2021 HP Spring Magazine

Spring 2021

High Performance Magazine

For the love of lawn p6

Stocked up for small Ag p14

High Performance Magazine Edition 29 Spring 2021

Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/hutcheonandpearce

Contents

03

04

Not your average career

06

For the love of lawn

10

12

14

16

18

For all editorial and advertising enquiries, contact:

Harriet Forster Marketing Coordinator harriet.forster@hutcheonandpearce.com.au

Welcome to the 2021 Spring edition

Agronomist report: Temora in focus

Stocked up for small Ag

TECSight Insights

Cotton harvesters just got even better

Empowered: H&P’s all new personal trainer scholarships

DONATE BLOOD THIS SPRING 1 in 3 people you know will need a blood donation in their lifetime.

If you’re fit and healthy be the sunshine in someone’s life by becoming a blood donor!

Call 13 14 95 to make an appointment or visit www.donateblood.com.au and sign up to the Hutcheon & Pearce Community.

2

Hutcheon & Pearce

Welcome Welcome to the 2021 Spring edition of High Performance Magazine.

H

ere we go again! While we’ve been busy making

Another big focus for us right now is recruitment. We’re a growing

the most of some of the best conditions we’ve

company with so many great opportunities in front of us and we

seen in these parts, COVID has other plans and

want to make sure we keep growing. Right now, we’re looking

for many that has meant lockdown and a whole

for people leadership, product leadership and skill leadership

other set of worries. Wherever you are, I hope

and we’re offering fantastic opportunities for people with the

you are managing through these trying times with as little

right attitude and right skillset (no matter their background). This

disruption as possible.

recruitment campaign hones in on some of the not-so-average

Of course, one unavoidable disruption I’m sure we’re all

or someone you know would make a good fit for H&P, get in touch.

feeling is the postponement of Henty. Naturally, we’re disappointed that we won’t be catching up with everyone and showing off some of the latest and greatest in John Deere, but you can bet we’re already gearing up for a big comeback in 2022.

benefits of joining the H&P family. Read more on page 4 and if you

In getting ready for better days, we’ve also been busy navigating the squeeze on supply chains and doubling down on maintaining good availability of machinery and parts. Thankfully, if there’s one good thing to come out the past 18 months, it’s that our team has learned a trick or two about staying ahead of the curve when

Another disappointment for us with the postponement

it comes to predicting market trends, pre-empting demand, and

of Henty is the impact on our Annual Employee Meeting

proactive ordering. And while lead times have certainly slowed,

(AEM) which we had planned for the same time. The AEM

we’re confident that we are well stocked and in a stronger position

is designed to bring everyone together to hear the same

than most when it comes to delivering on time for our customers.

message at the same time, get to know each other, and it

One area we are particularly well-stocked is Small Ag, thanks to

really fosters that family spirit that helps us to be at our best for our customers. Fingers crossed we can get to that, too, as soon as possible.

But while the pandemic has thrown a proverbial spanner in the works for these things, we’re staying focused on the positives and getting ready for better days ahead.

One such positive is the exciting launch our new Empowered Scholarship Program in partnership with our good friends at Active Farmers & FIT College. Looking to play our part

some solid orders placed 12 months ago. You can read more on page 14 and be sure to check out some of the amazing machines in the Spring Catalogue. If your focus this Spring is the home garden and lifestyle property, it might just be the perfect time to up your tractor or gator game.

Whatever your focus right now, we hope you enjoy some of the spectacular weather headed our way. Stay safe and hopefully we’ll catch up with you in person soon!

Arron

in keeping our farming communities fit and strong both physically and mentally, we are offering six scholarships for motivated and passionate people to complete fitness training and become qualified trainers with Active Farmers. For more information, check out the article on page 18 and make sure you let everyone know about it.

Spring 2021

3

High Performance Magazine Spring 2021

Not your average career From the outside looking in, Hutcheon & Pearce may appear to be just your average employer, but the truth is, we don’t deal in “average”. We’re all about the exceptional – exceptional customer service, exceptional work environment, exceptional career pathways and professional development opportunities. As HR Manager Sarah Johnson explains, we seek out the best people and the best fit and we work with our staff to develop the best career for them.

A

t Hutcheon & Pearce, we’re always looking for exceptional people to join the team and right now, we have a range of roles available at the Shared Resource Office (SRO) – H&P headquarters – and in management roles across our 13 branches.

Human Resources Manager Sarah Johnson explains that the SRO is a bit of an unknown quantity for people outside the organisation.

“When you walk into a branch, you know what happens there. You know it’s sales, service, parts and customer interaction. It’s a bit more of a mystery what happens at the SRO, but its function is to enable our branches to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers.

“Put simply, the SRO houses departments that support our branches with centralised services like HR, WHS, accounts and finance, and IT. The heads of those functions also sit within the SRO and their task is to drive strategy for each function.

