Tractor, harvester IT comes of age
Over the last halfdecade, digital technology has appeared to be the “must-have” for tractor and machinery companies, who believe that bringing IT to tractors and farming will offer its customers huge benefits.
MF Agri provides a full range of contracting services around the Waikato region, including groundwork, silage and baleage, as well as planting crops for its sheep, beef and dairy clients, many of whom were asking for section control.
MF Agri’s Ben Ferguson says they chose the Tempo for many reasons. He told Rural News the machine does everything you need out of the box, including micro granular applications, precision planting and offering hydraulic downward pressure.
The company’s Väderstad Tempo F8 is a trailed, eight-row planter with a 6m working width, set at 750mm row spacing. It has the ability to apply fertiliser and a 17-litre micro granule hopper, which is also used to apply slug bait when drilling into strip-tilled ground. Each individual seed and fertiliser hopper holds 70 litres and features its own auto shut-off.
MF Agri uses it both as a direct drill and to plant into cultivated ground. Main operator Oli Jenkins says there is no difference between planting directly into untilled ground or into strip-tilled ground. However, he reckons the best results are in cultivated ground after a rotary tiller.
The Tempo offers fast planting speeds thanks to its PowerShoot metering system that uses air pressure to control the seeds’ movement right down the tube until it is in the soil. “Everyone is in a hurry to get their crops in as fast as possible. With the Tempo we can get more work done,” adds Jenkins, who has planted at 15 km/h in good conditions.
While much of the consistency and accuracy is because of PowerShoot, chassis design also plays its part. The machine has four interconnected, hydraulically-controlled wheels on the frame, ensuring consistent planting depths – even on rough ground. The hydraulic system can apply up to 325kg coulter pressure, with adjustments and tweaks achieved via the iPad control function. Each planter unit has its own rate control, allowing for mixed plantings.
Calibration is said to be a straightforward, twominute job. This requires a sample to be weighed, the result entered to the tablet, from where an adjustment is made. Data gathered from each job is stored on the Gateway on each planter, meaning there is no issue should the iPad become lost. The information is also being sent wirelessly back to the office for invoicing or client reference.
“The Tempo has made it easier for us to pick up planting jobs because of its accuracy,” Ferguson says.
