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.
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.
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
Registration is essential.
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.