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GRDC Harvester Forums

To support growers to reduce harvest losses and improve operations at harvest, BCG & SFS are hosting a series of free harvester forums in 2022. These Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded forums will be delivered across SW Victoria, SE SA, , and Tasmania.

The half day forums, facilitated by state-based farming systems groups, will bring together harvester specialists, industry experts and researchers to discuss preventable harvester grain losses and how to measure these, improvements in efficiency and output, methods of harvest weed seed control (HWSC), the prevention of harvester fires and calibrating harvester technology.

“These small field days are invaluable – you can talk to other growers, to understand what their challenges are and talk to the operators who are using these machines. It gives you confidence in your decision-making,” said WA grower Noel Fowler who attended a forum run in 2020 at Cuballing, south of Perth. “We’ve seen and heard now that implementing harvest weed seed control methods can give you a return in three to five years, and after that it’s money in the bank.”

The national GRDC project is being led by Primary Sales, with project management support from BCG. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions the project teams will deliver locally facilitated harvester forums in the western, northern, and southern regions with a range of presenters covering content.

VIC grower Jane Foster was impressed with the content and scope the 2021 forums covered and the confidence she was given to directly apply what he had learnt to his harvest operations: “To actually come to someone’s farm and to have the headers out and be able to see first-hand the implementation of some of these ideas and to see what’s working and what isn’t, it’s great.”

The program will cover:

  • Understanding the impact of harvest loss, how to measure it and how to change your harvester to reduce losses.
  • HWSC latest information, sharing how to set-up for effective HWSC using mills systems (iHSD, Seed Terminator, SCU) chaff decks & chaff lining
  • Reducing the risk of harvester fires
  • Improving harvester capacity and efficiency

Managing harvest operations, productivity, and economics

Dates & Locations

Hamilton – Thursday 13 October 8.30-1.00pm with Hamilton Spring Field Day  from 2.00-3.00pm, more information and register here…

Inverleigh – Friday 14 October, 8.30-1.00pm with Inverleigh Spring Field Day from 2.00-3.30pm, more information and register here…

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