Riverine Plains & GRDC Harvester Set-up workshops

GRDC Harvester Workshops: Prevent grain losses and improve profits this harvest

Grain growers across Queensland and New South Wales will have the opportunity to sharpen their harvest performance and reduce grain losses through a series of free Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) harvester workshops this August and September.

Delivered by Riverine Plains and Paul McIntosh, the practical full-day workshops will provide growers with practical information to improve harvester productivity, minimise grain losses and make informed decisions ahead of harvest.

GRDC Senior Regional Manager - North, Rebecca Raymond said even small improvements in harvester set-up and operation could have a significant impact on grain recovery, efficiency and overall profitability.

“These workshops are designed to give growers practical, evidence-based information. By bringing together leading harvest experts from across the grains industry, we are helping growers better understand where grain losses occur and what can be done to minimise them.”

“GRDC is pleased to support these workshops as part of our commitment to investing in extension activities that help growers adopt proven practices and improve on-farm outcomes.”

The free workshops bring together harvester specialists, industry experts and researchers for facilitated discussions and practical demonstrations covering preventable grain losses, methods for measuring harvest loss, harvester efficiency and output, harvest weed seed control, fire prevention and the calibration of harvester technology.

New South Wales grain grower Rory Keady, who attended a previous workshop, said the sessions provided valuable insights and practical ideas.

"Great to get the tips from the workshop and see the changes make a difference for us... best harvest we have had with low losses!" Mr Keady said.

Workshop leaders

The workshops will be led by industry specialists including:

• Murray Skayman — Independent Harvest Specialist, International
• Brett Asphar — Independent Harvest Specialist, Australia
• Kassie van der Westhuizen — Independent Harvester Specialist, Australia
• Ben White — Kondinin Group
• Peter Broley — Primary Sales Australia

The workshops will also include practical demonstrations by industry representatives and machinery manufacturers.

Program

The workshop program will cover:
• Understanding the impact of harvest loss
• Measuring grain loss and adjusting harvesters to reduce losses
• The latest harvest weed seed control information
• Setting up mill systems, including iHSD, Seed Terminator and Seed Control Unit
• Chaff decks and chaff lining
• Reducing the risk of harvester fires
• Improving harvester capacity and efficiency
• Managing harvest operations, productivity and economics

Dates and Locations:

• Kupunn – Qld, Monday 31 August, 9am – 3pm AEST. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/grdc-harvester-set-up-workshop-kupunnducklo-qld-tickets-1995603332287
• Felton – Qld, Tuesday 1 September, 9am – 3pm AEST. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/grdc-harvester-set-up-workshop-felton-qld-tickets-1995603536899
• West Wyalong – NSW, Thursday 3 September, 9am – 3pm Register at: https://riverineplains.org.au/events/grdc-harvester-set-up-west-wyalong
• Jerilderie – NSW, Friday 4 September, 9am- 3pm. Register at: https://riverineplains.org.au/events/grdc-harvester-set-up-jerilderie
• Brocklesby – NSW, Tuesday 15 September, 9am –3pm. Register at: https://riverineplains.org.au/events/grdc-harvester-set-up-brocklesby

Registration is essential for catering purposes.

Further event details and registration links will be available through the GRDC events page and participating farming systems groups.

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Media contact
Lynn Macaulay, Extension and Capability Manager, Riverine Plains | 0408 542 160 | lynn@riverineplains.org.au

More information
Riverine Plains
(03) 5744 1713

Riverine Plains is an independent farming systems group specialising in farmer driven research and extension across northeast Victoria and southern New South Wales. For more information, or to become a member, please visit riverineplains.org.au.