Croplands & NELSON mfg. co. inc., Partner

22 jULY 2024

Croplands and Nelson Mfg. Co., Inc. partner to expand footprint in the Australian and New Zealand nut and tall tree crop markets.

Nelson Mfg. Co., Inc., the industry’s premium manufacturer of high performance Nelson Hardie air-blast orchard sprayers, is now exclusively available from Croplands in Australia and New Zealand.

Croplands, Nufarm’s emerging solutions spray equipment platform, and Nelson Mfg. Co., Inc., a premium manufacturer of air-blast sprayers based in Yuba City, California, announced the new distribution partnership to deliver a range of high quality, robust and reliable high performance trailed and self-propelled orchard sprayer Nelson Hardie units to the rapidly growing Australian and New Zealand nut and tall tree crop markets.

The Australian & New Zealand nut & tall tree crop markets have seen significant expansion in recent times. The Nelson Hardie range of high-performance orchard sprayers are ideally suited to densely planted crops (almond and citrus) and excel in challenging mature tall tree crops (macadamias and avocados).

The Nelson Hardie range is extensive and has a model to suit all requirements with heavy duty chassis and stainless steel tanks standard.  PTO fan driven models are fitted with single 34″ or 40″ fan or dual 34″ fan are available up to 4000L. Engine drive models are powered by John Deere diesel engines ranging from 125 – 325HP, fitted with a single 40″, dual 34″, dual 40″ and dual 46″ fan, fitted to the industry leading Super 92. The new SP40 self-propelled sprayer with 4WD drive and steer, is powered by a 174HP John Deere diesel engine with a single 40″ fan in 2000L – 4000L tank sizes.

This distribution agreement leverages Croplands extensive Commercial footprint and decades of Horticulture expertise which will greatly benefit the Australian and New Zealand nut and tree crop markets. “Croplands are super excited to partner with another iconic brand to complement our own range, to

Croplands are super excited to partner
with another iconic brand to complement our own range, to now offer a complete line of air-blast sprayers to the rapidly expanding Australian nut & tree crop market.

Sean Mulvaney, General Manager, Croplands

“Both Croplands and Nelson Mfg. Co. Inc., use common componentry and share a dual focus on optimising technology through set-up, calibration and after sales support. We are committed to a seamless transition for current owners and look forward to further embedding the Nelson Hardie range into our local markets.”

Mike Estes, President, Nelson Mfg. Co., Inc., says, “Croplands was an obvious choice for us to partner with in Australia given their strong connection to the industry, national footprint and proven track record. We are excited to partner with the team to support our full air-blast product range down under. Croplands truly values strong customer support, which aligns perfectly with our values.”


Croplands & RBR Enterprise Partner

30 May 2024

Croplands and RBR Enterprise partner to expand Self-Propelled Sprayer and Spreader offerings in the Australian broadacre market

RBR Enterprise, the industry’s fastest growing manufacturer of self-propelled sprayers and spreaders, is now exclusively available from Croplands in Australia.

Croplands, Nufarm’s emerging solutions spray equipment platform, and RBR Enterprise, a manufacturer of self-propelled application machines based in Byhalia, Mississippi, announced that they are joining forces to deliver a high quality, high productivity alternative to the Australian grain market.

Croplands is now the exclusive Australian distributor of RBR Enterprises’ full scope of offerings including the Vortex spray applicator model, a high-performance sprayer designed for professional crop applications.

Offering unmatched road speed, a fully mechanical drive train, and robust four-wheel drive, the Vortex is powered by a 9-litre Cummins engine delivering up to 430hp, ensuring exceptional performance across all terrains. With tank capacities up to 11,000 litres and versatile boom options, including a 48m aluminium boom, the Vortex significantly enhances efficiency and productivity.

This distribution agreement leverages Croplands strong dealer network and decades of expertise, setting a new standard in the Australian market.

“Croplands is really excited to bring this proven large scale Self-Propelled sprayer to the Australian broadacre market” says Jeremy Rennick, National Sales Manager, Croplands. “We are hearing great feedback from growers who have demoed the unit that they appreciate the large volume tank, 80km/h road speed and the simplicity of the mechanical drive” Says Rennick.

