With reduced input costs and improved operating efficiencies of between 10 per cent and 15pc, South Australian farmers Murray and Kym I'Anson believe they are on a winner.
These are the key benefits the I'Ansons have gained with their system of no-till tramline farming and from the purchase of their John Deere GreenStar 2 guidance and documentation system which is now used in their tractors and harvester.
Murray and Kym, together with their wives Ann and Katie, run a 1200ha no-till and continuous cropping program on their Prospect Hill farm near Marrabel, in the State’s Mid North.
"With Greenstar 2 we are now armed with all the right information to make better paddock management decision," Kym said.
"Combine this with our tramline (or controlled traffic) system of cropping, has I believe, been a real winner for us.
"Not only do we get all the accuracy benefits with our planting, spraying and spreading operations, we are now also able to farm our country on a site specific variable rate basis which is a great help in keeping our input costs down."
Kym I'Anson says he believes the family’s no-till, tramline farming system coupled with the use of the GreenStar 2 as an operational and paddock management tool, has made a major contribution to the family’s long-term profitability and viability.
He estimates savings of 3-5pc on input costs, up to 5pc through up and back no-till tramline farming with less soil compaction and higher yields, and 3-5pc with more accurate operations with the GPS guidance system.
* Extract from a series of special machinery reports to appear in Stock Journal, May 22 edition.