John Deere Australia and New Zealand production systems manager Stephanie Gersekowski was the keynote speaker at the Australian Fodder Industry Association’s 25th annual conference in Coffs Harbour, bringing together some of the leading voices in the industry under the theme ‘Fodder=Opportunities’.
“In today’s economic and climatic conditions, a focus on risk mitigation, productivity gains and increased profitability, along with building industry resilience, is absolutely essential to drive sustainable, long-term success within the sector,” Stephanie told the audience.
“We want to be sustainable and profitable in terms of the production of fodder, and I feel that there is an obligation for the enterprises that support fodder production, like John Deere, to not only provide you with the best products and technology to help improve productivity on farm but continue to support and engage with industry bodies like AFIA.”
Stephanie said that as a regular participant at industry events, the subject of autonomy is a hot topic of discussion.
“Over the last couple of years, I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the opportunity with automation and there’s only ever two responses I receive,” she said.
“The first is ‘I want it now’ and the second is ‘I can’t see it working for us’.
“For those who are ready to adopt there are steps to be taking to prepare for autonomy and for those who are sceptical, I will ask that you consider the solutions I’m about to run you through and ask yourselves: Can it save you on cost, can it save you on time, and can it improve your overall job execution?
“Autonomy is much more than just a driverless tractor.”
Precision ag
Stephanie said the foundation of autonomy was John Deere’s Precision Ag ecosystem, which optimises workflow of farm management and is already available via John Deere Operations Center.
HarvestLab 300 is a small near-infrared analyser that fits directly onto a forage harvester or can be used separately for table-top analysis.
“HarvestLab supports post-season feed analysis for your fodder consumers,” Stephanie said.
“Producers can better understand the nutritional value and optimise their feed mixes to support higher milk quality or, if you’re feedlotting, to support better weight gain in your cattle.”
Bale tracking
Stephanie launched Bale Doc at the National Fodder Conference in 2023 and said it enabled near-real-time moisture and weight data in addition to bale count.
“When you are in the tractor, this information is going to allow you to help monitor and track your bale location as well as the conditions you’re working in,” she said.
“It really represents a mini-income statement, so every single bale you’re recording is an income statement for the entire year when it comes to bale production.
“Post-season analysis via a harvest layer within Ops Center will also allow you to understand how you can change your inputs for the next season to get more productivity out of your hay, year-on-year.”
Milk sustainability
The Milk Sustainabilty Center is a new platform being rolled out globally in a partnership between John Deere and DeLaval, ahead of its launch in Australia and New Zealand.
Stephanie said the MSC worked seamlessly with John Deere Operations Center to allow dairy customers to calculate, benchmark, simulate and optimise nutrient use efficiency and CO2 for sustainable and profitable decision-making, while complying with increasing regulatory pressures.
“For fodder producers, it will extend the value proposition that they can provide to their customers,” she said.
“These are just three examples of the building blocks that are leading us towards automation and autonomy in the hay and forage production cycles.”
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