Case IH appoints AFS product manager

With precision agriculture being an increasingly important aspect of farm management, Case IH Australia/New Zealand has appointed a new representative for its Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) product tasked with spreading the word about the suite of technology.

Sean McColley has been in the role since January this year and is based in Toowoomba, Queensland. He grew up in Moree on a cotton farm before spending nine months in Tennesee in the US attending the ACSA International Cotton Institute, honing his skills as a cotton classer and marketer.

On his return to Australia in 1997, he joined Weil Brothers in Moree, and then relocated to Toowoomba a few years later to establish a base for the company.

He then worked in precision agriculture with a Toowoomba-based machinery dealership before spending nine years travelling the globe with Precision Cotton Technologies, marketing a water management system in a variety of different markets around the world.

When McColley saw the new role being advertised, he got excited about the prospect of him working closely with Case IH’s brand new AFS Connect technology.

“I was so keen to be involved with the transition to this new technology and the machines at the centre of it, and the game-changing benefits AFS Connect offers our customers,” he said.

AFS Connect is a new connectivity solution integrating proven elements of Case IH Advanced Farming Systems technology to link farm, fleet and data; and allows Case IH owners to make better-informed decisions based on data generated by their machines.

So far, Case IH has integrated AFS Connect into two of its larger tractor line-ups including the Magnum and Steiger.

McColley said it’s exciting to see where precision agriculture is heading, particularly given how far it’s come in a relatively short time.

“I’ve certainly seen it evolve over time, from when auto steer first came out to now when we’re doing a lot more with machine data so customers can make better, more timely, cost-saving decisions,” he said.

“Technology like AFS is just part of farming these days and is certainly driven by what the customer wants and needs, which manufacturers like Case IH are listening to and investing in.”

McColley said he is looking forward to engaging with customers on Case IH’s suite of AFS products, not just informing them about new products like AFS Connect, but also educating them on existing technologies they might have at their fingertips.

“It’s about ensuring customers know what they already have within their machinery and encouraging them to use it to its potential,” he said.

“It’s too big an investment not to be utilising the technology you already have access to.

“The message is it’s easy to use, it’s designed to be farmer-friendly and it’s aimed at streamlining and guiding decision-making that maximises efficiency, productivity and profits.”