4

Hutcheon & Pearce

“When hiring into the SRO, we have a diverse range of roles and required skillsets, so anything from accountants and HR professionals through to those with niche specialist knowledge to support the tech side of our business.

“When we look at the management roles within the branches, the skillset we look for is primarily people management. We really look for people who have great leadership skills but also business unit management as well. They’re people who can interpret business strategy and take that into their own team to deliver on the targets set for them.

“These aren’t your average careers, so we’re looking outside the box when it comes to skills and experience.”

Sarah encourages people to keep an open mind when it comes to the Ag industry and living in the regions.

“I think there’s a certain perception about working in the Ag industry that it’s all dirty farms and greasy machinery.

People perhaps don’t understand the complexity that goes into supporting 13 branches and more than 300 staff. It’s an intelligent operation working on the cutting edge of new technology.

SPACE TO LEARN Coming from a retail background, Isobella Graham accepted the role of Information Technician in late July with little idea of what happens at the SRO. “I grew up in Wagga and know where the Branch was out in Moorong Street, but I didn’t know about the SRO here on Johnston Street. In fact, I went to the Branch for my interview, so I was almost late!

“I have to say, I didn’t knew anything about tractors or harvesters or any sort of farm equipment. In fact, I only saw a tractor for the first time last week. I was hesitant about working in the Ag industry initially because of my lack of knowledge. I wasn’t sure how I would be able to help. But working in the SRO is far from greasy machine work.

“I applied because I wanted a stable job that I could have fun with. I really wanted to challenge myself. This job is perfect because it’s super fun, I’m learning so many things every single day, and you know you can to go places with it because it’s a big company.”

Day-to-day, Isobella assists with Helpdesk requests, resetting passwords, remotely fixing computer issues and building connections with staff across the H&P network. She said the people are the best part of the job.

“As part of the role, I’m completing John Deere University training and some Microsoft Cloud certifications and next year I’ll start my Cert IV in Information Technology. I’m looking forward to developing new skills and building up my qualifications, and I’m loving the stability this role provides.

“To someone else who doesn’t know much about Ag or Hutcheon & Pearce, I’d honestly say just jump in and do it. Yes, it’s daunting at first but everyone’s really kind and there’s space to learn. I ask the guys I work with a million questions a day and they answer every single one.”

“Fortunately, we’re seeing an uptick in people applying for jobs from outside the regions who are willing to relocate.

I think COVID has probably been beneficial to us in that sense because a lot of people are realising the amazing opportunities that exist outside of the city.

“Working at Hutcheon & Pearce is like nothing you’ve ever done before. I mean, I’ve got no farming background whatsoever and I relocated back to Wagga from Sydney for the role really not knowing what I was getting involved in.

It’s not until now, six years later, that I look back and see just how much of a mark you’re able to leave within a role here.

It’s cutting edge and you need to be on top of your game to ensure that we’re delivering the highest standards our customers have come to expect of Hutcheon & Pearce and it’s brands.

Isobella Graham and Sarah Johnson

“Every day is a challenge. Every day is a new lesson learned.

There is so much opportunity for growth. Even when the role may not have an immediate promotion opportunity within the business, there are many pathways for progression within the industry. Ag forces each person to really challenge themselves on what they do, and learn within the role. It’s not your average career and it’s really worth taking a closer look.”

Spring 2021

5

High Performance Magazine Spring 2021 Ben Sims

For the love of grass A greenkeeper by trade, Ben Sims has built a huge social media following sharing his lawn tips with fellow lawn enthusiasts, right from his home in Orange.

We caught up with Ben to get the lowdown on lawn care this Spring.

W

hen Ben Sims started his Lawn Tips channel on YouTube in 2017, he had no idea how big it would become, topping more than 17 million video views along with an audience of thousands on Facebook and Instagram.

“I started on YouTube because my wife, Emma, used to get sick of me talking about grass all the time! I’m a qualified greenkeeper and I worked on the golf course for about eight years, doing my apprenticeship and then working with my twin brother, Josh, as superintendents at the ExServices Country Club in Orange.

“I sell lawn plans and turf supplies on my website but a lot of what I do is sharing my journey. I try to get people to post photos of their lawn and create a bit of a community on Facebook, while on Instagram I mostly share videos and photos.”

“I loved that job but I needed an outlet as I enjoy being a bit creative with video editing, so LawnTips grew from that.”

For Ben, at the heart of every passionate lawn enthusiast is pride.

While he didn’t set out to create a business, Ben’s online popularity grew to the point where he went full-time 12 months ago.

“I think people enjoy having their friends over and showing off. To me, a lawn enthusiast is someone that takes pride in their yard. Someone who wakes up in the morning, looks outside and sees how much the grass has grown. Someone that’s passionate about working on their lawn and getting results. It’s a pride thing.

