Today’s Tractor Technology Helping With Efficiency, Productivity In Challenging Times For Cropping Enterprise
23 July 2025, Australia: More than 60 years of agricultural machinery evolution can be found in a shed on a property in southern NSW, in the form of two Case IH tractors that represent both ends of the ag machinery timeline, a stark reminder of just how far innovation and technology have come.
Ben McLellan and wife Melanie run ‘Ferndale’, a 2000ha property at Rand, between Albury and Wagga Wagga. The operation is predominantly cropping with some sheep, although sheep numbers are back given the current dry conditions.
‘Ferndale’ had its beginnings with Ben’s grandfather, before his sons took the reins, and later divided the property to enable their own sons to continue the farming tradition. Ben’s father still lives on the property and has retained a very significant reminder of the property’s history.
“The family’s always had red machinery, we’ve never had anything except Case IH and dad’s still got his first Case tractor, an 830, which is a 1970 model that was bought at the Henty field days,” Ben said.
Despite its age, the tractor is still a working member of ‘Ferndale’s’ fleet.
“It’s still going and we still use it, putting it on a field bin during harvest,” Ben said. “I think we’ve had every Case IH model tractor they’ve produced, including white ones and black ones. We’ve certainly had every Magnum that’s come out.”
The Case 830 is in stark contrast to the two Case IH Magnums and Puma tractor the business runs today, and the Case IH Axial-Flow 8250 combine, all of which are only a few years old.
The larger of the Magnums, the 280, is used for cultivation and sowing, while the smaller one, a Magnum 250, is kept busy on the boom spray. The Puma tractor is fitted with a front loader and carts the likes of hay, or is used with a mower conditioner or spreader.
It’s the versatility of both Case IH models that appeals to Ben, saying any task on the farm is more than covered by the Magnums or Puma.
“I can’t fault them at all. I’ve never had a major problem with them. They’re very reliable and can do anything we want them to do around here. It helps, too, to know you’ve got support if you need it from our local dealer, Intersales Wodonga,” he said.
The technology on the two models is also proving valuable to the business, with Ben welcoming innovations like Case IH AccuGuide™, a fully integrated autoguidance system that allows for sub-inch level accuracy and the maintenance of accurate row positioning across different paddock conditions, and AccuTurn™, automated headland-turning technology.
“It’s unbelievable really, just what these tractors can do now. With the auto-steer features, being able to put in your information, like paddock lines, and then you’re set. If you’re changing operators, it’s just so simple for someone to jump in, turn the wheel and press the button, and off they go,” Ben said.
“You can be in the tractor for a lot of hours, so features like that really help with fatigue, and just the overall comfort of the cabs makes things easier, too.”
The persistant dry conditions around the region are adding to the challenges for this season’s crops: canola, wheat and barley. Ben said they’d planted more barley this year because it had been so dry. So, 44mm in late May and another inch of rain early in June was particularly welcome and finally coaxed the barley out of the ground.
“Now the crops are up and we’ve got a little bit of moisture there, I think it can probably still do anything. We just have to wait to see if the year goes our way.”
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