As harvest kicks off in SW Victoria, growers are facing a much wetter season than usual. With record rainfalls experienced in a lot of places throughout October and November, many paddocks may have areas that are still very wet and boggy. This presents problems for the heavy harvest machinery that needs to traffic the paddocks in order to get the grain off and out of the paddock. Lodged crops are adding to the difficulty that growers are facing, as well as La Niña looking like it will continue until at least early 2023, meaning that harvest will probably take longer as growers wait for grain moisture levels to drop after rainfall events.

With the wet finish to the season and increased risk of machinery becoming bogged this harvest, Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) ran several successful workshops around Victoria in November to give growers and harvest machinery operators valuable information about how to safely recover bogged machinery. The most important takeaway from these sessions was the importance of stepping back from the situation and taking the time to plan how to recover machinery that has become stuck safely.

Other key points included:

• Using the correct equipment for recovery (there are safer and more effective products than chains)
• Knowing the ratings of the recovery equipment being used so as to not exceed the limits of what they are rated to do
• Using dampeners on straps to reduce recoil if something snaps
• If in doubt, get someone who has the knowledge and equipment to help recover machinery safely
• Losing a day of harvest is better than losing a life

For more information about safely recovering farm machinery click here…