NEWS RELEASE April 29, 2024
Warburto Farms Powers Up Australian First P690 Drill
Crestmead, Queensland (29 April, 2024) — EXCITEMENT is building for Wick Dayman as he prepares to put one of Australia's first P690 Precision Air Hoe Drills to work, sowing his family's winter crop between Wallaroo and Moonta, in South Australia's Copper Triangle.
Warburto Farms is owned and operated by Wick and his wife Charmaine, daughter Sarah and son in law Nathan, who work with three employees to crop 4400ha of wheat, barley, lentils and field peas in a 360mm rainfall zone on the Yorke Peninsula.
Above average summer rain prior to Christmas has been followed by a fairly dry January, February and March, but with a reasonable base of subsoil moisture, Wick anticipates the new seeder will swing into action towards the end of this month.
He first saw the John Deere P690 on social media and was attracted by the machine's parallelogram tyne placement, which features 25.4-30.5 cm (10-12 inch) spacing and new dual knife openers that place fertiliser 3.8 cm (1.5 in) horizontally and 1.9 cm (0.75 in) vertically away from the seed, to achieve even emergence and equal access to nutrients.
Wick ordered a P690 through his local dealership, Emmetts Kadina, and it was put together on the farm by the Daymans and Emmetts technicians.
"The purchase was a bit sight-unseen but I've used John Deere machines for pretty much my whole life. We've got a couple of R Series 4WD tractors, two S790 harvesters, a self-propelled John Deere sprayer and we run an array of smaller tractors," Wick explained.
"It was the principle of how the parallelogram tynes work that attracted us to the P690. The ability to vary the pressure on the sowing tynes while in the field, and the fact that it can be controlled from the cab will be a big advantage when we have different operators.
"We can set a ballpark pressure and it automatically maintains the pressure as conditions in the field change."
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South Australian farmer, Wick Dayman prepares to put one of Australia's first P690 Precision Air Hoe Drills to work.
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Wick first saw the John Deere P690 on social media and was attracted by the machine's parallelogram tyne placement.
The Daymans have been using a K-Hart disc seeder but Wick said the evolution of newer pre-emergent chemicals had prompted a return to the tyne machine.
The P690 drills deliver up to 15.5% larger working widths to cover more hectares in a day and 24% less weight compared to the P500 series, with the aim of reducing compaction, time on the tractor and fuel consumption.
The inclusion of 12.2, 18.3, 21.3, 24.4 and the P690's 27.4 metre (40 ft., 60 ft., 70 ft., 80 ft. and 90 ft.) widths will also suit existing Controlled Traffic Farming systems. Wick said the new seeder is only three metres wider than Warburto Farms' previous machine, and while they don't strictly run on controlled traffic tram lines, they do follow the same lines using RTK guidance.
P690 Precision Air Hoe Drills leverage the company's existing integrated air seeding technologies as well as RelativeFlow™ blockage sensing, which Wick welcomed.
"We'll pick up efficiency with this new machine. The blockage sensing is most definitely useful to us as it's important to identify problems before we get a potential blockage," he said.
RelativeFlow blockage sensing allows farmers to see the flow rate of seed and fertiliser from inside the tractor cab. Sensors are located on all primary towers and secondary hoses to monitor flow of products and provide a better view of the flow rate of seed and fertiliser, from the cart to the opener.
All equipment in the new range is appointed with precision technology and a JDLink™ connection to John Deere Operations Center™, making it easy to monitor what's happening in the field during seeding and collect valuable data to inform decision making post-sowing.
Wick said he is looking forward to testing the new machine in South Australian conditions.
"Farming is always evolving and changing and this is a natural progression for us. Also we have a really good relationship with Emmetts Kadina for John Deere parts and service and it's only 10km from the main farm. It makes sense to have things all together."
About John Deere:
Deere & Company is a global leader in the delivery of agricultural, golf & turf, construction, and forestry equipment. We help our customers push the boundaries of what's possible in ways that are more productive and sustainable to help life leap forward. Our technology-enabled products including the John Deere Autonomous 8R Tractor and See & Spray™ are just two of the ways we help meet the world's increasing need for food, shelter, and infrastructure. Deere & Company also provides financial services through John Deere Financial. For more information, visit John Deere at its worldwide website at JohnDeere.com or in Australia at JohnDeere.com.au.
Media Contacts:
Stacey Wordsworth
stacey.wordsworth@bluehillpr.com.au
0438 394 371
Grace Wickson
grace.wickson@bluehillpr.com.au
0432 748 837
