a fundamental of the new farming system. Investigating the production of bio-diesel has been the core focus of this project and the associated research that has been conducted has established a clear understanding of the issues that are involved.
A very detailed cost analysis investigating the production of bio-diesel was completed by the group and is attached as a link below.
The group did successfully make a one pass planter to form an apex profile from wheel centre to wheel centre to suit harvester base cutters on 1.83m row spacing's.
The total plant cane growing costs per hectare for the 1.8m PAD system was $1,606.18, compared to conventional 1.8m system costs of $1,844.72, and conventional 1.5m system with costs of $1,821.58.
P.A.D. Farming Company Final Report
Photos of the all in 1 planter and bed former
Improving soil health in undulating, dryland farms in the Central region
Coningsby Dryland Farmers group sought the need to improve soil health and profitability by planting break crops and reducing the amount of paddock workings.
The two soy variety comparison trials indicated Leichhardt to be the best in nitrogen fixing of the four varieties trialled (compared to Ashgrove, Stuart and Bunya). For the plant cane, Zero Till achieved our aim with more profit and fewer workings. These results have changed our way of farming to become more sustainable in the future.
Coningsby Dryland Farmers group Final Report
Utilising Available Technology to Better Manage Yield Variability Within Blocks
The specific aim of this project was to gain information on the different layers of information collected at a block level to allow site specific crop management. The group also investigated the farm economics within the fallow period by introducing fallow options like peanuts.
The group collected a number of different layers of information such as: Satellite imagery, EM Mapping "soil", Yield Mapping, soil analysis and leaf analysis. The information collected (management of the nutrients applied and the gross margins achieved) has allowed for better decision making that has improved the bottom line.
Blackburn Harvesting group final report
Comparing Soil Health and Economics of 2 Different Farming Systems
The New Farming Initiative Group in Ingham conducted trials to compare soil health and economics between a conventional 1.5m system, and a 1.8m system based on preformed beds and legume fallow. The key outcome of this project was the similar average gross margins for the conventional and new farming system treatments. Potentially higher future input costs will favour the new farming system economically, with greater average gross margins expected compared to a conventional farming system.
Essentially, no statistically significant difference was observed in soil health parameters (biological, physical and chemical) between treatments over the 14 month testing interval.
Of interest, the new farming system displayed positive trends of increasing pH, increasing organic carbon and higher cation exchange capacity.
Nutrient Management from Variable Rate Technology in Controlled Traffic Systems
The Oakenden Grower Group in Mackay investigated a range of issues, including:
- Cost/Return analysis of EM mapping and variable rate application of Calcium, compared to conventional soil testing and blanket applications.
- Legume Variety trial comparing traditional and new legume options.
- Comparison of plant cane returns after bare fallow and legume fallows.
- Cost/Return analysis of wide shute planting compared to narrow shute planting.
- A Guide for growers investigating which GPS system will best suit their needs (Fact sheet at end of report).
Please note some of the attachments have been removed from this copy to reduce its size. For more information on anything contained within the report, contact either John Muscat on 0427 595 669, or Grower Group Services.
Precision Mill Mud Applicator
The link below will open the Final Report from the Maryborough Advanced Grower Group (MAGG). The MAGG group completed a project titled "Development of a Precision Mill Mud Applicator for a New Farming System". In this report you will find details on the construction of the precision mill mud applicator, economic analysis of precision mud application and results from the trials the group undertook.
Photos of the mill mud applicator
Develop a Whole of Crop Load Levelling Arm
The link below is for the Final Report of the Condong Cane Farmers Group. This project aimed to research a method to level whole crop biomass in road transport containers once it had been delivered by side tipping transporters.
On going trials using various roller configurations were carried out, resulting in a design that rolled improving bulk density in one direction and levelled when reversed.
Rear Steerable Axle on McLean 14tonne elevating bin
The aim of the project was to primarily reduce the compacted area on the ends of the rows during the turning around phase of harvesting. The secondary aspect was to greatly improve the manoeuvrability of the unit and allow for reverse filling of the haulout by only having to keep the tractor straight.
Elevator Extensions and Paddles
The aim of this project was to overcome a key practical barrier preventing many growers and harvesting contractors from converting to controlled traffic farming systems (CTFS) and overcoming problems incurred by growers presently converting to CTFS. The project built & tested commercial prototypes of both elevator paddles and elevator extensions. Both options were extensively trialled until desirable results were achieved. This required extensive modifications to both the paddle and extension design, plus modifications to the harvester, and modifications to the operation of the harvester. As a completion of this project, the group now have no difficulty in delivering cane to the haulout while maintaining a controlled traffic farming system. The options developed by this project are suitable for all harvesting conditions, including steep sloping ground.
Pland Creek Sustainable Farmers
Photos of one harvester with modifications
Controlled Traffic Farming in the Burdekin
The Mulgrave Integrated Group was interested to quantify the benefits of moving from their current 1.52m row configuration to a row configuration that better matches tractors, harvesters and haulage equipment using GPS technology. As a result of conducting this project, the MIG has confidence that preformed beds will improve their long term sustainability and profitability by reducing input costs compared to the current system, at least for the plant crop.
In total, differences of at least $300/ha saving can be made by moving from the conventional system to the preformed mound system (see Appendix 1 for more detail).
Prototype Peanut Planter to Plant Through Trash
The aim of this project was to build a prototype planter capable of seeding peanuts directly into uncultivated cane trash blanket. The group used their observations of difficulties they had in a previous project (GGP028) to decide what needed to be incorporated into the design of the planter to make it effective.
