By SEPWA
Scaddan farmer Mark Wandel has invented a machine to chop and spread straw after harvest.
Photos: SEPWA
A purpose-built machine that chops and spreads straw evenly across 18-metres is proving worthwhile for its creator.
The “Straw Spreader” is the brainchild of Scaddan farmer Mark Wandel, who in recent years has fine-tuned his farming systems to increase the productivity of combine harvesters while reducing trafficked area.
“We were based around a nine-metre harvest system, but we had pushed that system as far as we could,” he said.
“Things have changed, we’ve evolved, and we’re pushing our system to 18-metres – we’re looking for increased productivity.
“But as part of our whole farming system, that straw spread has to be as even as we possibly can get it in varying weather conditions.
“Which is why we had to get chopping and spreading straw to 18-metres before we could execute an 18-metre harvesting system.”
Mr Wandel wanted to increase the efficiency of his combine harvesters by finding another machine to chop and spread the straw.
He started exploring options, but soon realised he would need to take matters into his own hands.
An early step was to outline some key parameters.
First, the new machine needed the operating capacity to keep up with three combine harvesters; it also needed to be compatible with a standard tractor; and, crucially, be capable of spreading finely chopped straw over 18 metres of paddock.
Then began the process of drawing, drawing, and more drawing.
Finally, the prototype was assembled at a business in Brookton, before being delivered to the Scaddan farm on Christmas Eve, 2019.
But, like any R&D project, it did not come without some initial problems.
“When we first started, we’d take the machine into the paddock for an hour and take it back to the workshop for six hours,” Mr Wandel said.
“Then we’d take it to the paddock for two hours and bring it back for four hours.
“It’s still just an R&D machine, and you have to be open-minded. We had a few things we missed and had to get expertise to help us with.”
But persistence paid off, and the most recent harvest saw the Straw Spreader operate without any major hiccups.
“As soon as we started (harvesting) our wheat, we started windrowing (straw), and the chopper and spreader was in the paddock,” Mark says.
“We had three headers, two chaser bins and the straw chopper all in the same paddock.
“But if we had an issue – like with labour – then the straw chopper was the first machine that stopped.”
But has the substantial time and money invested over the past eight years been worth it?
So far, Mr Wandel says the results are promising.
“Our headers are picking up 10-30 per cent horsepower, and increased ground speed by not having to chop and spread that straw,” he said.
“When you pick up productivity on that machine, it adds up.”
The Straw Spreader has been patented in Australia, Canada, and the USA, while a European patent process is underway.
The machine is expected to remain a mainstay of the Wandel’s harvesting operation – but could it be upscaled?
“It’s too big a project for our farm business to take on, so we’re really going to have to bring other expertise in to take that concept – and it still is a concept – to the next level,” Mr Wandel said.
Either way, seeing the idea come to fruition has been a rewarding experience.
“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to do these things,” he said.
“You can see what the opportunities are, and instead of waiting for someone else to do it, we can have a go.”
