Tim and Marney O’Brien own and manage 40,500 hectares (100,000 acres) of irrigated and dryland farm property in the Pilliga and Cryon regions of north-west New South Wales, Australia. In just over 12 months, the O’Briens installed nine Cummins power units as they upgraded and developed the irrigation process for 4,050 hectares (10,000 acres) of their land for cotton farming. In addition, they have approval to develop a further 1,012 hectares (2,500 acres) for cotton.

Australian cotton is considered some of the best in the world for quality and yield. Under a joint venture agreement, CSD (Cotton Seed Distributors) and CSIRO have invested more than AU$70 million in cotton breeding and research since 2007 and by 2024 this investment will reach AU$140m in total. The key challenge now for CSD is providing varieties to meet the demands of the burgeoning cotton industry as new varieties can take up to 13 years to bring to market.

When Canetec (Queensland, Australia) introduced its new Cummins QSL9 powered AX7500 cane harvester, it claimed it would set new standards for operating efficiency. Greensill Farming was Canetec’s first AX7500 customer and we visited them to find out exactly what they thought.

In 1997, when Equipment Technologies was founded, their mission was to design a tough, reliable, simple sprayer. Their solution was mechanical drive machines that are simple to run and maintain, efficient and light but ultimately, tough enough to get the job done. One of their key product features is the tractor ‘feel’ - a comfortable ride for long days out in the field.

Powering Hardi’s self-propelled sprayer range, the B4.5, B6.7 and L9 Performance Series engines bring more machine capability, increased fuel efficiency, more productivity and lower total cost of ownership to Hardi sprayer operators, while the simpler architecture and EGR-free design gives Hardi packaging flexibility.

Crinklaw Farm Services Inc worked alongside Cummins to develop a suitable long term power solution for their Global Unmanned Spray System (GUSS). That solution is the Cummins QSB6.7 engine, which now powers the world’s first and only autonomous orchard sprayer. The QSB6.7 is a fully integrated system rated at 173hp (129 kW) with cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and a High Pressure Common Rail fuel system.