Concentrating on the first trial site, the gross return from the 1ha trash section was $4410 and the gross return from the 1ha conventional section was $5901. While there is still an obvious advantage from the conventional system the result is much closer than the GGP028 trial highlighting the improvement achieved by the construction of the planter.
Controlled Traffic Farming in the Mackay District
The project aim was to implement and trial farming systems that incorporate the practices of controlled traffic, minimum tillage and crop rotations. The North Coast Grower Group members combined their resources and efforts to develop and implement a new farming system that utilized the bulk of their existing equipment, improved the management of their natural resources and reduced their cost of production. The group combined the results of their trials to identify a farming system that is sufficiently robust to handle the variations experienced in the North Coast (seasonal conditions, soil types, farm layouts and variable equipment) and improve the financial sustainability of the group members.
Trials conducted include: row spacing comparisons, soybean varieties, fallow management, dual row vs wide shute in controlled traffic, fertiliser rate trials.
Accurate and Consistent Bed Forming in NSW
The aim of the project was to show that if beds were formed accurately and consistently this would greatly increase the survival of fallow crops such as Soya bean thus improving the uptake of the SYDJV farming system. The expected benefits of the MAD plnting group project were:
Using the GPS fitted tractor to form beds greatly increases consistency and accuracy and reduces forming to a one pass operation. Costs of previous practises were:
Estimated cost for scribing at $8.64 per hectare.
Estimated cost for 2 bed forming passes $49.60 per hectare
Estimated cost for 2 rotary hoe passes $38.41
Total cost equals $96.65 per hectare
Costs of bed-forming using a contractor with GPS guidance was $75.00 per hectare.
Implementing Controlled Traffic Farming in the Herbert River District
The aims of the Pinnacle Presision Farming group included:
1. The implementation of Controlled Traffic Farming is critical to ensure the future
sustainability of Sugar Cane Farming.
2. The application and implementation of on farm research findings and principals generated by the SUGAR YIELD DECLINE JOINT VENTURE TEAM.
3. To develop a minimum or no till planting system with the development of a Double Disc Opener Planter and a Bed (mound) Former.
4. Adapt techniques to suit different soil types.
5. The economic benefits with the creation of permanent beds will allow cost saving compared to conventional farming methods because of reduced cultivation, a reduction in chemical usage over time and the potential for longer crop cycles.
Cost Benefit Analysis of adopting latest technologies
The following document is a copy of the Homebush Innovative Farmers Final Report for their SRDC GGIP Project - "Beach Sand to Black Clay; Adapting Latest Technology and Best Practice to Homebush Farming Conditions."
The group investigated four (4) key issues in this project; (1) Variable rate cane planting; (2) Assessment of southern bred soy varieties for use in Central Qld; (3) Pre-plant application of total fertilizer requirements; (4) A cost-benefit analysis of the adoption of latest technologies and best practice.
In the attached final report you will find the results from their trials and a number of significant costs savings they have identified, implemented and evaluated.
Modifying a Cameco 3510 Harvester for a 2m System
In May 2006 the Singh Harvesting group planted its first block on the 2m, 0.8m dual row configuration. To effectively harvest this cane, modifications were required to the cane harvester. Widening of the basecutter box and the front of our 2005 Cameco 3510 harvester were carried out in time for the commencement of the 2006 season. The first season saw 106,000 tonnes of single row cane on 1.62m harvested with only minor adjustments required. A further 200,000 tonnes with increasing amounts of 2m/08m has been harvested in the following two years. The modified harvester has performed reliably over three seasons. It has succeeded in meeting this project's objective of modifying our harvester to handle a range of row spacing from 1.5m singles through to 0.8m duals on 2m.
Photos of the modifications made to the harvester
Better Frost Tolerant Varieties for NSW
This project established trials to test whether artificial freeze testing of cane seedlings could be used to identify cane varieties that would perform well under field frosting conditions. Trials aimed to ascertain if subjecting seedlings to cold room freezing would produce a similar reaction of damage to that observed in the field and determine an appropriate testing regime of temperature and duration.
Varieties were placed in a cold room chamber for 2 hours at a temperature of -3ºC to simulate field frosting conditions. Some differentiation was identified between varieties through artificial freeze testing. However the degree of differentiation between the good, average and poor categories was very small and the majority of individual trials failed to show any statistical significance.
The trials have shown that it is difficult to clearly correlate ratings derived by artificial freeze testing of seedlings with known field reaction of more mature cane plants.
NSW Farming Systems group final report
Photos of testing frost tollerance
The Next Step for Precision Agriculture
Growers are well aware of the within-paddock variability that occurs within paddocks. The adoption of electrical conductivity (EC) soil mapping technology verified the patterns of contrasting soil properties and satellite yield estimation maps produced by Mackay Sugar indicated considerable variability in sugarcan paddocks across the central cane growing region. This project provided an opportunity for the group to gain a better understanding of the interaction of variables that contribute to spatial variability within a paddock.
The group looked at EC mapping, trials in different soil types to determine yield differences; they looked at traffic free areas to determine the affects of compaction, and also took measurements such as chemical soil analysis, bulk density, water infiltration, nematode and pachymetra counts and other soil property characteristics.
A number of possible PA management practices emerged from the project and provided a potential pathway for managing within paddock yield variability and the geographic information system (GIS) layers that will underpin PA in the future.
Homebush Innovative Grower Group final report
Mackay Fibre Producers Final Report
Total Concept Sugar Cane Planting System
P.A.D. Farming Company aimed to build a one pass plant and mound planter which would reduce the cost of growing cane, and eliminate the need to work the ground after planting.