“I started with educational content, so teaching people how to fertilise, when to fertilise, how to prevent weeds, what products work. Basically I was showing my journey in my home garden.

“From there, people just got on board. It’s funny how many people love grass. I guess a lot of new homeowners tend to jump on board, or people with kids who want a nice environment for their family to play in. I wasn’t expecting it to grow so much. It’s quite a niche topic, really, but it just sort of went nuts.

6

Hutcheon & Pearce

“For me, being a greenkeeper came first. I always loved the outdoors, so I just took on the apprenticeship, but for the first few years, I still used a whipper snipper on the whole yard.

“It wasn’t until we actually bought a house and I decided I wanted to plant some grass of my own that lawn care really started to become a huge passion of mine.”

Ben’s top Spring time tips for lawn care:

1

Mow regularly:

My main tip is to mow your lawn regularly. One of the biggest faults I see in home lawns is people mow once and then leave it for two or three weeks. But you need to mow your lawn once or twice a week. This will make a significant difference to the overall look and how healthy your lawn is because the more frequently you mow, the less you stress the plant.

Regular mowing also promotes root growth and lateral growth, so it thickens up naturally.

2

Water infrequently:

3

Renovate your lawn:

My advice is to get on a proper watering schedule. Don’t water for five minutes every day. You’ve got to water your lawn once or twice a week for 30 to 40 minutes. Things like water pressure and availability and sprinkler systems all play a part, but what you’re looking for is deep, infrequent watering to help promote regrowth on your lawn and to get it nice and healthy for summer.

That doesn’t mean you rip your whole lawn out. It means you cut your lawn back nice and low to get some oxygen down into the root system, then you need to aerate (pulling the plug out of the ground to help get oxygen get back down to your roots and to help with drainage). Next comes top dressing with either sand or a sandy loam to help level out uneven areas and fill those core holes back in, before you hit it with a granular, slow-release fertiliser to bring your lawn back to health.

4

Spray for weeds:

The first week in September is a great time to spray the weeds out of your lawn. Something a lot of people don’t know about is preemergence herbicide, which you can put down to prevent weeds coming up throughout the spring and summer which saves you time and money.

Hutcheon & Pearce recently gave Ben the Z530M zero turn mower, X380 rideon mower, and the Gator™ XUV to put through their paces on his property. Watch how that went on the Lawn Tips YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/ UC47hWf2NTrfOvB-e5kpp04g

5

For larger block, choose one area to focus on:

If you’re looking after a huge area, you can’t be mowing it all the time and you can’t be watering and fertilising every single area. The main thing is to focus on mowing when you can, having a warm season grass like Kikuyu or Couch because they don’t need too much water, and fertilising the area you want to improve for summertime.”

Spring 2021

7

High Performance Magazine Spring 2021

See & Spray™ in action at demo days Back in March, we introduced you to See & Spray Select™ – a revolution in weed control technology. In July, we were able to give some of our customers a sneak peek of the machine in action at three demo days across our territory, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

S

ee & Spray Select marks a revolution in weed control. Harnessing computer vision and artificial intelligence, See & Spray Select detects and identifies each individual plant, meaning growers can now make targeted management decisions in the paddock about every single plant.

Sales Operations Manager Andrew Watt says the result is a huge reduction in chemical use.

“With See & Spray, there is no more blanket spraying all plants in a field. The video feeds identify weeds and only spray those areas where the weeds are, turning off when there’s no need to spray. Ultimately, this represents huge savings for the grower.

“Across all testing throughout North America and Australia, the conservative estimate is at least a 77% reduction in spray volume, so that’s lower herbicide costs, fewer stops to fill up for water, and a hell of a lot more acres covered in a day.

8

Hutcheon & Pearce

“Those tests were conducted over 75,000 acres with a around 3000 weeds an acre. But if we’re using See & Spray on fallow ground with milk thistle or larger weeds, where we have around 1000 weeds a hectare, or 300 weeds to an acre, those savings would be more like 95%.”

Some of our customers from across the region got the chance to see this new technology for themselves at a series of demo days held in July.

“Right now, there’s only one unit in the country, and that’s John Deere’s own. The machine is spending a certain amount of time with each dealer group, and we were able to secure if for two weeks at the start of July.

“We ran demonstrations at three locations – Tullamore, Ardlethan and Urana – and had to really limit our numbers because of COVID restrictions. Essentially, the demo days were invitation-only events for customers who had expressed interest in the product following our initial promotions back in Autumn.

“We were very limited in what we could do, with one customer at a time joining Hutcheon & Pearce and John Deere staff as they showcased the machine’s capabilities. We hit a total of 40 customers across those three locations and the feedback was great.

“Overwhelmingly, they were impressed with how integrated it is. It’s so seamless compared to competitor offerings. The competition has led in this space for a long time, but when you have a look at the competitor’s unit, it’s big, it’s bulky, and it has a separate operating system in the cab.