Jason Eaton, COO, RBR Enterprise, says, “We are extremely excited to partner with a well-established dealer network to support our products in Australia. Croplands truly values strong support for their customer base, which firmly aligns with our core principles.”

Bellamy Dalton from Dalton Farming based at Hillston, New South Wales test drove the unit recently and summarised his experience with three words “Simple. Solid. Comfortable.” Dalton went on to say “It strikes me that although the Vortex is a large machine, it doesn’t feel cumbersome at all. It feels really agile from the driver’s seat.”

Customers will also be excited to know there is a split tank spot spray ready option available for those requiring an all-in-one solution for their broadacre spraying needs.

Jeremy Rennick, National Sales Manager, Croplands

For more information on the Vortex or to order from Croplands, please contact your Croplands Territory Manager.


Croplands & Robotics Plus Partner

18 March 2024

Croplands and Robotics Plus partner to introduce Prospr to the Australian horticulture market. Robotics Plus’ Prospr, a multi-use autonomous vehicle for sustainable vineyard and orchard production, is now exclusively available from Croplands in Australia and New Zealand.

Croplands is now the exclusive Australasian distributor of Prospr, a robust autonomous, multi-use hybrid vehicle platform for horticulture crops designed by Robotics Plus. Prospr significantly increases efficiency across a variety of crop tasks and alleviates labour challenges, with capabilities including automated intelligent spraying.

The distribution agreement complements the existing technology partnership between the companies. Robotics Plus specialises in the design and build of robotics, AI, and autonomous machines, and Croplands has over 50 years of experience in world-leading spraying solutions.

Robotics Plus, Prospr, 4 fan
Robotics Plus, Prospr (4 fan model)

Sean Mulvaney, General Manager, Croplands, says, “We are proud to partner with Robotics Plus on the design and manufacture of world-leading Quantum sprayer modules to integrate onto Prospr, the autonomous platform developed in New Zealand for horticulture markets. Our focus on bringing emerging solutions to the market continues with the opportunity to distribute Prospr and a range of sprayer attachments across Australia and New Zealand.”  

Steve Saunders, Co-founder and Chief Executive, Robotics Plus (left) and Sean Mulvaney, General Manager, Croplands (right) together with Prospr in South Australia
Steve Saunders, Co-founder and Chief Executive, Robotics Plus (left) and Sean Mulvaney, General Manager, Croplands (right) together with Prospr in South Australia

Steve Saunders, Co-founder, and Chief Executive, Robotics Plus, says, “We are all about partners with purpose to adapt and shift to solve problems. Agriculture is time-critical, and with Croplands, we are combining deep domain expertise to benefit growers.”

We have developed an automated, effective spraying and attachment solution with the smarts to not just do the job but to keep doing it better. Prospr customers in Australia will now benefit from Croplands’ large distributor network, spraying expertise and customer support.

Steve Saunders, Co-founder & Chief Executive, Robotics Plus

Robust and flexible to maximise utility
Prospr is a robust autonomous vehicle with all-day running that adapts to growers’ jobs while reducing emissions, inputs, and reliance on increasingly hard-to-find machine operators. Prospr’s unique modular architecture accommodates multiple interchangeable tools being developed, including newly released tower sprayers for grapes, apples, or tree crops. The right tool for the job is attached to the vehicle depending on the day’s work, allowing different tools for various crop types and applications year-round to maximise return on investment. Multiple Prospr machines can collaborate in a fleet to get the job done. The autonomous vehicle uses a combination of perception systems to sense the environment, putting valuable data and insights into the hands of growers. 

Fuel Efficiency  
Prospr has an all-electric drive system for superior torque and control. Its onboard power generation, with a Tier 4 diesel generator, allows the vehicle to operate for extended periods without charging or refuelling. Regenerative braking and high-capacity batteries extend range, while its intelligent all-wheel-drive system with independent wheel motors gives superior manoeuvrability, grip, and control.
 
Modular and adaptable  
Prospr has a small footprint and unique steering configuration, incorporating electric steering and independent motors. The vehicle turns on its rear axle with a minimum headland requirement of 7.1m for row-to-row turning. Minimum row spacing is 1.85m, giving growers options to deploy automation in a greater variety of applications in various crop types. This means the ground is covered faster, maximising productivity and spray time compared to machines that turn on every second row or greater. The vehicle’s lightweight design, combined with its unique tyre and wheel configuration, reduces ground compaction. Robotics Plus’ ongoing partnership with Yamaha Motor Co, a global technology leader, allows the company to take advantage of their extensive knowledge in machine vision, artificial intelligence, and productising vehicles for scale. 
 
