Brace for tech wave, farmers told

Big data, automation and technology are set to shape the future of Australia's agricultural industry and the only way forward is to embrace them, an ag-delegation was told at a recent conference.

The annual Tractor and Machinery Association of Australia (TMA) conference was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground this week and was attended by about 150 farmers, machinery dealers, manufacturers and agronomists.

The hot topic this year was technology and how it will change the face of agriculture. An example was automation, which according to Case IH product manager Pete McCann, will be "the next tsunami".

"We need to take the variable component out of the tractor, that is the operator, and take full control of the machine," he says.

"It won’t happen next year but it’s coming, no doubt. In the last 15 years, Auto Steer was probably one of the biggest advancements in our industry that improves efficiency, so the next phase will be to let the machine do the whole lot."

Another trend on the horizon, according to experts, is the increasing size and power of machinery.

"Currently, we carry a 15,000-litre cart but in two years' time we will have a 25,000-litre one," says Peter Piddington from local tillage and seeding machinery manufacturer Gason.

"Currently the width of our machines is 18m, in three to four years' time we’ll get to 24m. So we're definitely heading towards bigger machinery."

However, manufacturers warn that red tape could slow down the advancement of Australian agriculture.

"Even if you manage to get big seeders down to 4m width for transport; throw in an articulated tractor and road authorities will say you are putting too much weight on the roads," Piddington says.

"My belief is that regulators do not want agricultural equipment on the roads and they will continue to make it difficult."

Case IH's Pete McCann believes automation won't be realised on Australian farms unless regulations are reviewed.

"We all know what OH&S regulations are like currently, so I can't imagine them (the authorities) sleeping well knowing tractors are moving up and down fields by themselves, day and night," he says.

"Regulations will really put the brakes on automation in Australia. I’m hoping with rural pressure, the authorities will loosen up a bit."

Data collection also emerged as a hot subject of discussion at the conference, with most attendees agreeing that data has been underused.

"We collect a lot of data, but no one really knows what to do with them yet. As an OEM, we provide the tools to help customers gather the data; what they do with it after that is up to them," says McCann.

The real potential in data collection, according to sprayer manufacturer Croplands, is remote diagnostics.

"There’s a great opportunity for machinery dealerships and OEMs to understand remote diagnostics and drive maintenance around that," says Croplands general manager Sean Mulvaney.

"For example, it will be useful for dealers to get a heads up on what the issues are before they head out to service a piece of equipment. It also helps dealers monitor one's maintenance program and alert the owner when it’s time for the machine to be serviced."

However, CLAAS dealership Landpower general manager Paul Barry says the technology will go nowhere if telecommunications coverage is not improved.

"Remote diagnostics sounds good on a brochure but I haven’t seen anyone making it work yet," he says.

"These are all good technologies but as an industry we need to convince phone companies to build the right networks to support them."

Best year in machinery sales since 1987

The conference also saw the launch of TMA's latest State of the Industry machinery sales report.

According to the report, 2015 was another tough year for machine sales, however things are looking up. New tractor sales continue to top the one billion dollar mark at $1095.9 million, up 9.4 per cent from the previous year.

Ag-machinery market research company Agriview, which retrieved the statistics for TMA's report, says 2015 was the best year since 1987 and caps off a five-year run of selling over 10,000 units which hasn't occurred since the early to mid-1980s.

"I think you would have to agree that we are experiencing the best of it at the moment and it is hard to see why this would not continue in the next few years," says Agriview director Alan Kirsten.

"For the first time in a very long time, Australia's agriculture sector is being recognised as a key element in Australia's economic make up and it’s attracting much needed investment in infrastructure and those businesses that support the sector."

Sales of major machinery lines overall, which includes tractors, balers, combine harvesters, hay tools and windrowers, totalled $1.662 billion in 2015, an increase of 11 per cent on 2014's results.