IN FOCUS FARMING AUTUMN 2020
BRINGING IT BACK! 18 years under pasture
DANIEL WEBSTER Bellevue Trading, Swan Hill
STAFF SPOTLIGHT Carolyn Larsen
Sustaining Farms to Sustain the World
Out in the paddock, where I like it most
AN INDUSTRY FILLED WITH PEOPLE WANTING TO IMPROVE & INNOVATE
line-up as we settle into the powerful CNH Industrial stable. As we have experienced over the last few years, the Australian agricultural industry can be challenging, but it is an industry filled with people wanting to improve and innovate. This enables us to bounce back tougher, and able to leverage from the good seasons. We hope you enjoy the new K-Line Ag seasonal newsletter – Farming in Focus. Bill Larsen Sales & Marketing Manager K-Line Agriculture
Well it seems we so quickly moved from the devastation and exhaustion of drought and raging bushfires across the east Coast of Australia, to the highly concerning and uncertain times created by a virus that is threatening the health and wellbeing of the human race. If nothing else, these previously unimaginable threats have put things into perspective. The essential items we rely upon day after day, our health system, our education system and food production have all been elevated in the everyday Australians mind. The thinking has quickly shifted, there is a heightened level of interest and desire to ensure that these industries are not jeopardised, but rather it is paramount that they be supported and optimised. This heightened importance on food production sees the continuation of hard work on farms all across the
country, something that is always happening but maybe not always appreciated as it should be! Our Ag industry is getting some of the recognition it deserves. Rain has fallen across many parts, grain growers have been busy planting their winter crops, in many cases, on a full moisture profile which has not been the case for a number of years. There is a buoyant feel in the air, a quiet optimism for the season ahead. Current social distancing restrictions have had an impact on our ability to do farm visits and talk to farmers at demonstration days and field days, but we continue to talk to farmers and dealers daily over the phone. We aim to create machinery that is built tough and optimised for farm production and efficiency. We will listen to farmers and continually review and grow our machinery
FARMING SYSTEM • Sheep trading • 1200 head feedlot • Grazing crops • Average annual rainfall 598mm
The Jinjilla Farms business model is focused on leveraging their close proximity to various sheep saleyards to trade sheep. Sheep are fattened to premium market weights through careful planning and management of grazing crops and a 1,200 head feedlot. Keeping an eye on long term profitability and sustainability is what drives the decisions made by owner Mike Chambers. “We have moved 100% towards grazing crops as they better suit our sheep trading operation. These have included grazing varieties of Canola, Wheat and PADDOCK CHAT BRINGING IT BACK! 18 YEARS UNDER PASTURE. Jinjilla Farms, Central West NSW
Above: The soil was worked to a depth of approximately 200mm which transformed the soil in one pass.
Barley. ‘Our focus is on dry matter crop production for sheep feed and any grain we produce at harvest time is a bonus.’ If we get the crops seeded in March, in a good season we can graze it from mid April until the end of August. In recent years we created a sacrifice paddock to save the ground cover across the remainder of the farm. Given the fantastic Autumn break we’ve experienced this year, having had over 242mm rain, we decided now was the time to resurrect our sacrifice paddock and bring it back into the crop plan after 18 years under pasture and regular stock pressure. It was dry and heavily compacted,
soil tests showed we needed to spread lime at a rate of 2.5t/ha.
Hard tufts of Phalaris roots remained spread across the paddock from years
Ben, Phoebe and Andrew Smith (Kawea Pastoral Company) with Mike and Imogen Chambers (Jinjilla Farms)
See the CropCadet in action at Jinjilla
is also able to be pulled by a smaller horsepower tractor than other seeding machines, which therefore reduces fuel costs. We sowed Canola using the scatter plates at a rate of 4kg/ha. In future years we plan on seeding a grazing mix of both grasses and legumes to ensure optimal nutritional balance for our stock. The CropCadet will be perfect for that. Now we wait and hope that the season continues as it has begun……. with regular falls of rain!”
We sowed Canola using the scatter plates at a rate of 4kg/ha
improved for water penetration and an ideal seedbed for sowing grazing Canola remained. The following week, and after 79mm of rain, Andrew Smith (with the help of his children Phoebe and Ben) of Kawea Pastoral Company was contracted to spray the paddock with a pre-emergent and post emergent herbicide and direct seed the Canola using K-Line Ag’s latest machine the CropCadet. I really liked the way the CropCadet left the paddock, and considering the ill treatment it has had over the last 2 years, it’s done an amazing job in creating an ideal seed bed. It
gone by and the dry windy summer months had resulted in topsoil blowing. Following lime being spread in came the K-Line Ag Speedtiller. The soil was
The K-Line Ag team and Tony Williams of Cowra Machinery Centre have worked closely with Andrew Smith, Kawea Pastoral Company, to ensure the CropCadet is equipped to best handle whatever soil conditions are present.
