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Farmer Brian Rogers says John Deere technology helps them manage inputs more efficiently.
Areare Farms, a dairy operation in the Waikato region spanning multiple properties and milking 760 cows, now has Jenna and her brother Brian Rogers, the third generation of the family business, working alongside their parents Phil and Jackie.
What began with Phil’s father on about 36 hectares at Taupiri, north of Hamilton, has grown to more than 220ha, complemented by support blocks that take the total to over 400ha.
Long before precision technology entered the picture, John Deere was already part of the picture, with Phil buying his first green and yellow tractor around 1980. They now run a fleet of 6 Series machines equipped with technology that helps the family work more precisely as input costs climb.
“Everything such as fuel, power and feed has become more expensive, but technology is helping us manage those inputs more effectively,” says Brian Rogers.
“John Deere Section Control and variable rate technology allows us to tackle a challenge by many farmers – paddocks that are rarely neat squares. Section Control means we’re not wasting product on an area that we’ve already sprayed.”
Brian said he knows the system is working, since he orders the same amount of the input, but there is more left over, meaning that accuracy has improved.
For the Rogers, precision in the paddock is only part of the picture, with JD Operations Center keeping a digital record of work completed across the farm, including where products have been applied and proof of placement, helping to simplify reporting and calling up regulatory details at the push of a button.
Operations Center also helps the family prepare jobs for machines and map out which paddocks need to be covered with the Work Planner feature.
“In practice, the operator gets the plan, and the tractor is preloaded with where it needs to go and what it needs to do,” said Brian.
On a dairy farm that operates around the clock, Brian explains, time saved on one job can quickly be put to good use somewhere else.
While the machinery and technology have evolved, the family’s relationship with its local John Deere dealership has endured, with territory manager Colin Henderson having worked with the family for 32 years, initially as a diesel mechanic servicing their tractors before moving into a sales and support role. The longevity reflects the importance of having strong dealership support behind the machinery.
Looking to the future, Brian is already looking at yield mapping and how that data could eventually guide variable rate fertiliser applications.
“Being able to collect data from yield mapping and then use that information to spread fertiliser with a variable rate means the machine can put it exactly where it’s needed is the key to not wasting inputs,” said Brian.
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