“The feedback was that you could really see the cameras, it wasn’t intrusive at all. It looks like a normal sprayer, and when you get in the cab, the setup is seamless within the John Deere screen itself. It’s that integration that turns what is an awesome sprayer into something next level again.”

While the feedback was positive, the events themselves weren’t all smooth sailing for the H&P crew thanks to extremely wet weather.

“We had quite a wet run, so there were some difficulties with transport. We picked the unit up from Gunnedah and then travelled to Tullamore first up. We had the truck slide off the road on a customer’s farm and collect a tree. This smashed the cab, so we had to replace that. Fortunately, we had the parts in stock, so we were able to turn those repairs around quickly and get on with demonstrating the machine the next day.

“In all, we transported the See & Spray more than 800 kilometres to see it through our territory and on into Victoria with the next John Deere dealer.”

For customers interested in seeing See & Spray put through its paces, there’s good news.

“We’ve ordered two units specifically for demo days during this summer’s spraying season, set to arrive in January.”

To arrange a demo on your farm, get in touch with your local Hutcheon & Pearce sales team.

Spring 2021

9

High Performance Magazine Spring 2021

CS770 Stripper

Cotton Harvesters just got even better When John Deere set out to build its newest cotton harvesters, they went to the experts – cotton growers from across the country. The result is two of the most impressive machines available to cotton producers today...

Introducing the Model Year 2022 CP770 and CS770.

W

e’re excited to announce the all-new, completely redesigned CP770 cotton picker and CS770 cotton stripper. Based on customer feedback, these machines are faster and more cost efficient, and better meet the needs of today’s cotton producers.

We asked Sales Operations Manager Andrew Watt to run us through the key features of the new and improved CP770, the most sought-after cotton harvester in H&P’s territory.

“John Deere hasn’t rested on its laurels with the CP770. There are just so many improvements in this new model.

“The first thing people will notice is the new cab. We’ve had the same cab on these units since the birth of the round module builder picker back in 2009. So, while other platforms like combine harvesters and tractors have received the global cab, this is the first model in the picker line-up to get that new, larger, enhanced cab with the Gen4 CommandCenter™ technology built in. Think more space than previous harvesters as well as automotive styling, heat-to-feet HVAC ducts, a display that swivels with the seat and plenty of USB ports for all your devices.

10

Hutcheon & Pearce

“The second thing is the new 13.6 litre engine, which delivers power with less fuel consumption – giving you a significant fuel saving of up to 25%, lower noise levels and higher transport speeds when you’re synchronized. Having the speed synchronized means the finger goes into the plant, winds the cotton onto the finger and pulls it off the plant without pushing or pulling. By increasing that synchronized ground speed up to 7.4 kilometers an hour, you essentially get a cleaner pick at a faster speed.

“The other thing speeding up harvest is that they’ve decreased the time it takes to wrap and eject the module by a third. This means you can have faster cycle times to get rid of that bale out of the bale chamber, especially on the end turns. In previous models, you had to slow down when coming back into the crop so you didn’t overfill the accumulator before you could start to feed your next module.

A lot of guys had to slow down by 20% or more in higher yielding crops, so this faster cycle time and ejection means that you no longer need to slow down when heading back into the field, which is a huge efficiency gain.”

One of the other great features of the CP770 is they can now wrap a heavier, denser module out to 244 centimetres, which is an increase in size of 8%. Heavier modules mean fewer modules to be transported, which reduces your overall costs of running the whole operation right through to the gin.

Andrew said that growers and contractors right across the H&P region have jumped on board all the inbuilt technology now available.

“The CP770 will capture the data from every single round module, including exactly where it was picked, who owns it, what the moisture was, what the weight of that module is, and scan it automatically from the truck straight into the gin’s records.

“The data flow is seamless all the way through back to the grower when they get their gin report back.

“It also produces a beautiful yield map and moisture map that John Deere owners have come to expect. You can see a pin on the map of every single round module as it was wrapped, so you can then dig into more details about that particular module. So, if one module ends up with a bad colour score or a bad micron rating, you can go back and look at exactly where that module came from in the field and then change your management practices in future years to get better results.

“For example, you might figure out that a particular area was slightly lower than the rest of the field, which meant the water stayed there for too long and this caused that degradation in colour costing you thousands of dollars, so it’s worth going back over that area with a scraper and smoothing it out. It’s those kind of decisions growers can make with this data at their fingertips.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the CP770, talk to your local sales team.

THERE’S A LOT TO LOVE ABOUT THE ALL NEW CP770: • • • • • • • • • • • •

•

Larger, enhanced cab with built in Gen4 CommandCenter™ technology Automotive styling Heat-to-feet HVAC ducts Display that swivels with the seat Plenty of USB ports 13.6 litre engine Less fuel consumption – up to 25% saving Lower noise levels Higher transport speeds – up to 7.4km/hour when synchronized Efficiency gains with faster cycle and ejection times 224cm modules – up by 8% larger meaning fewer modules to transport Seamless data flow – automatic scanning for data straight from the module to the gin’s records Data at your fingertips – yield and moisture maps.

