Handy machinery fleet impresses

Orginally published by Farm Weekly in July 2025.

Scott Ruhle, Clearview, Dalby, Queensland, runs a dryland cropping operation utilising several machines, including a two-year-old New Holland T8 tractor.

Using the right machinery is key to Australian dryland farmer Scott Ruhle’s success in running a large-scale dryland operation.

The third-generation Queensland farmer operates a fleet of tractors and attachments, cultivating about 1000 hectares for winter crops including wheat, barley and chickpeas.

Sorghum, grown mainly for export markets, takes up about two-thirds of his family-run cropping portfolio, while mung beans are also grown each summer.

Mr Ruhle, 52, farms with his wife Amy at Clearview, Dalby, Qld, about 28 kilometres south of the township.

His parents, Lance and Kay, started farming in the area, described as flax, box country with black soil, in 1975. This year is the family’s 50th year since moving to the district.

“Sorghum can go locally for containers to China or to Brisbane, but most of it goes overseas now,” Mr Ruhle said.

The operation is also assisted by the Ruhle’s two sons and their partners, Jackson and Emma, and Reaudene and Jemima, who are 28 and 26 respectively.

Wheat and barley grown on the property is supplied to the Ruhle’s neighbour, Mort & Co’s Grassdale Feedlot, one of the biggest in Australia.

In terms of yield, their sorghum produces on average six to eight tonnes a hectare, barley and wheat crops produced 5-6t/ha, and chickpeas 2-3t/ha.

“In any five-year period, we are growing two-thirds of the property with sorghum as a summer crop,” Mr Ruhle said.

Improving on-farm efficiency is a key area of focus for the family. One way with this done is through the use of a Stoll WeedSeeker that can spot and broadacre spray at the same time.

Previously, two rotations had to be done to kill persistent weeds. The WeedSeeker is towed by a New Holland T8 tractor that the family purchased two years ago from dealership McIntosh & Son.

“It means you can hit ugly weeds with the spot sprayer with a heavy dose of either the same chemical or a different chemical, and then go with a much lighter rate with the main boom.”

He estimates he sprays about 8000ha each year when factoring in the insecticides and weed sprays.

“Using a high-horsepower tractor with this sprayer is really saving us time,” he said.

The New Holland T8 is one of two key tractors used in the operation, alongside a track Challenger Mt738, plus a handful of smaller paddock tractors.

Mr Ruhle purchased the 350-horsepower New Holland two years ago after test driving it.

“I like the wheelbase because they are a bit longer than some of the other tractors on the market,” he said.

“It makes the ride a bit more comfortable and it carries the weight a bit better being longer.”

Other additions Mr Ruhle enjoys is the auto command transmission and cab suspension, providing for a comfortable ride.

Easy commodity prices are a burden for farmers like Mr Ruhle when considering purchasing new equipment.

“It’s very difficult with commodity prices where they are to consider upgrading,” he said. “It’s not only the prices of commodities, it’s the prices of everything else that has gone up, that is the biggest problem.”

New Holland dealer McIntosh & Son has reported steady sales of the T8s, with 20 sold in Western Australia alone since the start of 2024.

“We are not only seeing improvements in reliability, but the suite of connectivity features has been assisting with preventing unscheduled doen-time,” said McIntosh & Son General Manager Anthony Ryan.

Mr Ryan, who is the General Manager of the Cunderdin, Geraldton, Merredin, Moora and Wongan Hills dealerships, said the T8s had been used for a variety of broadacre farming applications in the past season, from pulling chaser bins, spreaders, sprayers, as well as other harvesting.

“We’ve even had one customer using a T8 to pull a potato harvester, which is a unique application and demonstrates the versatility of these tractors,” Mr Ryan said.

For more information on the GENESIS T8 Series with PLM Intelligence, Stoll sprayers or WeedSeeker2 Spot Spraying system, please contact your local McIntosh & Son dealership here.