Lime was applied and incorporated with the K-Line Speedtiller. worked to a depth of approximately 200mm which transformed the soil in one pass. Lime was incorporated, compaction reduced, soil structure
DON’T BUY THE CHEAPEST, BUY THE BEST! Daniel Webster - Branch Manager, Bellevue Trading, Swan Hill
Daniel Webster is a Branch Manager at Bellevue Trading. He has worked in machinery dealerships for the past 21 years in his home town of Swan Hill in Victoria and has been in machinery sales for the last 8 years. Swan Hill is on the Murray River. There are varying soil types and a vast array of farming operations in the area. With a mix of both dry land and irrigation farming the region has a diversity of farming systems. These include broadacre cropping, livestock, horticulture, viticulture, Almonds and Pistachios. Daniel enjoys working with producers across the region, “I love the fact that you can find yourself somewhere different most days and it’s the people. I feel like the
most genuine people work in the agricultural sector and I’m very lucky to be a part of it.” Daniel sells a range of machinery to farmers across the district. He is always listening to and working with people to find the best solutions for their operation. Daniel is a big fan of K-Line machines having sold them to farmers across the region. “K-line over engineer everything they build which is a huge positive when you’re looking for ground penetration. The fact that they’re Australian made goes a long way. It’s nice to actually discuss options, alterations and improvements first hand with the manufacturers who understand Australian conditions.
The whole team is very knowledgeable and efficient. The support we receive with in field setup, demonstration days and field day support is excellent.”
Daniel’s Tip: “Don’t buy the cheapest buy the best. I don’t think we could find a better time to buy an Australian made product.”
“I am really impressed with the quality and attention to detail of K- Lines machines. I have had very few problems with the machines, but with the few small issues I have had I’ve called Daniel and he talks to K-Line and between them they fix it promptly and to a high standard, which is all I can ask for.” Greg Rae, ‘Yal Yal,’ Kyalite NSW
SWAN HILL The average rainfall for Swan Hill in Autumn is 58mm. To date in March, April and May Swan Hill has already measured 105mm. The season is off to a good start, it’s so nice to see.
Daniel Webster (Bellevue Trading, Swan Hill) and Greg Rae (‘Yal Yal’, Kyalite) in front of Greg’s 40ft 12.5m Speedtiller Powerflex
INDUSTRY UPDATE
FARM PRODUCTION RECOVERY TO BE LED BY CROPPING
of wheat this season which will be an increase of 10.1 million hectares. Livestock – In 19/20 Australia is expected to have the lowest number of beef cattle since 1990 and the lowest number of sheep since 1904. Prices remain strong because of the low supply and continued demand across the domestic and export markets. ABARES are predicting that it will take several years for livestock numbers to recover. A surge in demand for Australian meat in Asia has caused livestock prices to remain historically high, and offset the income effects of drought related falls in production and increased feed costs. This has had a knock-on effect on crop prices as high livestock prices have made it profitable to continue buying feed as supplies dwindled and costs rose. The coronavirus places a short term risk on demand for Australian meat
exports however ABARES assumes the outbreak will be temporary and have limited impact from 20/21 onwards. AUSTRALIAN CROPPING PREDICTIONS FOR 2020
View the full ABARES report
CROPPING (Area cropped: grains, oilseeds, pulses) Increase of 17% (up 3,190,000 million ha planted)
17%
With the seeding season well underway for the Winter cropping season and autumn rainfall being high, ABARES are predicting an increase in crop production in 2020. While the livestock prices remain strong the production numbers will take a number of years to recover from the drought. Wheat - Rain across the Australian wheatbelt during March and April has resulted in ABARES updating their predictions on wheat production. It is now estimated that Australia will produce 40% more wheat in 2020/21. It is predicted Australian farmers will plant 12 million hectares
WHEAT Increase of 18.7% (up 1,894 million ha planted)
18.7%
CANOLA Increase of 68% (up 1.225 million ha planted)
68%
BARLEY Increase of 4% (up 157,000 ha planted)
4%
K-LINE SPEEDTILLERS The Speedtiller ® by K-Line Ag is a leader in the tillage market. It has a strong reputation among tillage equipment buyers for its durability and quality of design. It is a high-performing dual purpose disc-tilling machine. Leading up to the 30 June is the perfect time to purchase a Speedtiller. To complement the Australian Government’s $150,000 instant asset tax write-off, we are now offering finance from 2.75% on the entire Speedtiller Range.
See the Speedtiller range here
Call K-Line today on 1800 194 131 or visit your local K-Line Dealer.
