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Customer testimonial
Trevor & Jeanne Pengilley The dry land cropping operation features rich black soil and a climate that lends itself to the planting of both Winter and Summer crops. Wheat and Barley is grown in the winter and Sorghum and Sunflowers in the Summer, with a total of up to 3500 acres of cropping country planted each season. Approximately 15 years ago, Trevor made a conscious decision to improve the efficiency of his operation and changed to no-tillage farming practices. This was then further supported by the adaptation of a Controlled Traffic Farming system, which has proved to be successful with yield and bottom line improvements experienced year on year. Trevor bases his farming system around three passes – which include planting, spraying and harvesting. Trevor’s machinery has been specially selected to fit into the system. He has a 300hp Challenger MT755B track tractor set on 3m spacings, which was purchased in 2007 and pulls a 9m disc planter; a 27m self-propelled sprayer unit also set on 3 meter spacings and a harvester with a 9 meter front. One of the key reasons Trevor changed his farming practices was to avoid compacting of the soil with a lot of random traffic, where the machines constantly run over the ground that is used for planting, thus causing compaction. By having all his machinery matched to his system with the same wheel tracks and with implement widths that are multiples of 9 metres, Trevor minimises soil compaction through minimising traffic, which results in improved water infiltration which gives higher yields. This was also one of the key features behind Trevor’s decision to purchase the Challenger MT755B track tractor. The MT755B on tracks has the ability to float over the ground unlike Trevor’s previous wheeled tractor which tended to sink into the soil, leading to the tractor and the implement fighting each other, with the tractor often losing. This lead to slower working speeds and a less efficient operation. “The track tractor allows us to determine where the 9m planter is positioned and the Challenger is great for this and provides minimum soil disturbance that can cause issues such as rutting,” says Trevor. Rutting is generally experienced when the weight of a tractor sinks into the ground and shifts the soil in a fashion that causes the ground to undulate and create channels which results in areas that are unable to be planted and can contribute greatly to soil erosion. “Using a track tractor allows the tractor to glide across the ground which pulls the implement a lot smoother and allows for more ground to be covered – up to10% per hour more compared to the wheel tractor. We also experience big savings in fuel consumption as a result of this plus the Challenger’s ability to transfer the power to the ground in our deep soft soil. Compared to our previous wheel tractor, we are experiencing at least 10 litres per hour less in fuel usage,” says Trevor. It’s no wonder Trevor continues to improve year on year – with a system that sees smart land management combined with the effective usage of machinery. Trevor is sure to continue get the best from his land. The Challenger MT755B was sold and serviced by local dealer Equipment and Service Co. at Tamworth.
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