25 February 2021
New South Wales agricultural contractor Jordan Cosh, based at Moree, and Jeremy Matthews, of local Morris dealer, WJ Matthews, caught up on the performance of the latest addition to Josh’s Morris family, an 18-metre Quantum air drill.
YOU know an agricultural contractor is happy with his decision on a new seeding bar when he calls for a quote on another.
Jordan Cosh runs JC Farming at Pallamallawa, east of Moree in New South Wales, where his family also farms.
His contracting business supports growers from Southern Queensland to Central New South Wales, providing seeding, spreading, spraying and harvesting services.
Despite the effects of drought in recent years, the seeding contract program averages about 15,000 hectares per year.
Jordan has been a long-time advocate of the Morris brand of tillage and seeding equipment, aided by a strong relationship with local dealer, WJ Matthews.
The seeding fleet includes two Morris 9450 air carts, an older 7240 air cart, two C2 Contour drills and the latest addition, an 18-metre Quantum air drill.
Jordan said the new Quantum drill ticked a lot of boxes for the popular minimum till seeding with narrow shanks throughout the region.
“We plant at about 10 kilometres per hour and there’s minimal soil throw. With the narrow shanks, we recently went into a 6-tonne (per hectare) wheat stubble coming out of pivot production and we inter-row sowed mung beans straight into it,’’ he said.
The contracting program traverses various soil types, including clays, sands, red and dark chocolate soils.
“We use the same tine, boot, ram and press wheel, as well as a Dutch Industries single shoot point, for everything,’’ Jordan said.
Tine spacings are set at 37.5-centimetre (15-inch) spacings, while 150cm (60in) is used for summer plantings, sowing in between the 37.5cm rows. Up to 75cm (30in) is also adopted for chickpeas or applying fertiliser.
“We just run one in, one out, lifting up tines and turning the taps off,’’ Jordan said.
Like most of the contracting equipment, including spray rigs and spreaders, the seeding bars are set up to suit controlled traffic farming for the region.
They dig to depths of up to 15cm (6in), generally into moisture.
Jordan said after towing a heavier Gason bar, the Morris Quantum air drill was easier to pull and its parallelogram design better suited the contracting work and undulating country.
“Since the C1 drills, the Morris bars have got better and better with seeding precision and good seed-to-soil contact. As a result, germinations have also got better and better.’’
He said the Quantum was a more solid bar than the C2 Contour drills, where, in tough soils, wheels could lift off the ground a little – “not that we have ever put a welder on them’’.
“The Quantum has a strong frame, which is a good indication that Morris is listening to what customers are saying. We had no dramas at all,’’ Jordan said.
“There’s no walking beam, just a single tine and bush, and the bushing system is good. Day-to-day maintenance is minimal. The bushes can go in others.
“It also folds up nice and narrow, and, with the large flotation tyres, it is nice and smooth down the road, which is great for contracting.’’
Mainly operating in large paddocks that can be up to 1500ha with 4-5km runs, Jordan said section control technology with the air carts was not a strong requirement, however he had started to use the variable rate application control system.
“We have started varying the rate of fertiliser and it’s all worked perfectly.’’
He said his strong relationship with and support from local Morris dealer, WJ Matthews, had played a major role in the development of the contracting business.
“With the service they give – it’s had a big impact. Jeremy Matthews has been outstanding,’’ Jordan said.