The importance of Western Australia to the success of the nation’s agriculture industry has been highlighted along with the latest in machinery technology to assist with greater efficiency and profitability for farmers.
John Deere Australia and New Zealand managing director Luke Chandler attended the 2023 Dowerin Machinery Field Days launch in Perth on August 29, where he told a sold-out crowd that the future of farming in WA was “bright”.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt and WA Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti were on site to support the launch of the State’s largest agricultural event, which brings together agriculture decision makers from across the supply chain, from agribusiness, machinery, equipment, livestock, professional services sectors, as well as technology providers.
Mr Chandler said Australian agriculture had passed through an “extremely positive period” and John Deere was focussed on continuing to support its customers to be the “most profitable, productive and sustainable in the world”.
“Historically, when we’ve thought about farm machinery it has been about making hard-iron equipment larger and more powerful, but now it’s more about automation, data and intelligence — and we see a future where farmers will be able to make decisions on a plant-by-plant basis,” Mr Chandler said.
“One of the most exciting recent developments at John Deere has been the release of our See and Spray Technology, which can reduce herbicide use by up to 77 per cent with its advanced camera and nozzle control technology.
“This means economic savings for farmers as well as lessening environmental impacts.”
Speaking about the increasing importance of attracting and retaining talent in the industry, Mr Chandler gave credit to the innovative methods its largest dealership in WA, AFGRI Equipment, was undertaking to recruit staff and improve training programs.
“AFGRI is partnering with specialised agricultural training facility, the Muresk Institute, to enhance their apprenticeship program,” Mr Chandler said.
“They are nurturing the pipeline of talented people working on John Deere equipment throughout the west, and that was evident at our annual Technician of the Year Awards.
“Three Western Australian technicians made the finals, with Poppy Blohm from AFGRI’s Narrogin branch taking home the Parts Apprentice of the Year Award ahead of five of her counterparts from Australia and New Zealand.”
He said having enthusiastic people like Ms Blohm building their careers and supporting customers during time critical seasons was important in helping farmers increase productivity and profitability, and to advance the agriculture industry more broadly.
The Dowerin Machinery Field Days were held on August 30-31.
A massive range of John Deere machinery products and toys were on display at the AFGRI Equipment display.
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