*Terms and conditions apply. See website for details
FEATURE AGRONOMIST CHRIS MINEHAN
FAVOURABLE AUTUMN CONDITIONS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY TO RESTORE PASTURES
Good rainfall and mild temperatures throughout February, March and April across much of Southern and Central NSW have come as a great relief to many farm businesses, after such a hot, dry 2019. Many areas had exceeded their 2019 rainfall by the start of April 2020 and with a widespread 30-50mm of rainfall at the start of May, prospects look good for a return to long-term average rainfall this year.
Chris Minehan from RMS Agricultural Consultants
Late summer rainfall provided opportunities to establish forage crops such as oats, winter canola, winter wheats, plus forage mixes, which were taken up by many growers, meaning that some forage paddocks have already been stocked for a number of weeks. Growers should be sure to check grazing withholding periods for chemicals applied to these paddocks, which can be a trap in years when grazing crops are available sooner than expected. Growers will also need to monitor newly emerging crops and pastures for pests such as earth mites and Lucerne flea which start hatching with the arrival of cold weather.
KEY POINTS • Forage crops now in • Check grazing withholding
that farm businesses cannot control the weather or commodity prices. Management decisions separate top performing businesses from the rest. All the best for a good year in 2020. Chris Minehan periods for any chemicals applied • Monitor for pests such as earth mites and Lucerne flea • Pasture renovation works best as a staged process • Double-knock weed control
Favourable Autumn conditions provide
weed control prior to sowing crops. While this comes at extra cost, the opportunity to remove a large portion of weeds using non-selective herbicides and double-knocks prior to sowing, will provide cost savings into the future. There are some great resources available through the WeedSmart website which detail the benefits of double-knocks prior to sowing, especially for managing herbicide resistant ryegrass. With the Bureau of Meteorology outlook for May to July pointing to average rainfall over the next three months, expectations will be starting to build for a good recovery year in 2020. It is important to remember
opportunities to renovate or restore pastures which may have degraded during the last couple of years.
The availability of grazing crops, plus good pasture growth will allow winter cleaning of pastures, which helps with productivity and longevity. Remember that pasture renovation works best as a staged process, which requires planning and attention to detail. Thankfully, the widespread adoption of containment feeding areas for livestock has meant that pastures have not been degraded to the same extent as previous droughts. Timely rain also allows for additional
Wagga Wagga NSW
DIRECT SEEDING GRASSLAND & MANAGING GRAZING CROPS READ THE BLOG
SEE THE LATEST K-LINE MACHINES IN ACTION
8.25m Speedtiller – Fast track your planting
15.5m Speedtiller Powerflex – ‘Mammoth’
4.25m Speedchisel – Incorporating lime at Greenthorpe, NSW. Still a prototype, to be launched later this year
STAFF SPOTLIGHT Carolyn Larsen Sales & Dealer Support Manager / Executive Assistant to Bill Larsen
‘’I’d like to thank K-Line for being a great place to work. I’ve been here just over 8 years now, and love it! The strong team culture, and the fact the company is behind you is very important to me, and even though it’s ‘not my business’ we feel that it is ours in the way we work. This is an outcome of the trust that our managers, James, Bill & David Larsen have placed in us. In the past 5 months, we have had a change of ownership, having been bought out by CNH Industrial. To me in sales, this hasn’t meant a great amount of change to my day to day role. My official role is “Sales & Dealer Support Manager” and Executive Assistant to the Sales & Marketing Manager (Bill Larsen). This means that I work with key accounts, middle
management of the sales team in Australia & USA, and handling customer enquiries. Working with our dealers, is the best part of my job, we have built strong relationships, and there is a strong sense of trust between us. I’ve been told, “I’m the ‘go-to’ person if they need something done and go the extra mile in supporting the dealers”. I feel a strong sense of responsibility in keeping up this standard. I have also been responsible for most of the team travel arrangements (before COVID-19!), so could be called travel co-ordinator as well, along with other jobs, including some of our system maintenance - it certainly keeps me pretty busy & out of trouble.
I thrive on being busy and selling brings out my strong competitive spirit. I love to be able to provide the best possible solution for our customers!’’ Interesting fact about Carolyn: “I’m terrified of snakes, if I come across a snake, I lose all composure, and all thought of being strong and calm!” We would like to take this opportunity to show our appreciation of Carolyn. Carolyn’s passion, hard work and contribution has had a significant impact on the company that we are today!
DEALER NETWORK K-Line Ag products are sold under the K-Line Ag name in Australia and New Zealand through our existing network of Case IH, New Holland and selected independent dealers. If unsure who your nearest dealer is call us on 1800 194 131
Ph: 1800 194 131 +61 (2) 6340 0400 www.k-line.net.au
A Division of CNH Industrial
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