Farming systems and production management
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Research outcomes: Growers and harvesters benefit from the ongoing research in productivity improvement, production management and agronomical techniques. Developed technologies and management practices that enhance productivity and demonstrate a high rate of return on investment.
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Item Implementation of controlled traffic farming of sugarcane in the Herbert River district : SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project Final report GGP003(SRDC, 2007) Morris, EThe Pinnacle Precision Farming (PPF) Group was formed with the goal of implementing and benefiting from the principals of controlled traffic farming using techniques being used by the Sugar Yield Decline Joint Venture Team on a trial and demonstration plot located on the farm operated by Ed Morris located in Toobanna. However we could not envisage a Double Disc Opener Planter (DDOP) being viable unless it was able to successfully plant cane billets instead of using whole cane stalk planters as used by the SYDJV Team.Item Electronic logbook for harvest record keeping : SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project final report(2007) Dore, BThe main project aims were to develop an electronic harvester logging system that would be user friendly and reduce the requirements for manual entry of data. The information collected was then collated and reported to the grower so that his/her farm could be bench marked against the rest of the group. The project also aimed to provide an alternative to the current fleet logging systems developed for transport or mining industries and adapted to the sugar industry. Other project aims included the initial steps in the development of parameters for the adoption of differential pricing for harvesting and/or pricing that was linked to harvest performance. The essence of the project was to take a manual system of recording data via log books and converting to an electronic form. This involved the utilising personal digital appliances (PDA-small hand-held computers), developing software for the PDA and base computer to collect and store logged information. The information was then collated and presented to each grower in the group. Overall the project was a success. The use of personal PDA and/or mini computers as a substitute for paper based logbooks is feasible. However the technology does have constraints. Primarily there is still a reliance on human input of data. This task, while less onerous when utilising electronic means for recording data, still requires valuable operator time to complete and is prone to error. The system developed also relied on a physical connection between the PDA and the base computer for data transfer. Improvements in technology now permit the use of PDA/mobile phone hybrids to download this information automatically. Other aims of the project that were not realised were linking to Tully Sugar Limited (TSL) systems to obtain grower data on the tonnes cut and quality measurements for the cane supplied. Whilst technically possible the current data structures at TSL don’t provided for easy external access by third parties. There is also privacy issues involved in accessing this data. These constraints did not allow harvest performance per block to be reported to growers. Data was collected on the field conditions at the time of harvest. This information was then matched to corresponding NIR measured quality parameters for the cane supplied. There appears to be a link between the quality of the cane supply and field conditions at the time of harvest. This result must be qualified with fact that the field condition observations were subjective and the data set was relatively small. However the effect of the field conditions on cane quality should be explored to try to determine these effects as this will become critical in the development and application of performance based payment for harvesting linked to cane quality outcomes.Item Overcoming barriers to controlled traffic adoption : SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project final report(2007) Aylward, CAt the commencement of this project, the available solutions for keeping harvesting traffic centred on wider row spacings while adequately filling cane bins are not effective. This was due to unsuitable harvester elevator design, which results in a larger proportion of the field area being compacted, defeating the purpose of controlled traffic farming. The issue of getting cane into bins in wider row spacings is more problematic than was currently recognised by those promoting the adoption of CTFS in the sugar industry. The existing harvester elevator suits 1.5m row spacings. Simply extending the whole elevator is too expensive and increases weight, as do bolt on elevator extensions, which reduces harvester stability on uneven fields, being a major safety issue. This problem has plagued several of our group members and visitors from other areas such as Maryborough, have nominated this safety issue as a major reason growers will not adopt wider row spacings. Several of our group members (in a harvesting Co-op) have spent $5000 repairing slews, bearings, pivot points etc due to the additional wear and tear caused by the weight of a bolt on conveyor. Other group members have reported reduced bin weights which have raised concerns for mill transport scheduling staff. In 2004, three of our group members trialled powered paddles on their harvesters. All successfully overcame the weight and stability issues, they were cheap to construct, they were effective in allowing machinery to remain centred in the interspace, thus minimising compacted area, and they were effective at maintaining suitable bin weights in both wide row spacings (CT) and narrow (1.5m) row spacings of farms in conversion to CTFS. However, because of different elevator designs on the different harvesters, only one paddle operated successfully, the other two increased cane losses through recirculation and also through the secondary extractor. Group members realised we need assistance from experienced harvester engineers to successfully over come these problems. SRDC funding was sought to assist