USING CUTTING-edge farm machinery technology has enabled a farming/contracting operation to cut costs and make full use of its investment in high output tractors and combines.

By using the sophistication of AutoTrac and AMS GreenStar technology on their John Deere machines, brothers Eric and Roy Marshall say it has transformed the arable operations on their own 1000 acres and on contracting operations across another 1000 acres.

At their base at Camieston, St Boswells, Roy looks after the livestock side of the business, while Eric is responsible for the cropping, which centres around cereals with break crops of oilseeds and peas.

“After I started with GreenStar 2, I was very impressed with the system and the information that it produces for record keeping,” says Eric. “Using the AutoTrac system for guidance on a 6830 tractor, I am able to sow crops with an accuracy that has produced real savings in time and inputs.”

The system’s ISOBUS connectivity has proved to be a useful benefit. “I love being able to couple up a machine now and not have to think about another control box in the cab, just plug into the socket and go.”

So far, the Marshalls have hooked up the technology to a fertiliser spreader, baler and sprayer. All future machinery purchases are also likely to be ISOBUS compatible.

When the contracting enterprise expanded considerably early in 2008, Brian Lauder, of local machinery dealer WM Dodds, of Jedburgh, suggested that Eric change his order for a new combine from a T560 to a T560i model, to cope with the increase. “The combine has to cope with 1300 acres in a season, which seemed quite daunting at the time, but the T560i proved itself in 2009 by managing this quite easily,” adds Eric.

“The difference that AutoTrac and HarvestSmart automatic feedrate control make to output is quite staggering. Having AutoTrac makes the job so much easier and allows the driver to concentrate more on getting the best from the machine, while HarvestSmart is awesome – it really does allow the combine to run at peak performance for more of the harvesting day.”

Average output was up to 33 tonnes per hour in good standing wheat, which was more than Eric had hoped for from a five-walker combine.

He operates a 20ft header, as customers who bale straw like the swath size this produces. The combine is also equipped with the HillMaster system, as this is essential on the undulating land in the area.

“I have also found that customers very much like seeing the yield maps that the GreenStar system produces, even if they do not use the information for anything other than record keeping,” he adds.

“In our case, however, yield maps are used alongside soil sampling to vary fertiliser rates the following season, again using the GreenStar display to control the applications.”

Eric’s most recent purchase is a 740i trailed sprayer with 24m boom, on which eight 3m sections are controlled automatically. He reckons the savings in his spray bill will soon justify the extra cost.

“At the time it seemed like a huge investment, but used with GreenStar it really is a fantastic piece of kit, and makes the spraying operation incredibly accurate,” he says.

“The swath control is great at reducing pesticide wastage by keeping overlaps to a minimum, and the records which are produced automatically save us having to write up field reports every day.”

Even in the short period he has had the sprayer, Eric has recalculated field areas and has been able to reduced the amount of chemicals he will need in 2010.