TRACTOR drivers may be familiar with the trend towards higher road speeds, but the latest tyre technology continues to take the industry to the next level.In the eyes of Sydney-based Tyres4U national manager, Robert Kovacs, tractor tyres are “very technical pieces of equipment,” allowing modern-day farm workhorses “to do what they need to do”.

With a wealth of experience under his belt he makes the point that tyres remain one of the most important features on any tractor, requiring attention to detail when optimising the in-paddock performance of any tractor/implement combination.

“Not only do you have to bear in mind ground compaction but also wheel-slip and driver comfort - to name but a few issues,” Mr Kovacs said, adding that not every tyre suits every application.

“While a big 500hp 4WD tractor would be equipped with specialist broadacre tyres they would be entirely unsuitable for more arduous land-planing work being better off with forestry-style tyres,” he said.

It was all about minimising farm input costs by getting the most of the tyres fitted to, perhaps, a medium horsepower 190kilowatt (250 horsepower) tractor which can each cost in the order of $2500.

In Australia the trend towards lifting tyre performance is often associated with the North Queensland cane harvesting industry.

The need is for tyres to perform at slow speeds in paddocks before being asked to travel at higher speeds on roads when delivering to cane trains.

With British tractor maker JCB scheduling the release of a 100 kilometre an hour capability Fastrac tractor, it is tyre suppliers like Tyres4U which must keep abreast of the constantly changing tyre design goal posts.

Mr Kovacs said advances being made by Firestone’s IF tyre range would lift load carrying capacity by up to 20 per cent but with no change in air pressure.

The move was logical since increasing air pressures to carry heavier loads usually delivered more ground compaction and an associated harsher ride.

But cleverly redesigning the carcase walls on these new tyres had allowed Firestone’s designers to deliver higher load-bearing tyres at traditional air pressures, thereby not increasing ground compaction levels.

“The tyre industry is becoming increasingly technical,” Mr Kovacs said.

Source: http://fw.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/machinery-and-equipment/general/tyres-key-to-efficiency/1868724.aspx?src=enews

Posted: 28 June 2010 under Agri solutions, Agribusiness worldwide.
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June 23 2010

THE production of wheat and barley varieties which can access and use nitrogen more efficiently could cut farmers’ fertiliser bills while reducing environmental damage from fertilisers leaching into the soil, especially in sandy areas.

A recently started five-year Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded project has been set up with the goal of developing more nitrogen efficient varieties through a process of assessing genetic variability in nitrogen use efficiency in Australian wheat and barley germplasm, including advanced breeding lines.

The project involves researchers from the University of Western Australia (UWA), the Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA) and the University of Sydney, with contributions from major Australian breeding companies.

UWA researcher Winthrop Professor Zed Rengel said high fertiliser prices were driving the development of new cultivars better able to acquire and use nitrogen.

“Modern grain production relies on relatively large amounts of synthetic fertilisers to satisfy crop demands,” he said.

“However, current fertiliser use efficiency is relatively poor – rarely better than 30 to 40 per cent – resulting in economic losses and potential environmental damage from leaching.”

Professor Rengel said a second stage of the GRDC funded project will identify molecular markers associated with nitrogen use efficiency.

“These molecular markers will be breeding tools for enhancing the level of nitrogen use efficiency in new cultivars of wheat and barley,” he said.

Professor Rengel said many wheat and barley genotypes will be screened for nitrogen use efficiency over several years at locations in WA, Victoria and New South Wales, covering a range of climate and soil conditions.

“Preliminary data from 2009 indicated genotypic differences in nitrogen use efficiency,” he said.

Source: http://fw.farmonline.com.au/news/state/grains-and-cropping/general/research-into-cutting-nitrogen-bills/1865304.aspx?src=enews

Posted: 24 June 2010 under Agri solutions, Agribusiness worldwide.
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Companies have a “good opportunity to make money” building the infrastructure needed to feed a world population growing by some 100m people a year, a top executive at oilseeds giant Bunge has said.
While the need to raise crop production by 1.7bn tonnes in the first half of the century to feed the growing population had been appreciated, the problems of transporting and storing the extra had been largely ignored, Carl Hausmann said.
“The infrastructure needs of the world have been underinvested in over the last several year,” said Mr Hausmann, the former chief executive of Bunge in Europe and North America, now head of the agribusiness giant’s corporate affairs.
“But if farmers do not get more facilities to store, deliver crops, they cannot increase their production. Infrastructure is a linchpin of the entire agricultural system.”
Public vs private sectors
Developing the transport facilities and silos needed to meet this demand looked likely to come down to private companies, given the squeezes on public sector finances.
“Most will be done by the private sector,” he said. “Private companies will see this as an opportunity to invest and make money.”
Bunge was exploiting this opportunity through a $200m export facility it was building on the US west coast.
“Think how many more such projects we will need in the coming decade to cope with 1.7bn tonnes in [extra] production,” he added, saying that the world had “five-to-10 years” before the jump in volumes really hit home in terms of logistical needs.
Environmental battles
While infrastructure shortfalls were particularly acute in developing countries, with 70% of Africa’s farmers living more than a 30-minute walk from an all-weather road, they were common in Western countries too.
“Even in nations like the US, things are in bad shape,” Mr Hausmann said noting that Bunge’s new export silo is the country’s first for 25 years.
Companies would be “happy” to invest in new infrastructure “as long as the [government] policies are healthy”.
In many cases, this would mean finding ways to improve relations with lobbies, such as environmental groups, who were holding up the development of many facilties.
“Many investors are not ready to see [manager] in the crosshairs,” Mr Hausmann said.

Via: http://www.agrimoney.com/news/silos-and-transport-offer-good-scope-for-profits–1891.html

Posted: 24 June 2010 under Agri solutions, Agribusiness worldwide, Romania.
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