Burlington Berries Sees Results

At Burlington Berries in Cressy, Tasmania, precision and reliability are essential for managing a large-scale soft fruit operation. Machinery Manager Richard Triffett shares his experience using the Croplands Quantum Berry Pro sprayer at their Freelands site, where strawberries are grown in tunnel structures.

We started with around 10 hectares of strawberries at our second site. That’s where we’ve been using the Croplands Quantum sprayer and it’s been really good.

— Richard Triffett, Machinery Manager, Burlington Berries, Tasmania

The Burlington team initially faced challenges with boom contact inside the tunnels, which caused damage to hydraulic pivots. Croplands responded quickly, designing a breakaway shear pin system that solved the issue.

“If the boom makes solid contact, the shear pin breaks and the operator can replace it in minutes. Before that, it would take the sprayer out of action for the day,” Richard said.

According to Richard, Burlington Berries has been using the Quantum Berry Pro 2000 model for three seasons, making them early adopters of the technology.

“We did a lot of dye testing early on to check coverage, and we’re really happy with the results,” Richard says. “It’s a solid machine. Once we sorted out those few hiccups, it’s been relatively trouble-free,” he said.

Richard also praised Croplands’ service and support, particularly from NSW and Tasmania Territory Manager Dave Farmer.

“Dave is really good to deal with. If any issues come up, he gets onto it quickly. He’s great for advice and follow-up support.”

While Richard stays focused on machinery, he confirmed a fun fact: Burlington Berries supplies strawberries to Wimbledon.