AMRDC's key research areas:
On-Farm Machinery
Applied or fundamental research and machinery performance testing are offered in addition to the development and manufacture of prototype equipment. Special expertise lies in the areas of tillage and seeding, chemical spraying, and harvest machinery. A large proportion of projects is related to adaptive field machinery research both in Australia and overseas, focussing in particular on the development of integrated engineering solutions in conservation agriculture and no-till farming.
Post-Harvest Processing Technology
This area was developed in response to industry and government demands for practical technology solutions within the Australian food, feed and fibre industries. Activities include sorting, sizing and separation; production audits, process development; designing and manufacturing of specialised plant and equipment.
Engineering Services
Utilising computerised design and modelling software combined with purpose developed testing facilities, a key component of this area lies in custom designed and built solutions to individual problems. Expert witness service is also provided where research engineers offer independent expert opinions on a range of engineering related matters.
Our expertise
Our areas of expertise cover both pre-harvest and post-harvest engineering applications, and include:
- Seeding system technologies in no-till farming systems
- Seeder machinery design and testing
- Concept development and full design of specialised machinery
- Soil mechanics and soil/tool/residue interactions
- Small scale mechanisation in international conservation agriculture contexts
- Grain harvester modifications for snail pests, high moisture harvesting and weed seed destruction
- Technologies for precision agriculture
- Dried fruit production and processing
- Almond processing
- Grain contaminant separation
- Grain storage
- Seafood production and processing