Q Series Sprayers 
Q Series Sprayers, developed by Robotics Plus in conjunction with Croplands, allow growers to deploy a range of sprayer configurations, adapting to various crop types and growing systems. The Q4 / Q6 sprayers have two or three fans per side designed for either vine or tree crops. The Q8 sprayer comprises eight fans, four per side, and is best suited to tree crops. Spray rates and air speed are dynamic and controlled per fan to maximise spray efficacy through electric drive and control systems. The sprayers are built using Croplands Quantum fans that produce targeted, controlled and turbulent air for better coverage from the superior droplet formation and spray deposition.  
 
Safety and Management  
To implement Prospr, a mesh network is installed to give a more consistent connection and interaction with the machine, improving operational efficiencies and user safety. Operators can manage and streamline the day’s work with a new organisational tool with an easy-to-use interface. Coordination is enabled between team members with multi-language support across various desktop and mobile devices. Jobs can be logged in advance and viewed in real-time. Completed or in-progress jobs are mapped and recorded digitally. Multiple machines can be managed simultaneously by one or two operators from a single remote control via a fixed or mobile console. 

For more information on Prospr or to order from Croplands, please contact your Croplands Territory Manager.


Croplands partners with MagrowTec

15 January 2024

Croplands, leading spray equipment manufacturer, and MagrowTec, leaders in magnetically assisted spray technology, are pleased to announce their new partnership, joining forces to bring MagrowTec to Australian and New Zealand growers. 

MagrowTec has worked with leading growers in both Australia and New Zealand to undertake rigorous in field crop science studies which has consistently demonstrated significant agronomic benefits such as greatly improved coverage, better canopy penetration, improved water management and drift reduction.  

Magnetic spray assist technology can be retrofitted to existing machines or installed on new machines

James Turtle, MagrowTec BDM for Southern Australia says, “Current users of the product are not only seeing the benefits of improved crop protection but are also realising that their spraying program is becoming more efficient by either reducing the amount of sprays required or by not having to increase their water rate to do a better job”.   


“The proven performance of this technology will help optimise your chemical application and deliver an excellent return on investment. Every time you spray, you’ll be landing more droplets and therefore chemical on the target, which results in improved crop health and yield, putting more dollars back into your pocket whilst also benefitting the environment.” says James. 

We will be demoing the system live during our spraywise days, contact your local Territory Manager for further details.

Croplands Equipment General Manager, Sean Mulvaney says, “We are proudly partnering with MagrowTec to bring their magnetic spray technology solution to both Australian and New Zealand growers.” he says.

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

The addition of MagrowTec’s patented technology to Croplands’ extensive range of specialised spraying solutions will provide growers with a leading edge opportunity to significantly, yet simply, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their existing boom spray applications within their current farming systems.  

The simplicity is not only in the benefits the magnetic fields impart into the fluid, but also in the fact the system can be installed on any boom sprayer, requires no power, has no electronics, can be transferred to new boom sprayers and is virtually maintenance free.  

MagrowTec, in partnership with Croplands, look forward to engaging with growers and agronomists across Australia and New Zealand to discuss further how our technology might benefit their businesses.  

We will be demoing the system live during our spraywise demo days planned for early 2024 and encourage any growers keen to look at the technology to register their interest with their local Croplands Territory Manager.  

Croplands celebrates 50 years

20 December 2022

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 visit Croplands Dry Creek

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.

“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.

Quantum Vine Pro
Croplands Quantum VinePro is the next generation 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.

Miles Deck Croplands Founder

“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…

Croplands 50 year gala dinner

20 December 2022

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…

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

Croplands acquires Sonic Boomsprays

08 November 2022

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.

WEED-IT Sonic
Croplands and Sonic have been collaborating on the WEED-IT Sonic 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.”

Scot Craig, Croplands Regional Manager WA, Max and Lynette Hebberman, Sonic founders, Sean Mulvaney, Croplands General Manager and Sarah Beasley, Nufarm Human Resources.

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.