The 5 most read farm machinery stories of 2017

It has been an eventful year for the farm machinery industry, to say the least. The sector has witnessed the launch of plenty of new farm rigs this year but the ones that get the most attention share common traits: big, beefy machines often beyond most budgets, or quirky innovations that are some years from realisation.

We take a look back at the year that was, and put together our top five most popular stories of the year for your enjoyment:

5.

As global demand for food and fibre skyrockets, the pressure is on for Australian farmers to do more on their farms each and every single day. As a result, manufacturers are bringing out wider and larger machines to answer to those needs, and Canadian manufacturer Bourgault was no exception.

In June this year, Bourgault launched its 24m 3420 PHD Paralink hoe drill in Australia, with a 30m model to follow next season.

Its biggest feature was perhaps its ability to cover 24m wide in one pass and fold down to 5.4m in just three minutes for safe transportation. Its impressive technology has won the drill a Machine of the Year award at the Henty Machinery Field Days in September 2017.

We all love a backyard tinkering story, and the Tornado Harvester Airflow System is a classic example of tinkering done right.

In response to a number of growers’ accounts, as well as personal experiences of headers catching fire during harvest, the Burchell brothers from Horsham, Victoria, worked with a hydraulics specialist in Horsham to develop the Tornado Harvester Airflow System.

The innovative unit is not designed as a cooling system, but rather uses the header’s hydraulics to drive a blower fan blasting dust and crop residue from potential hot spots to prevent header and harvester fires.

When Case IH lifted the cover off its autonomous tractor prototype in the US last year, it created a worldwide buzz, not just within the agricultural industry but among tech fanatics everywhere.

It is cabless, driverless, and features a sleek design reminiscent of a sports car. Combining functionality and design, Case IH’s Autonomous Concept Vehicle aims to prove that agricultural machinery can be both productive and stylish.

This year, the tractor travelled Down Under and made its Australian debut at the AgQuip field days where we caught a glimpse of the impressive unit.

In an increasingly digital world, one could almost order anything to their doorstep with just the push of a button, either on their computers or mobile devices. Food, cars, flowers, clothes, and soon, abattoir.

A new concept designed to bring the slaughtering service to cattle farms has won acclaim for its innovation and commitment to improving the red meat supply chain and animal welfare.

So much so that it was named the winner at this year’s inaugural SproutX ag-tech competition, in which the mobile abattoir service, named Farmgate MSU, took home $500 in prize money in addition to $40,000 in funding to further develop the concept.

The number one on our most-read list this year probably came as no surprise. Big boys love their big toys and Fendt's 1000 series tractors with maximum power output sitting north of 500hp is the stuff most farmers dream of owning and driving on their farms.

Released globally in 2015, the acclaimed rig swept up most major machinery awards worldwide including Tractor of the Year and Machine of the Year. So when the German manufacturer’s much talked about workhorses finally touched down in Australia this year, the sector was awash with excitement.

If you are after maximum efficiency on your farm, need to pull massive implements, love some good European technology and have about half a million dollars to spare, this rig is for you.