Latest Tech On Display At Grower Expo Day

Farmers from as far afield as Narromine, Hillston, Tongala and Finley headed to Temora on April 4, 2019 to join our team for the Hutcheon & Pearce Grower Expo Day.

Held at the FarmLink Temora Agricultural Innovation Centre, the event showcased John Deere technology offerings across all stages of dryland crop production and included ‘Ride and Drive’ Stations where growers could get their hands on the latest and greatest in JD machinery.

As TECSight Field Specialist Manager Glen Montgomery explains, the Expo piggybacked on in-depth training being held for John Deere dealers.

“John Deere had some training that ran over a whole month, and dealers from all over Australia came to Temora to see all the latest technology and the new equipment to be released. Having all this on our doorstep gave us the opportunity to host a Grower Day and give our customers first-hand exposure to this equipment.

“The day started with a meet and greet in the morning from Hutcheon & Pearce Sales Manager Andrew Sands, then we got everyone on the minibus and took them to the different stations located around the farm. These stations were broken down into topics: Manage, Land Prep, Seeding, Spraying and Harvest, with corresponding machinery on show. The Manage station covered software to help the farmers manage their farming operations, like MyJohnDeere.com and Operations Centre.

“We had the bus continuously shuttling back and forwards so people could go at their own pace and spend time in the areas they’re most interested in.”

As well as showcasing R4060 sprayers with Exact Apply nozzle technology and the all-new 8380RT seeder with AutoTrac Turn Automation, the day also included a number of presentations from experts in seeding technology, T3RRACUTTA land forming software and the S700 automated harvester.

“We had Ginny Stevens from Active Farmers talk about physical and mental health and Mary O’Brien talk about spray regulations and best practice. I know a lot of people came to the day specifically to hear Mary’s presentation. She is really down-to-earth and explained thinks like wind drift and inversions in basic terms, which people relate to.” [Note: you can read more about Mary O’Brien – also known as Spray Drift Girl – on page XX.]

Glen said the Temora Agricultural Innovation Centre was the perfect venue for the Grower Expo.

“Having the Centre in our footprint is really beneficial to both our business and our customers. John Deere has really got on board with the centre and it’s great to have their farm data to demonstrate how the machinery and software all work together.

“And the venue itself is second-to-none,  with brand new nice and tidy sheds. Its location is pretty central for our area, making it easy for our customers and staff to get to for expos like this one. Anyone who has never been there before is sort of blown away as soon as they drive in, especially by the Trefle Shed, which was the venue for all our presentations. It’s unbelievable.”

Glen is hopeful that everyone in attendance walked away with greater knowledge of the resources available to them to help run their farm operations.

“The way that tractors and combines and sprayers all integrate with John Deere software management systems now is seamless. You can basically run your farm remotely from your iPad or smart phone. 

“It’s easy for people to just go along with the same old way of doing things. They can get a little bit scared of the new technologies so we want to build awareness of just how easy it is now and how you can work in with your agronomist knowing that all your records and your yield maps are sent up to the cloud every time a machine finishes a paddock.

“Armed with that knowledge, you can make informed decisions about your farm and we see it as our role at Hutcheon & Pearce to keep building that awareness and helping people access the tools they need to get the job done.”

“Like a Christmas wish list”

Some of the machines demonstrated at the Grower Expo Day: 

• 2 x R4060 sprayers, demonstrating Exact Apply modes, set up prescriptions, mobile connect
• S780, demonstrating machine sync including remote adjust feature with 7310R on Coolamon chaser bin.
• 8370RT with 40Ft 1890 and 1910 with section command, demonstrating new cab suspension, turn automation and section command
• 7290R with 1910 cart only connected with section command
• 8345R connected to JNR scraper, including T3RRACUTTER demo
• 6250R with Command Pro joystick