CP770 Cotton Picker

Spring 2021

11

High Performance Magazine Spring 2021

Agronomist report Temora in focus We always like to know how things are travelling for growers around our region. This edition, we caught up with agronomist Mark Breust from Delta Agribusiness to see how things are faring in the Temora area.

A

n agronomist for 10 years, first in Ariah Park and now in Temora, Mark Breust has been with Delta Ag for the past 18 months and saw the relief local growers experienced after the bumper harvest last year.

“We went from the worst harvest on record in 2019 to the best on record for most clients last year, so people were pretty happy.

“At the start of this season, things were looking great. We had some phenomenal rain through January to March, and then, end of March, it just turned off. We didn’t get a mil through all of April till early May, which is usually a pretty critical period for us. We grow a lot of our feed for winter during that time, so we didn’t get a bulk of feed on the ground for livestock. Some of the grazing crops suffered a little bit, but they recovered not too bad, and they’ve all been locked up now.

“Right now, everyone that can is spreading by ground rigs.

The ones that can’t are having to wait it out. Most growers got some base level nitrogen on early so it’s all about topping up to maintain yield. You can’t get a plane as they’re all tied up elsewhere, and in certain areas some guys are not a lot of rainfall away from a complete washout, so some of them are quite reluctant to spend too much more at the minute on spreading. They’ll wait it out another three weeks, or a month, and just see where things go.

“Overall, growers south and west of Temora are having another good year. It’s probably not as advanced as last year, just because it has got considerably wetter, but once it starts to warm up, things will hopefully tick along really well. If that happens, they’re in for another big year.

“That’s not the case for growers north and east of Temora, where it’s just been incredibly wet all the way through and coupled with the soil type – a lot of that country out that way is heavy clay – their crops are struggling. It will be a bit patchy out there. Some of the canola and wheat won’t recover but the good parts will be great. So hopefully, it doesn’t average out too badly for them.”

We spoke to Mark in early August, which was the first week since the end of June that most farmers had been able to get out onto paddocks.

12

Temora

Hutcheon & Pearce

Canola affected by rabbits

“The sentiment we’re seeing really depends on the client and their situation but some of them are a little down. Last year, they lost a little bit to water logging, but not a hell of a lot, and they thought this year, those spots would pick up. So, it’s been a double whammy for a couple of those guys. But in saying that, they know that it’ll average out, and if next year is on the average to dry side, those paddocks are going to reap the benefits of that stored moisture.

“And 2019 is still fresh in everyone’s mind. They’ll just take this and see how it goes. With canola prices where they are, and wheat prices holding up not too bad, they can have a bit of a yield penalty and still be in a similar spot to an average year.

“Canola is tracking around $800 delivered in Temora, which is $250-$300 a tonne above average. It’s nearly a third better, which means you can grow a third less and have the same return as an average year, so record pricing is certainly helping grower sentiment in those areas. Wheat is tracking up.

There are a lot of issues overseas, particularly in the European Union and America with drought, fires and flooding. It’s not good for them, but it’s good for our pricing. It hasn’t happened too often that you potentially have big crops and high prices.”

Like many across the eastern states, farmers in the Temora district have felt the impact of mice infestation.

“It’s probably more in the south and west of Temora that the impacts of mice have been felt. They’ve been hit by rabbits as well, with some significant areas of wipe-outs but that’s just part and parcel of a good season, with so much carry-over feed and shelter available. There was a lot of grain on the ground post-harvest and the numbers have exploded.

“We haven’t had to bait too many times out here. A lot of paddocks have only been baited the once straight after sowing. A few growers just said, ‘Oh, we’ll just wait and see’ and in some instances they ended up being complete re-sows, making it an expensive decision.

“With the rabbits, farms are working with Local Land Services who are running a baiting program, particularly in that area.

They provide the carrots at the growers’ expense, and the grower just runs the carrots out wherever they need to. Some of that baiting has worked quite well.”

We asked Mark to predict how the back end of the season will shape up, and based on bureau forecasts, he says it will likely be above average rainfall, and cooler than average temperatures.

“If it stays that way, we’re going to have some issues, trafficability-wise, particularly on the heavy country that’s already wet. If crops stay as wet as what they are now, the yield will probably go back by the week.

“This past week, we’ve had a couple of warmer days pushing 18 degrees, and it’s dried things out a little bit on top, so we’ve been able to get a few jobs done. Southwest of Temora has been able to spread, and get some spraying done, so they’re in a good position, but we probably need a few more weeks of above average temperatures and not a lot of rainfall for the guys east and north to get on and do the same.

