High quality forage requires high quality harvesting
Hard work and talent, paired with innovation, technology and connectivity, has seen the May Brothers in Methven grow more than they expected. John Deere equipment and technology has been at the heart of this growth. Words Sarah Perriam-Lampp.
OVER TWO DECADES, THE May brothers in Methven, through consistency, quality and smart use of technology, have grown from local contractors to trusted partners for farmers across Mid Canterbury.
Using John Deere Operations CenterTM, an online operations management system, the Mays can see exactly where every machine is, how it’s performing, and how efficiently it’s being used. Fuel burn, idle time, work rates and machine alerts are all visible in real time, allowing them to fine‑tune operations, reduce costs and keep jobs running smoothly for their clients. Wireless data transfer is via JDLinkTM connectivity service.
A game changing technology they also use is HarvestLabTM 3000 Grain Analyser, which reads the protein and other quality parameters of maize as it’s being harvested. By combining this data with yield maps and fertiliser maps, May Bros and their farmers can see precisely how nutrition, yield and nutrient application interact across every paddock. That means smarter fertiliser use, better compliance traceability, and most importantly, high quality forage tailored to animal performance.
When they are harvesting grain, the John Deere X9 combine harvester is the next leap forward. Designed for an increase of up to 20% more productivity*, it uses cameras looking up to 8.5 metres ahead to enable Predictive Ground Speed Automation, automatically speeding up or slowing down based on crop conditions, and changing machine settings based on preset operator targets for grain loss and quality. This delivers a more consistent throughput while taking a huge amount of guesswork and fatigue out of the cab.
Phil is evaluating the John Deere Self‑Propelled Forage Harvester (SPFH) range, including the new F8 and F9 models, which bring self‑optimising automation to maize silage. With the machine constantly adjusting to maintain chop quality and throughput, operators
don’t need decades of experience to deliver premium silage. In an era of labour shortages, that’s a critical advantage which will allow the May Bros to keep delivering reliable, top‑quality forage that underpins profitable dairy systems.
*Based on anonymised Ops Center data comparing John Deere combine models with and without Predictive Ground Speed Automation.
