BERLIN: A German-made disc harrow, researched on YouTube and imported to the Riverina in southern NSW, is attracting attention from crop farmers in the region.
It seems a demonstration at your local machinery dealership is being replaced by internet searches and videos showing off a machines capability.
Media player: “Space” to play, “M” to mute, “left” and “right” to seek.
AUDIO: Riverina farmer Lou Clemson explains why she’s been surfing the next for new machinery (ABC News)
Lou and Charlie Clemson were looking for a new machine to remove their grain stubble, when they stumbled across a YouTube video clip.
“We really wanted to turn away from burning stubble, ” Mrs Clemson said
“We wanted something that was going to incorporate the stubble, break it down, not just lie it on top of the ground.
We spoke to some American farmers who seemed to be doing similar things to us, and they were using the machine.”We eventually got onto the manufacturers in Germany.
“We ordered in October and received the machine in February, and that was 2014.”
The couple from Ardlethan ended up importing what they describe as a disc harrow.
The machine extends 12-metres across the paddock as it is dragged across the soil behind a tractor.
It has two sets of discs which can chop up weeds, dry grain stalks and leafy pulse crops.
Mrs Clemson said the machine has been used in cotton and rice paddocks in the region and trialled on organic farms.
Grower research organisation FarmLink has also used the implement to trial various stubble treatments on its farm at Temora.
“The results are being collated for the last 12 months,” she said.
“Of course once harvest comes through we’ll have the yield results as well.
“It will be a great way to look at how well this machine performs compared to others.”