Delta Ag Agronomist, Mark Breust

“I don’t think the crops will be as good as last year, but only time will tell.”

Spring 2021

13

High Performance Magazine Spring 2021

Stocked up for small Ag Despite some challenges facing the industry as a whole, H&P is happy to report we have a healthy inventory of small Ag machines to keep you covered this season.

A

t Hutcheon & Pearce, we pride ourselves on anticipating our customers’ needs whatever life throws at us, and on telling it like it is. It’s in this spirit that Sales Operations Manager Andrew Watt calls a spade a spade to tackle some confusion out there in the market right now.

As Andrew explains, there’s some rumours circulating about H&P not being able to deliver and they are simply not true.

“There’s some stories out there in the market that we don’t have stock and that we can’t supply our customers right now.

I want to reassure our customers that this is all nonsense. We are well covered so there’s no need for concern.

“For example, we have 18 months’ worth of 6 Series ready to go, and the same in our compact 5 Series tractors.”

Andrew said that the past year has not been without its challenges.

“There are some challenges at the factory in sourcing things like microchips and screens for GPS products. And there are some challenges in supply when it comes to ordering anything extra now due to a combination of factors, and shipping is one.

We’ve seen a lot of re-planning of shipping routes and if one vessel’s trip gets cancelled, it puts a two-week delay on everything waiting in line to go onto that ship. And then they have to clear the backlog, so one cancelled ship means that there could be a four to six week delay due to the knock-on effect. But we made sure our orders were in early, so we haven’t seen that effect on our orders yet, especially around small Ag.

14

Hutcheon & Pearce

“The other factor is componentry supply. One big issue John Deere is facing is the availability of microchips. Motor industry manufacturers brought down their projections when COVID first hit last year and that caused suppliers to bring down their production forecasts as well. Little did we know the opposite effect would happen, when people weren’t spending money on holidays, they started buying new vehicles, new tractors and new electronics. This demand soon out-peaked supply, so they’re in a catch-up game now and finding it difficult to supply the increased demand. That’s been the big issue around our screens and receivers but one we anticipate ironing out by next year, so we should see minimal impact of those supply chain issues on our customers.”

The secret to avoiding such delays? Keeping a close eye on market trends and how that may affect inventory.

“It’s not something we do once-a-year and then put it aside.

We have inventory conversations daily, if not hourly at times, and we have a team of people dedicated to looking after the inventory. We also have very close relationships with our suppliers, including John Deere, and a close line of communication to the factory.

“Because of this, we understand where their pressure points are and what we need to do to counteract that. We then draw on a wealth of experience within our team to predict what our course of action should be. And we obviously sit down with every single salesman in developing their sales targets and make sure that we have enough stock to cover that.

2021 Spring Catalogue line-up

“Of course, if seasons change or we come into a drought or if the factory has issues, we also make sure we’re in front of that and first in the queue to have that inventory secured.

The benefit to the customer is that they’re not waiting longer than absolutely necessary.

“It was a win for our customers and really shows how, as a Hutcheon & Pearce customer, you can rest assured we’re planning for everything that’s coming at us and we’ll never leave you in the dark. You’ll be looked after no matter what problems we might encounter.”

Andrew says factory orders are the best way for customers to secure the best pricing and to build to their spec, but they can rest assured they will have options from our stock if needs be.

“One thing the H&P team will always does is go that extra mile to secure machinery.

“For example, at the start of sowing season, we had about 20 units that were affected by shipping delays. Because we’re talking tractors for seeding, there was a lot of pressure on our customers, and a lot of pressure on our teams to get those machines to farms in time for sowing.

“We were fortunate enough to have hire tractors and loaned tractors out to those customers to keep them running while through the delays. We also worked with the wharves and with government to alleviate those delays.

“I actually lobbied the Minister for Agriculture because there was one tractor that needed an extra clean and another inspection and the Department of Agriculture inspectors were treating the entire consignment of tractors as a whole.

We managed to get that process changed to make it easier for us to split the consignment and get all but two of those machines released straight away to get them where they needed to be. The remaining two were then expedited up the list so we had them within the week as well.

Spring 2021

15

High Performance Magazine Spring 2021

TECSight Insights: Important changes to JD Link After a wet start to the season for many, farmers are finally getting out on paddocks to take care of spraying and spreading and preparing for harvest.

We caught up with Hamish Ross to give us the lowdown on what’s happening at TECSight to support our customers every step of the way, including changes to JD Link and important software updates.

CHANGES TO JD LINK At Hutcheon & Pearce, we’re all about using data to plan for profitable futures, and JD Link™ allows customers to do just that.

JD Link is a platform for farmers to see critical and timely information about their machines, coordinate labour and machine logistics, automate data movement and choose the right telematics solutions to meet their operation’s needs.

