On-Farm Machinery
On-farm
machinery encompasses a variety of activities ranging from fundamental and applied research through to the
design, development, testing and manufacture of modified machinery and prototype
equipment. Our aim is to promote
the adaption of sound engineering solutions into the development of better
performing farm machinery systems, in support of sustainable agricultural
practices. Strong collaboration with the Department of Agronomy and Farming Systems and the Tillage Research Centre at the University of Adelaide ensure a multi-disciplinary pool of expertise in the areas of agronomy, soil science and agricultural engineering. International collaboration also takes place with researchers from Israel at the Technicon, and links are being developed with institutions in Europe and North America.
Research findings in the area of on-farm machinery is actively extended to the Australian farming community through farming workshops, machinery and cropping field days, and research expos. Publications and technical briefs , predominantly in the areas of soil tillage and seeding machinery, are available through the links on this website, or alternatively by contacting the author directly.
Key areas of expertise
- Seed and fertiliser banding technology
- Tillage and seeding machinery design/development
- Deep tillage mechanics
- Soil amelioration machinery
- Air-seeder technology
- Soil-tool interaction
- Residue/tool interactions
- Tillage and seeding tine engineering
- Wear of ground engaging tools
- Chemical spraying technology
- Bulk handling and storage of agricultural products
- Aquaculture mechanisation
- Crop harvesting machinery
- General agricultural machinery
Outcomes from our expertise within soil machinery design have resulted in the following developments:
- a partially parallel stump jump mechanism for energy efficient tillage operations (Award winner of the 1988 BHP competition)
- a ground contour following opener mechanism for broadacre seeding machinery, in collaboration with Agrowplow - Soil Care Systems International, NSW
- a clay subsoil delving prototype for the management of non-wetting sands in duplex soils, in collaboration with the Bordertown and District Landcare Group, South Australia
- Soil contour furrower for tree planting, in collaboration with the Department of Conservation and Land Management, NSW
- Millmenn prickle chain system
Recent Projects
Projects focus on tillage and agricultural machinery research to provide benefits back to farmers and agricultural machinery manufacturers:
- Improved tillage and seeding equipment
- Cropping system research: importance of no-till seeding system technology (GRDC,SAGITF, Industry)
- Nation-wide survey of disc seeder users in zero-till context (Early Part I results - 402kB)