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Coolabah Turf is again setting the pace for Australia’s turf industry, becoming the first in the country to introduce fully autonomous tractors to its farms.
Just a few weeks ago, Coolabah Turf’s Echuca-based production team took delivery of the cutting-edge autonomous technology from leading US agri-tech company Sabanto.
The revolutionary system, which is retrofitted to existing John Deere tractors, enables completely driverless operation. Once programmed, the tractors work around the clock, methodically mowing, aggravating and cultivating turf paddocks with precision, and with no operator in sight.
Australian Turf’s General Manager of Farms, David Geltch, said the move reflects the company’s sharp focus on innovation and product quality.
“Innovation is always front of mind for us,” he said.
“To stay at the forefront of the turf industry, you have to constantly push ahead. Ten years ago, everyone was still stacking turf by hand, and now we’re about to have tractors mowing paddocks entirely on their own. It’s a big leap forward.”
Unlike many agricultural automation projects, Mr Geltch said the move wasn’t about cutting labour costs.
“The real driver for us is quality,” he said.
“The more frequently you mow turf, the better the product you grow. With these autonomous tractors, we can operate 24 hours a day, mowing more often and delivering an even higher-quality surface for our customers.”
The Sabanto system bolts directly to existing equipment, transforming a standard tractor into a fully autonomous unit. Operators simply map out a path, and the tractor executes it with pinpoint accuracy – up and back, day or night, without a break.
The system’s advanced cameras, obstacle detection sensors, GNSS systems and robotics pair with mobile and desktop applications, allowing farm teams to monitor the operation remotely, while the machine does all the heavy lifting.
The research and development of innovative technologies is an ongoing endeavour, and after years of research, Dave was able to finally catch up with Sabanto earlier this year to see the technology in action.
“I was lucky enough to go to the United States in February this year and got to meet with the Sabanto guys and see this in action. I knew from that point that this is what we needed here in Australia,” said Mr Geltch.
As a part of the Australian Turf organisation, Coolabah Turf was able to work with Sabanto to provide a significant enough investment with Sabanto to bring the company to Australia.
“Australian Turf was integral in bringing us to Australia,” stated Mike Burdick, Sales Director at Sabanto.
“For the past couple of years, we’ve had our eye on the Australian market. To expand internationally is a fairly significant endeavour. Australian Turf, being a wonderful partner, brought us to the market and helped us enter.”
For Coolabah Turf, which supplies premium slab-cut turf across Victoria and southern NSW, this technology represents another industry-first milestone. Over the past decade, the business has embraced automation to improve efficiency and quality at every stage of the production process. Moving to driverless mowing is the next logical step, and being the first in Australia and the southern hemisphere to have this technology operating on farm is an exciting milestone.
“Autonomy in agriculture isn’t the future, it’s happening now,” said Mr Geltch.
“We’re proud to be leading the way and showing what’s possible in Australian turf production.”
To learn more about Sabanto’s autonomous technology, visit www.sabantoag.com.