with these costs. This project aimed to continue work commenced by group members in 2004 harvest season.Item Improved harvesting efficiency in farming systems : SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project final report(2007) Tabone, BThe aim of the project was to achieve more efficient harvesting within our group. We monitored the harvesting effort for each paddock to determine the levels of paddock efficiency and increase awareness of the results. The results from two seasons are as different as the weather conditions during the growing and the harvest. It can be noted the through put during both years in both crop configurations is less in the 2006 season. The 2006 season had a damp start and a very wet middle and a dry end (thank goodness) As a result, more engine hours per ton were required to harvest the crop. Wet field conditions and lower bin weights, equates to more trips for the haul outs realising a small increase in fuel consumption. The work efficiency is the relationship between total engine hours and total elevator hours expressed as a percentage. The elevator was running 5% longer while harvesting twin rows in 2006 which indicates a slower forward speed during cutting. To reward on farm efficiency, a new payment system needed to be formulated to achieve a harvester price differential. The payment system most widely accepted is the hourly rate as can be monitored easily and ratified by the growers. The growers would also get an instant benefit from any on farm improvements they made such as pipe crossings making hauls shorter and haul road improvements. Also, conditions change each year which makes it difficult to adopt any other formula which would be as indicative or relative to each situation.Item Modified rotary-pinch chopper system for improved harvesting efficiency : SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project final report(2007) Smith, MABin weight is becoming an increasingly topical issue for the Australian sugar industry, with millers and haul-out contractors seeking to improve the efficiency of their operations by hauling more cane per trip using existing infrastructure. This has meant that there is considerable pressure within the industry to reduce billet length. This program of work aimed to facilitate the adoption of feedtrain/chopper synchronisation through the development of a modified rotary-pinch chopper system. The design principle is based on the concept of obtaining variable length billets through one revolution of the chopper drum, not through manipulating feedtrain roller speed. The conceptual design of the proof-of-concept modified rotary-pinch chopper system was developed and presented to Corradini Engineering for review, detailed design and manufacture. After fabrication the ‘Corradini’ proof-of-concept chopper system was installed on a harvester that is used to cut billets for planting and as a backup commercial machine. Initial comparative trials were successfully undertaken at Fairymead Plantation in Bundaberg during the 2006 harvest season. A standard 15-inch chopper system with unsynchronised (variable) and synchronised (uniform) feedtrain setup was compared with the ‘Corradini’ proofof- concept rotary-pinch chopper system (MRPCS) with synchronised feedtrain setup. The functionality of the ‘Corradini’ proof-of-concept MRPCS was assessed with no differences in operational performance observed or noted by the machine operator when compared with a standard 15-inch chopper system. This included no recirculation of billets and a throw velocity identical to that of a standard 15-inch system. In the 2006 trials, the ‘Standard’ chopper variable billet length treatment resulted in the greatest packing density, with 380 kg/m3 ,and the uniform length billets the lowest with 365 kg/m3. The packing density of the ‘Corradini’ proof-of-concept MRPCS variable length billet treatment was found to be 375 kg/m3 . The corresponding average reduction in bin weight from the standard chopper variable length billets was found to be 1%. Alternatively, an increase in bin weight of 2.7% was found when compared with the standard chopper uniform length billets.Item Controlled traffic farming systems for the North Coast Grower Group : SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project Final report(2008) Fox, J; Zamparutti, MThe 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 environment (seasonal conditions, soil types, farm layouts and variable equipment) and improve the financial sustainability of the group members.Item Implementation of improved sugarcane farming systems in the Clare area, Burdekin District, North Queensland : SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project Final report(2007) Hatch, PThe MIG 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 particular, significant opportunities to reduce: •land preparation costs, from $265/ha in the conventional practice down to $131/ha, •general growing costs, from $209/ha down to $108/ha, and •irrigation costs, from $394/ha down to approximately $305/ha, appear to exist. 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). As a result, all members of MIG have moved over to planting into preformed beds; however some members of MIG prefer 1.52m singles over duals on 2.0m centres. The group recognises that during the course of the project, several errors were made with the trial design; in particular there was no planting of the 1.52m conventional practice with the mound planted systems, no replication of treatments, and fertiliser rates were not the same in each treatment. This has been a great learning experience for the group, which is now better placed to conduct future on-farm research.Item Facilitating enhanced peanut / sugarcane rotations by assessing and managing the issues related to growing peanuts : SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project final report(2008) Halpin, DRotation cropping has been identified by the Sugar Yield decline Joint Venture (SYDJV) as a critical tool in addressing decline in the Australian sugar industry. Previous research demonstrates that when break crops are combined with correct row spacing, GPS guidance and minimal cultivation they can be powerful tools in addressing yield decline. Producers on sandy soil have