Farmers and contractors strike gold with Agrisem speed discs

Canterbury farmers and contractors are reaping the benefits of French technology.

 

Agrisem International is a family-owned French company with more than 45 years’ experience manufacturing cultivation equipment.

Agrisem disc harrows come in three ranges – the Disc-O-Mulch Gold series, Disc-O-Mulch R series and the Maxi mulch disc/ripper series. Models come in working widths of 3m to 12m and are sold throughout New Zealand by NC Equipment.

DISC-O-MULCH GOLD

South Canterbury contractor and farmer Matt Squire purchased a 4.5m Disc-O-Mulch Gold disc harrow seven years ago and says the machine is well-suited to the varied soil conditions he
works in.

The Gold series has disc blades which are tine mounted on heavy duty 35-mm coil tines. This makes it more reliable than other brands with rubber mounts and allows it to handle all conditions, Matt says.

“We work in stubble and winter feed ground, and we have different soil types – from stony to native ground.”

“We do a mix of dairy farms, dairy run-offs, sheep and beef and deer farms, mainly on flat land, but we also work in some rolling and steep country, so we need a machine to operate in range of conditions.”

The Agrisem disc harrow is mainly used to prepare the soil for cultivation and for secondary cultivation, especially coming out of winter, as it can handle pugged or tight ground with its extra weight.

Matt estimates his disc harrow can get through 3-4 ha/hour “quite easily”, though it depends on the conditions.

He likes the finish the Disc-OMulch Gold makes to the soil and the lack of maintenance required to keep it running.

“It goes day-in, day-out, and we have had no problems. It is very reliable and it does the job we need it to do. We wouldn’t be without it.”

Matt also farms 130 hectares at Cave in South Canterbury with a focus on bull beef, so he uses the disc harrow on his own property.

Getting parts has never been an issue, Matt says, “not that we have needed too many”.

Since NC Equipment has taken over the local distributor, Matt has had no reason to contact them, but territory manager Mark Bassett has been in contact “to check if we needed any parts”.

DISC-O-MULCH R

Oxford farmer Callum Gillespie caught up with the NC Equipment site at South Island Agricultural Field Days at Kirwee in March 2021 and was impressed with what he saw.

Callum and his wife Casey farm 300 hectares between Oxford and Cust. They run 600 breeding ewes and do some dairy support and cropping.

He purchased the 4.5m Agrisem Disc-O-Mulch R series disc harrow after a demonstration on his farm.

He was keen to try a speed disc to see if it would better suit the stubble ground, which his previous machines have struggled with. He has been pleased with the results so far.

“Mark Bassett brought it out after field days and we found when we demoed the machine after harvest it was doing a very good job with stubble.”

“We were lucky enough that NC Equipment had a machine in the country and we snapped it up. It arrived at the start of August and we have done about 30 ha with it so far. It has been doing a good job.”

Callum runs his 4.5m Disc-OMulch R with a 130-hp John Deere 6620, which cruises along at 10-11 kph.

“It depends on what sort of depth you are trying to achieve. We are going down 10cm or so, and it does a nice, level finish.”

“We will use it after winter feed crops and harvest to open everything up, and to try and get rid of any compaction issues.”

“We can even get into some of the wetter paddocks from the winter, with two to three passes and it’s ready to drill.”

Callum says Agrisem disc harrow is very efficient and was cost effective, compared to similar brands he looked at.

The Disc-O-Mulch R series range has a rubber dura torque system with triangular rubbers that keep their original profile over their life. Each rubber is kept in place by a welded shield that prevents sideways movement when under load.

“We have tried a few different brands out over the last two to three years before we made a choice and we found it would be on a par with other, more expensive brands. This one was more cost effective.”

“The main thing we wanted is a machine that is highly productive, so we can get on to things quickly and then get on to the next job.”

NC Equipment distributes the Agrisem range in both the North and South Islands. Phone 0800 908 908 to find out about a demonstration in your area.