A heavy duty Berti KING/DT mulcher sold by Ag-Pride Australia’s dealer Formatt Machinery has helped a Queensland farm speed up rotation of pineapple crops
Ag-Pride Australia has run numerous on-farm machinery demonstrations over the past several months, with a particular focus on the popular Italian-made Berti mulchers.
As the national distributor of the brand, Ag-Pride product manager Lance Hills says Berti produces one of the largest mulcher ranges of any manufacturer in the world.
“They produce an enormous agricultural range of over 350 different machines suited for mulching grass, prunings, roadsides, embankments, and forestry mulching, as well as a range of professional forestry heads to suit excavators, skid steer and compact track loaders,” he says.
“The Berti company is still run by the Berti family that started it over 50 years ago and the quality has never been compromised.”
One of Ag-Pride’s on-farm demonstrations showcased the Berti KING/DT200 mulcher, suited for tractors up to 180-200hp and designed for heavy grass, straw and open field crops.
This was organised in partnership with Ag-Pride dealer Formatt Machinery in Bundaberg, Queensland, which held the demonstration at one of its customers farms to show the capabilities of the mulcher in pineapple crops.
“The demonstration was in one of the heaviest crops around, the soil bed was two metres wide and had four plants across,” Hills says.
“A lot of growers will only grow two or three plants in a similar sized row, so it was a very busy bed, but that’s how this grower has been running their farm for years and they’re successful at it.
“The mulcher did a cracking job, and the customer bought it on the spot.”
Smart mulching
The customer in question is sixth-generation farmer Leyton Petersen of mixed cropping and cattle operation, Petersen Farms.
Based in Hervey Bay, Queensland, the farm covers 750 hectares of land used to grow pineapples, sugarcane and soybean, while another 600 hectares makes up grazing country.
“My family has been farming here since the late 1800s and we’ve gradually expanded over the years,” Leyton says.
Given the density of pineapple crops, the plant often leaves behind a significant amount of waste after harvest.
A rotary hoe was traditionally used to clean this up, and although it was a lengthy process, Petersen Farms previously had a nine-month turnaround time – meaning there was no rush for the crop to break down in the soil.
However, the farm has since decided to rotate the pineapple crop and replant sugarcane, requiring the Berti KING/DT200 mulcher to speed up the process.
“Pineapple crops are extremely dense to chop into the ground and you’ve got to be able to get implements back into the soil fairly quickly to plant sugarcane,” Leyton says.
“We now mulch it, and then rotary hoe it later. This allows us to plant sugarcane back into that soil much quicker than if we didn’t mulch it.
“This is because the mulcher chops the crop down finer, so it can break down quicker in the ground.”
As a result, Petersen Farms has been able to rotate its pineapple crop with sugarcane inside the space of three months.
In addition to the benefits of quicker plant breakdown, Hills says mulching pineapple plants instead of just using a rotary hoe on its own can improve soil structure and fertility, while conserving moisture.
By doing so, the chopped-up material acts as a fertiliser, feeding soil bacteria as it breaks down, which returns nutrients to the soil for future plantings.
Petersen Farms’ tractor also required less passes to break down the crop when using the Berti mulcher compared to a rotary hoe.
The 2m working width of the Berti machine was perfect for Petersen Farms’ needs, as the operation’s rows are of the same width.
Other features of the Berti King/DT200 mulcher include heavy double side drives with automatic belt tensioners, a heavy-duty rotor – driven from both sides not just one – with hammer blades for cutting of material up to 80mm, hydraulic rear door adjustment and double skin body.
“The mulcher has done a good job, we’re very happy with it,” Leyton says.
“We were comfortable putting a higher horsepower tractor on it because it has a twin drive transmission and that stood out amongst the competitors.
“The aftersales support from Formatt Machinery was also excellent.”
For more information on the Berti King/DT200 mulcher, visit agpride.com.au or call 02 4964 8818.