found that the nematode controlling effects of growing peanuts as a break crop is more beneficial than other legumes. The industry standard for peanut production in cane based farming systems involves a number of cultivations. There is ample evidence demonstrating that cultivation is detrimental to soil biology and structure. This body of evidence was at the heart of the members of SSPag when they decided they wanted to try to grow peanuts in an uncultivated cane trash blanket. That was our aim. In order to achieve our goal we sought and received support from SRDC to conduct the trial work necessary. The trial included a Factorial Randomized Area as part of a 3.3ha site. The randomised area was comprised of three tillage regimes (conventional, reduced and zero) by two fertiliser treatments (nil and 100kgN/ha supplied as urea) with four replicates. Each experimental unit consisted of three 1.83m beds by 20m row length. The trial was implemented in a third ratoon paddock of Cv. Q188 that had been grown on 1.83m beds with a dual row configuration under green cane trash blanket. The whole area was treated with Lime @ 3t/ha and Dolomite @ 1t/ha applied to the trash surface. The main trial area was fertilised as dictated by soil testing but the nitrogen component was modified in the randomised trial area. A literature search made us believe that we needed to rip under the peanut row to alleviate the compaction caused by the cane harvesting equipment. This was done using a coulter and Yeoman ripper in all areas except the zero till plots. The conventionally cultivated plots were cultivated by rotary hoe in addition to the ripping. The soil was quite moist for the ripping process and not all the ripper tracks closed in even after the application of a waisted roller. The peanuts were planted using an inclined plate seed meter and “Day Break” single disc opener. The seeds were dusted with inoculant before being loaded into the planter.. The strike was slow and uneven because of a number of issues. The most critical was the failure of the disc to cut the trash cleanly resulting in the seeds being enveloped by trash causing poor soil to seed contact and therefore poor and slow germination and failure of the inoculant due to drying out Another issue was the open ripper marks saw some seeds going deep into the soil and only emerging some weeks later. The results at harvest were best in the conventional system with the zero till being the worst. Only the conventional system produced a viable result. The addition of the nitrogen had a positive effect in all cultivation regimes. The cane crop following the peanuts saw a not statistically significant effect, that the conventionally cultivated plots were most productive and the zero till the least productive. It should be noted here that no fertiliser at all was added to grow the cane crop in the rep area because we thought this would even out the resulting cane crop. This was probably true as the plots that had the N added to the peanut crop outperformed the plots that had no N added to the peanut crop. In some areas of the bulk area of the trial we fertilised the crop as is the normal practice and did not fertilise in other areas. At harvest it was determined that the unfertilised sections were less productive but more profitable when taking into account the cost of the applied fertiliser. Overall the project alerted us to the need for a purpose built planter that would be able to successfully plant peanuts through the trash blanket. We applied to SRDC for support for this and were successful in gaining funding and building the planter. The results of this project GGP040 is available through SRDC.Item Implementation of a 2M farming system : SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project Final report(2008) Singh, RThe SYDJV with research conducted over some fourteen years, recommended the adoption of a new farming system based on controlled traffic, minimum tillage, and break cropping. Cane harvesters and associated haul out equipment have the highest axle loadings of any agricultural equipment resulting in severe compaction of cane growing land. The design of modern harvesters has focused on increasing throughput to contain costs. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a mismatch between row spacing and harvester wheel tracks. While sugarcane displays environmental plasticity by adjusting to a range of row spacing without yield loss, research has shown that going to 1.8m row spacing and beyond is outside this range. Yield losses of 10% in plant cane for 1.8m rows have been shown except for some high input, irrigated cropping situations. Harvester design has placed constraints on the farming system where in fact the harvester should be built to suit the optimum row spacing necessary for a sustainable farming system where both economic and environmental factors are taken into consideration. After listening to debates within the Tropical City Group regarding the relative merits of 1.8m singles and duals, 1.9m duals, and 2m duals the Singh Harvesting Group believed that the 2m/0.8m dual row system was the best option. The experience of the Petersens in Maryborough and Gerry Deguara of Mackay gave the group confidence that this configuration was worth testing in NQ. The group had prior experience with 1.8m/0.5m duals and 1.8m wide singles.Item Nutrient management from variable rate technology in a control traffic system by the Oakenden Grower Group : SRDC Grower Group Innovation Project final report(2008) Muscat, JThe aim of the project is to determine the benefits of nutrient management system in a controlled traffic farming enterprise in an environmentally sustainable manner. The project will determine the cost benefits by comparing the conventional nutrient application to variable rate application. It will determine the difference between narrow chute planting and wide chute planting. The project will compare different legumes and the impact on the following cane crop. Oakenden Grower Group has documented a fact sheet to enable growers some insight when choosing a GPS system in a question and answer style information sheet. The Oakenden Grower group was keen to understand the economic impact of these trails which are highlighted in the trial results.