For Victorian farmer, Des O’Kane, the huge 2016 cropping season taught him a valuable lesson in stubble management which saw the purchase of his first BROOKFIELD® D130D ChainBar early the next year.
On the back of a few dry years, Des is now in the middle of a bumper harvest and is confident the ChainBar set-up will again prove a valuable tool in the stubble battle ahead.
Gearing up to take advantage of the best season in years!
Des farms close to 1,200 hectares and contracts another 1,000 at Tungamah which is 25 kilometres south of Yarrawonga on the border of VIC and NSW. This year he had 400ha of canola, 600ha of wheat and 250ha of barley in during what has turned out to be the best season he has seen for many years.
Des is currently pricing up another machine for his own use and to hire out to get through the hectares and amount of stubble on the cards in the next few months. He currently runs DC72 chains front/back and has been pleased with the flexibility of the set-up.
“After the wet year in 2016, I hired a chain to smash up the canola stubble primarily,” Des outlined. “I had tried a number of other set-ups, but the BROOKFIELD® ChainBar did such a great job the neighbours also began dry-hiring it.”
Smashing stubble and spray costs!
“The ChainBar also did an excellent job filling in the bog marks along with the spray and harvesting tracks which could be a problem for many again this year,” Des went on. “We were able to get through the trash easily at sowing and there was no need to burn which was a huge advantage.
“It’s getting harder to do anything – especially in those paddocks closer to town. The ChainBar also gives us another alternative to spraying. It was particularly effective in getting rid of the Fleabane after the last wet year.
“With a wet summer predicted, it will be a useful tool to combat the weeds along with smashing and incorporating the canola and wheat stubbles which will help us save a summer spray.”
Is 2020 time to make the change to a ChainBar?
Farmers throughout Australia are battling the weather along with a host of complex production issues that have continued to come to the fore in 2020. Urban encroachment, cost and availability of chemical, rising production costs, and a lack of manpower are among the many topics keeping farmers up at night.
“It’s not surprising that we have been fielding a lot of enquiry from farmers looking to make a change this year and do things differently,” Brookfield Sales Coordinator, Amber Atkins, explained.
“There is no doubt that good seasons come with their own unique challenges. Now is the time to start thinking about what you are going to do with your leftover stubble and how to use it to full advantage.”
ChainBar ticks all the soil health and productivity boxes!
“The ChainBar is increasingly popular throughout many farming regions globally,” Amber outlined. “It ticks all the boxes for issues farmers are seeing this season. It really is proving to be the ideal tool to optimise soil health and overall productivity.
“The BROOKFIELD® ChainBar is one of the most versatile stubble and weed management tools on the market. The entire range of Chains and Tooling can be fitted to the implement frame ensuring all tillage needs are covered from dealing with leftover stubble after harvest to preparing the ground for seeding.”
Still uncertain about your after-harvest game plan? Check out the 10 Reasons to Consider a BROOKFIELD® ChainBar in 2020 here…
https://brookfield.net.au/whats-your-after-harvest-game-plan/
Call BROOKFIELD today on 1800 774 274 for a demo or quote. For more information or to download the brochure – see here… https://brookfield.net.au/chainbar-2/