TECSight Integrated Solutions Manager Hamish Ross said the recent changes will provide customers with easier access to their data, free of charge.

“Historically, JD Link has been a paid, subscription-based service that was managed by John Deere dealers. The customer would get an email to say their subscription was expiring and they’d need to contact the dealer to extend it. The big change is that JD Link is now free and managed 100% by the customer, so they’re completely in control. They can turn it on and off as required.

“We’re doing some communication direct from TECSight to proactively let customers know about these changes, but basically the customer just needs to log into Operations Center and they will get a pop up on screen asking them to set up JD Link.

“These changes are all about enhancing our service so the customer has easy access to their data at no additional cost, and aggregate machine information also helps our industry on the journey towards automation.”

If customers have questions about these changes to JD Link or need assistance with set-up, they just need to talk to the team at TECSight.

16

Hutcheon & Pearce

GENERATION 4 SOFTWARE UPDATES

PREPARING FOR HARVEST

The second of three software updates have just been released from John Deere, this time updating Generation 4 displays to assist in better automating our customers’ projects.

Hamish and the TECSight team are already turning attention to getting ready for harvest.

Hamish said the updates include changes to AutoPath, Work Planner and Gen 4 virtual terminals.

“Every time John Deere releases software, it’s really important to update it to get the best use out of your machinery and the technology within that machinery.

“Some of the changes are for AutoPath, which is a system where you’re A/B line is set on the first pass in the field for the year, and that is then carried forward to each machine, and each machine then works out where it needs to drive.

“The changes mean Tillage AutoPath lines will now be generated from the planting source operation and next line selection logic has been changed. Put simply, this is a really exciting development for us as it moves us forward in our journey to automation.”

The changes to Work Planner mean GRC and JDRC2000 are now supported and can be added as virtual implements, and there is also improved visibility of Work Instructions when accepting work.

“We’re really excited about Work Planner as it improves communications between farm managers and operations in the field. Farm owners or managers can jump on their phones and plan the next day’s work and send it to the machine ready for the operator when they start it up. It means everyone is working off the same plan and allows farm managers to monitor operations more effectively.

“From a customer perspective, harvest is really just around the corner, so it’s time to really start looking at your harvester set-ups to make sure that the data, fields, boundaries and A/B lines are all set up in the combine properly.

“If you’re using the Gen 4 displays, it’s important to have a look at Work Planner because this can really optimise your harvest operations. We’ve had operators that were harvesting in the incorrect year, with incorrect varieties, incorrect crops, and it took quite a bit of sorting out the different data points to get the map nice and neat in the Op Center. We want to help our customers avoid that extra work at the back end of harvest.

“If you’re not using Gen 4, you can still use the Work Planner. It’s not quite as automated if you’re running older gear, but you can still use the USB option or you can send the data to the machine. Whatever you’re using, it is really important to have that field data prepped going into harvest, especially when you’ve got multiple machines in paddocks and multiple operators. We want to help make it as seamless and streamlined as possible, so give us a call if you need help with setting that up.”

“The other big change is within the Gen 4 displays. Two virtual terminals are now supported simultaneously if an extended monitor is connected to a Generation 4 CommandCenter™ or 4640 Universal Display. This is a really good update as it means if you have multiple rate controllers and you’ve got multiple displays in the cab, you can now view them at once. That’s something that has been requested for a while and it’s great to see it now in play.”

For assistance with data set-up this Harvest, talk to the TECSight team on (02) 5924 5111.

Spring 2021

17

High Performance Magazine Spring 2021

H&P’s all new PT scholarships With Spring in the air, Hutcheon & Pearce is jumping into something new with the launch of our all-new personal training scholarship program – Empowered. Teaming up with our friends at Active Farmers & FIY College, we’re offering six scholarships to fitness loving locals ready to step up for their community and we want to hear from you! or about six years now, Ginny Stevens has been on a mission to build stronger and more resilient farming communities, to do something to counter the alarming mental health and suicide statistics found in our regions. As CEO and founder of notfor-profit Active Farmers, Ginny leads a team of 33 qualified personal trainers in more than 45 small farming communities across the country, who bring their communities together for group fitness classes aimed at taking care of both physical fitness and mental wellbeing.

F

While Active Farmers reaches some 1500 participants each month via 200-300 classes, Ginny has always dreamed of going bigger. When Managing Director, Hutcheon & Pearce, Arron Hutcheon asked her how Hutcheon & Pearce could help her to get closer to her dream to reach more people and support more farmers to be healthy, well and connected, she jumped at the chance to talk it out.

“Arron was really interested to know about the challenges we face, what are our hurdles, what are our roadblocks. This led us to talking about the fact that while over the years we’ve had so much interest from communities, we haven’t always been able to find trainers to start Active Farmers in those communities.

