On The Land
14 May, 2023
New app to help sugar growers
CANE growers and harvesting contractors now have access to Harvest Mate: a free online platform and smartphone app designed to capture additional sugar yield from the paddock.
The decision-support tool was funded by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) and Sugar Research Australia (SRA). It uses data collected by SRA from many years of trials across the sugar industry, and is supported by detailed economic data, collected and analysed by agricultural economists at DAF.
SRA agricultural machinery specialist Phil Patane said that Harvest Mate had been developed to help growers and contractors look at the potential gains and cost implications of changing harvesting practice, including the impact on harvesting costs.
“In 2019 SRA received 148 responses to a survey that asked growers and harvesting contractors about their harvesting practice,” he said.
“The vast majority of recipients told us that they didn’t know the production and economic benefits when changing from their current practices.
“Harvest Mate has been developed to fill that knowledge gap and increase profitability. And it’s been developed to be user-friendly, which we hope is reflected in the name.”
Cane growers and harvesting contractors can now register to use the tool by setting up their user profile online at harvestmate.au.
They can then download and use the free app (from the Google Play Store or Apple Store) on their smartphone while out in the paddock.
