2010 Press Releases

Precision agriculture has turned farming into rocket science – quite literally. Agricultural management solutions (AMS) combine GPS data from satellites with geographical information systems to create a powerful tool for the modern farmer.

Tim and Phil May of Green and Gold Contracting have recently upgraded to a John Deere AMS for their operation. “We were running guidance, but last year we skipped right up to auto-steer,” says Tim. “It’s very user-friendly. We have to teach seasonal workers how to use it and they don’t have problems once they’ve found their way round the screen.”

Green and Gold knows just how important getting the job done right is to the bottom line. Aside from managing a 60 hectare block of wheat, barley and grass, they are one of the main contractors in the Methven region for harvesting, windrowing, and silage mowing.

“When the windrowing season kicks in we go 24 hours,” says Tim. “And when the weather comes right for harvesting we go non-stop. There’s such a small window.”

Green and Gold use John Deere’s GreenStar™ system, with StarFire™ 2 for 10 cm pass-to-pass accuracy, and AutoTrac™ for hands-free guidance. “We found it really good,” Tim continues. “During the contracting season it’s a lot easier teaching people how to do the job right when they don’t have to concentrate on steering in a straight line.”

“The John Deere GreenStar™ has proven to be a bloody good system really. People like driving with the GPS. It makes the day go a lot faster. I’ve found going from driving a tractor to using auto-steer that I’m a lot less fatigued. You can do bigger days and reap the benefits from it.”

Aside from the benefits to the operator, the system could be seen to be a luxury. After all, drivers have managed without AMS since tractors were first used in farming. “We’ve seen benefit from it already,” says Tim. “When you work it all back you’re saving fuel and getting out of the paddock quicker.”

“When you’re harvesting you can find your line off it, harvest away, and when you get to the last little bit you’ve got a full header front width. If we were doing the same with hand steering and cutting off a spray mark, you can get to the end and be left with a two meter strip, so the combine is only doing five tonne an hour when it could be doing 50.”

“It’s a big thing on the harvester. We’re getting a lot more capacity with the auto-steer. The main thing is you’re not mucking about overlapping. You’re always on track. If you trace that back it’s a big cost cut.”

“And when you leave the job everything’s perfect, nice and straight, looks a whole lot tidier, and that’s what you want when you’re contracting.”

In tough times, when margins are tight, an AMS could be dismissed as too big an outlay. “Look, it’s not something that’s going to pay itself off overnight,” says Tim, “but in the long run we can see big benefits. In ten years time I can’t see us doing without it.”

One of the reasons people don’t embrace new technology is the fear that there are more things that can go wrong. Time is critical in farming and nobody wants to see tractors parked up doing nothing.

“The support is one of the selling points for John Deere,” says Tim. “You’ve got to have backup. It’s useless having someone sell you a product if he doesn’t know his way around it. If we get an error code, we ring our AMS consultant and he really knows his stuff. You couldn’t ask for better.”

For more information on John Deere Ag Management Solutions, visit our Web site or FREECALL 1800 800 981 in Australia and 0800 303 100 in New Zealand to contact your local John Deere dealer.

John Deere (Deere & Company - NYSE: DE) is the world's leading provider of advanced products and services for agriculture and forestry and a major provider of advanced products and services for construction, lawn and turf care, landscaping and irrigation. John Deere also provides financial services worldwide and manufactures and markets engines used in heavy equipment. Since it was founded in 1837, the company has extended its heritage of integrity, quality, commitment and innovation around the globe.