More than 150 people from across the world gathered in Adelaide last week to mark the 50th anniversary of Croplands Equipment with a site tour, product update and gala dinner.

Guests included dealers, suppliers and staff who were treated to exclusive insights across the Croplands product range, including Compact, horticulture, broadacre, RoGator and WEED-IT.

Among the guests were three generations of the Deck family, including Croplands founder Miles Deck and his sons Brendan (General Manager North America, Nufarm) and Greg (Director, Croplands Spray Shop, NZ), as well as Brendan’s son Jeremy who works for Croplands as the Compact Product Lead and Territory Manager Southern Vic.

Also in attendance was Nufarm Ltd Chief Financial Officer, Paul Townsend. While Croplands was started as a family business, it was purchased by Nufarm in 1988.

gala dinner highlights

Croplands founder Miles Deck and his sons Brendan (L) and Greg (R) spoke at the Gala Dinner along with Croplands General Manager, Sean Mulvaney and Nufarm CFO, Paul Townsend.

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“This was a great opportunity to have our suppliers and dealers here in Adelaide to celebrate our partnerships and the success of Croplands over 50 years. What I’ve loved about being part of Croplands for more than 20 years is that we are always looking to the future. The question has never been about what are we going to do next, it’s always been about what can we do next.”

– Sean Mulvaney, Croplands General Manager

New Vineyard Sprayer on display

One of the highlights of the product update was the introduction of the new Croplands Quantum VinePro vineyard sprayer.

The Vine Pro is the complete vineyard sprayer package which features all of the leading spray technology from the Quantum Smart Spray but in a safer and more versatile package, featuring Croplands’ revolutionary QM-420 fans. These industry-leading fans produce highly turbulent, high-volume air for superior canopy penetration and crop protection.

However, what makes the VinePro safer than other makes and models is its unique design, which includes tanks with square side walls and 20 per cent of its capacity below the chassis level, making it harder to shift the centre of gravity and reducing the risk of rollovers in undulating terrain.

It will also feature market-leading access to tank lids, removing the need to climb ladders, and controlled overflow which diverts any spillage down the centre of the machine and away from the operator. There will be a limited release of the VinePro in 2023, including 2500-litre and 3500-litre models.

Site tour highlights

Other highlights of the day included a site tour led by Croplands General Manager Sean Mulvaney. This encompassed the neighbouring site Croplands leased earlier this year which has given the company forty percent additional capacity.

Guests were also shown through the Croplands warehouse where 44,000 different line items are managed and through Croplands’ production facility.

Also on display was Croplands’ Sonic WEED-IT 7000-litre sprayer from it’s recent acquisition, Sonic Boomsprays from Western Australia. These machines are designed and built in the WA wheatbelt and have huge capacity, with models that feature up to a 13,000-litre tank and 48-metre boom.

“Being here at the factory and witnessing the growth first-hand has blown me away…I could cry. Good things come from small beginnings. On the original Croplands logo, we had every different crop type, even though we were primarily horticulture when I started the company. I had a feeling the Croplands brand could be expanded to meet the needs of every different crop and here we are.”

– Miles Deck, Croplands Founder

the day in photos…

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What a celebration! We welcomed more than 150 people from across the globe to Adelaide in December 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Croplands Equipment.

Following a site visit and product update at our Dry Creek facility, guests joined Croplands staff at the National Wine Centre for an evening of celebrations and festivities.

Dinner speakers included Sean Mulvaney, Croplands General Manager; Miles Deck, Croplands founder and his two sons Brendan and Greg; as well as Paul Townsend, Nufarm Chief Financial Officer.

Watch the highlights below.

Sean mulvaney, Croplands Equipment General Manager

Paul Townsend, Nufarm ltd. chief financial officer

Miles Deck, Croplands Founder

brendan Deck, regional general manager – Nufarm north america and past croplands general manager

greg Deck, director Croplands spray shop NZ & son of Croplands founder

the Night in photos…

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thank you to all Croplands employees, dealers, suppliers and friends for their support.

Croplands Equipment is strengthening its manufacturing footprint through the acquisition of Western Australian owned and operated sprayer manufacturer Sonic Boomsprays.

The acquisition of Sonic follows the expansion of Croplands’ Adelaide manufacturing site, announced earlier this year, and will deliver additional capacity and operating efficiencies to meet the needs of growers across Australia.

Sonic was established by Max and Lynette Hebbermann in 1995 with an aim to produce premium quality spraying equipment for the broadacre spraying industry. The company specialises in sprayers fitted with cable-suspended hydraulic booms.

Croplands General Manager Sean Mulvaney said Croplands and Sonic have built a strong relationship over the past four years, having collaborated on the development and commercialisation of the award-winning WEED-IT Sonic sprayer range.

“We see Sonic as a perfect fit for Croplands as the companies share many values including quality, integrity, resourcefulness and an ongoing industry commitment to produce spraying solutions that deliver efficiency and long-term sustainability for growers,” he said.

“Croplands also started as a family business and while we’ve grown a lot over 50 years, we are still guided by the same strong family values, driven by integrity and a respect for the challenges faced by our customers.”

“The acquisition of Sonic will increase Croplands’ capacity to bring WEED-IT equipped sprayers to market and also accelerate market access for the wider Sonic product range through Croplands’ extensive sales, distribution and service network.”

“Sonic has been an important contributor to the Narembeen shire. Our intent is to continue expanding the operation to provide additional employment opportunities for the local community.”

Mr and Mrs Hebbermann will be stepping away from the business, however their children Shanon and Kandi will remain, as will all other Sonic staff.

Settlement will be completed in late November and the business will continue to operate out of the Sonic factory at Narembeen, WA.

We are incredibly excited and confident in this acquisition and the positive impact it will have on the Croplands business as a whole.

Croplands Equipment General Manager, Sean Mulvaney

Since its inception in 1972, Croplands has grown to become one of the most popular sprayer brands on the market, servicing the broadacre, horticulture, viticulture, tree crop, compact and home garden sectors.

Croplands has been owned by Nufarm since 1988 but continues to be guided by the strong family values that marked its beginning in 1972 with Miles Deck and the original Cropliner sprayer.

The backing of Nufarm enables Croplands to support its customers from machinery and equipment right through to application in the field.