18

Hutcheon & Pearce

“The reality is, in smaller farming communities, there’s just not an abundance of qualified personal trainers around and for someone to step up and become a personal trainer there is a cost involved. Maybe they don’t have the disposable income to pay for the training necessary to qualify, and maybe they will only end up taking one class a week afterwards and that doesn’t stack up financially.

“Arron is a strategic thinker, and he asked probing questions and pushed us to think outside the box about what Hutcheon & Pearce could do to help. The concept of scholarships came out of that discussion.”

The Empowered Scholarship Program will provide six people with the opportunity to complete their Certificate III and Certificate IV in Personal Training through training partner FIT College so they can become a qualified personal trainer.

Participants can lead classes after completing their Cert III with support from the Active Farmers team, and once they become fully qualified, they will continue with Active Farmers in their communities for a minimum of two years.

For Ginny, it’s the perfect way for people passionate about both fitness and their community to do something positive for themselves and others.

BBQ supplied by H&P after a fitness session in Coleambally in early 2021

“We absolutely love the opportunity to work with Ginny and the team and be part of this scholarship program.

It’s our hope that it will empower Active Farmers to grow and spread further into farming communities, which to our mind is a great thing. We also hope it will allow individuals to grow and empower both themselves and their communities.

Active Farmers CEO, Ginny Stevens

“These scholarships will really empower the six trainers by giving them an opportunity to complete their personal training so that they can proactively help their communities. They can get the qualification and improve their skillsets, and then go on to use that for the greater good of their communities.

“Having a local Active Farmers trainer is also really empowering for the community. We know that there will be more droughts, more floods, more mice and more challenges outside of our control. But by improving physical and mental health through exercise and having an opportunity to catch up regularly as a community, it builds resilience for individuals and communities. If you’re physically fit and mentally strong and connected, then you can cope better with challenges.”

“I believe that Empowered will help Active Farmers to overcome a major hurdle and have a real impact. It is a practical, tangible solution to the challenge we face in getting trainers into some of these smaller communities, and if we can put six people through this program every year, it means there’s so many more communities we’ll be able to help, which is really exciting.”

Arron Hutcheon shares Ginny’s excitement and says the partnership is the perfect fit for H&P.

“Active Farmers is a fantastic organisation with a strong purpose, and we feel strongly aligned in values. We rely on the same rural and regional communities and feel the same responsibility to take care of those communities – not only because they are our customers but also because we employ from those communities and we live in them, too. We know that we are nothing without our farming communities and we are happy to be able to contribute to their health and wellbeing in this way.”

Applications for the inaugural Empowered Scholarships are now open and close in October. Winners will be announced

by Christmas with a view to starting training in February 2022. Applicants are asked to submit a video application, explaining how an Empowered scholarship would empower them and their community and Ginny hopes people will rise to the challenge.

“We’re looking for people who are passionate about fitness but even more passionate about their community and contributing to its wellness and resilience. Applying is not so much about making a video that’s professional looking.

It’s the content of the video that’s important. We’re not expecting applicants to go and get a film crew. What’s going to stand out is the trainer’s passion for their community, and then how much their community genuinely needs and wants Active Farmers.

“Don’t be shy or embarrassed – don’t let that hold you back.

Just make sure you put your hat in the ring and focus on how it will help many others in your community.”

If you’re ready to get fit and empower your community, learn more and apply at www.hutcheonandpearce.com.au/empowered/

Spring 2021

19

NOT YOUR AVERAGE CAREER To view our current vacancies, visit www.hutcheonandpearce.com.au/careers ALBURY 222 Travelstop Way Albury NSW 2640 Phone: (02) 6058 6800

COWRA 64-68 Young Road Cowra NSW 2794 Phone: (02) 6341 4800

LAKE CARGELLIGO 63 Canada Street, Lake Cargelligo NSW 2672 Phone: (02) 6898 1305

COLEAMBALLY 7 Bencubbin Way Coleambally NSW 2707 Phone: (02) 6954 4280

DUBBO 22R Narromine Road Dubbo NSW 2830 Phone: (02) 6885 3300

ORANGE 26 Scott Place Orange NSW 2800 Phone: (02) 6362 9988

CONDOBOLIN 1a May Street, Condobolin NSW 2877 Phone: (02) 6891 2222

FINLEY 16 Riverina Highway Finley NSW 2713 Phone: (03) 5883 1655

TEMORA 101 Kitchener Road Temora NSW 2666 Phone: (02) 6977 1100

FORBES 56 Angus Clarke Drive Forbes NSW 2871 Phone: (02) 6862 1666

GRIFFITH Cnr Oakes Rd & Irving Place Griffith NSW 2680 Phone: (02) 6969 5300

WAGGA WAGGA 57 Moorong Street Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 Phone: (02) 6933 7900

www.hutcheonandpearce.com.au

WARREN 11 Zora Street Warren NSW 2824 Phone: (02) 6847 3522 TECSight® Support Centre (02) 5924 5111