F E A T U R E D

Robbie Mckenzie and Raymond Cossar.
Travelled to Darwin Last week to attend the Cattlemen’s Association Conference.

Henry is a respected leader in the Australian agriculture and pastoral industries, with a career dedicated to the Australian.

Starting as a jackaroo in Queensland's Gulf Country, he now serves as General Manager, overseeing major cattle holdings and mentoring the industry. Since joining CPC in 2017, Henry has been part of the Senior Leadership Team, working closely with the CEO on operational decisions.

Henry has managed large-scale properties across Northern Australia, including Crowfels, Wurung, Wondoola, Canobie, Headingly, Gregory Downs, Wrotham Park in Queensland, and Walhallow and Brunette Downs in the NT. As General Manager of Pastoral Operations, he managed 19 cattle stations with 240 staff and 450,000 head of cattle. His expertise includes property acquisitions, dispersals, indigenous engagement, and large-scale pastoral operations. Henry holds a Diploma of Management and was elected President of the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association in March 2024.

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For Jack, a fourth-generation cattle farmer in rural NSW, upgrading his machinery had always been a challenge. The old tractor did the job, but it was slow, inefficient and cost more in repairs each year. When he finally looked into asset finance, he realised he could get a brand-new machine with no massive upfront cost—just manageable repayments spread out over time. Within months, his farm was running smoother, fuel costs were down, and he had more time to focus on growing his business.

Like Jack, many Aussie farmers are finding ways to work smarter, not harder, by using finance to their advantage.

Finance That Works for Farmers

Not every year is the same in farming. Some seasons bring bumper crops, others bring unexpected droughts or price dips. That’s why farmers like Sarah, a grain grower in Victoria, use a line of credit to smooth out the ups and downs. When she needs extra funds for seed and fertiliser before harvest, she can draw on her credit line. When the crop sells, she pays it back—simple, flexible, and always there when she needs it.

For dairy farmers like Tom in Queensland, a seasonal loan means he doesn’t have to worry about repayments when cash flow is tight. His bank understands how his business works, so instead of fixed monthly payments, his loan is structured to match his income cycles.

Investing in Growth, Not Just Getting By

Farmers who wait until their equipment breaks down or cash runs out often find themselves stuck. But those who plan ahead and use finance wisely can stay ahead of the game. Whether it’s:

• Upgrading machinery for better efficiency

• Expanding herds with livestock finance

• Investing in water systems to protect against dry spells

• Holding onto grain longer to sell at the best price

Having the right finance solution isn’t about getting by—it’s about growing stronger, faster, and smarter.

Thriving in 2025

Aussie farmers are known for their resilience, but even the best need the right tools. Finance is no longer just about getting loans when things go wrong—it’s about using money strategically to build a more profitable, efficient, and stress-free farm.

For Jack, Sarah, and Tom, the right finance solution has given them more control, more opportunities, and more time to focus on what really matters—their land, their business, and their future.

WEEKLY AUCTION DATES – 2025

1.) 4^th April 2025 , 2) 18^th April 2025

Ag Machinery

Australia Agriculture Tractor Market - Industry Outlook & Forecast 2025-2030

The Australian tractors market is highly concentrated, with the top players controlling most of the market. Domestic and global brands, on the other hand, are equally represented in the market. John Deere, AGCO & CNH Industrial dominated the Australian tractors market with a collective market share of 40%-45%. Since more than 40% of the share belongs to the top three key players, the threat of rivalry is high in the Australian tractors market. These players are thriving on innovation in the tractor market. Also, the industry has established players in various segments. Vendors have improved their after-sales services, making customers loyal to the existing brands.

Established global players are moving toward increasing the introduction of technology in their offerings to attract more customers. For instance, CNH Industrial, with its tractor brands Case IH, New Holland, and Steyr, has introduced autonomous technology in agriculture tractors. The company has already incorporated technologies, such as auto-steering and telematics, in its agriculture tractors. John Deere and AGCO worked to introduce the autonomous concept in their tractors. Furthermore, in terms of advanced tractor technology, John Deere has equipped many models with GPS, location tracking, image sensors, and telematics to assist in field navigation. The company has also equipped its 9RX model with features to autonomously adjust the harvesting equipment according to the state of the crops.

The increasing penetration and adoption of farm mechanization practices throughout the country have been boosting the sale of new tractors. Favorable climate conditions, coupled with government support for increasing Agri-exports and farm mechanization, will drive the demand for tractors in the region. Farmers are increasingly demanding efficient and advanced tractors that can help them reduce their operating costs and improve their productivity. Tractors with advanced features, such as GPS guidance, telematics, and precision agriculture capabilities, are in high demand. The government in the region launched various schemes to promote agricultural mechanization. These schemes typically provide subsidies or financial assistance to farmers for the purchase of agricultural machinery, including tractors.

Several OEMs in the Australia tractors market have planned to introduce Electric-powered tractors in the coming year. In 2024, John Deere announced to launch fully electric power tractor in the Australian market in 2026. Electric tractors have lower operating costs than diesel-powered tractors, as electricity is cheaper than diesel fuel. Australia has seen a significant rise in agricultural production in 2024, with notable increases in wheat, canola, and beef cattle numbers, majorly driven by favorable weather conditions and improved farming practices, resulting in a higher gross value of agricultural production across the country. In addition to the above factors, the growth of the Australian tractors market is also being driven by the increasing demand for food products and the expansion of agricultural land. Farmers are increasingly adopting mechanization to meet the growing demand for food and to improve their profitability.

REGIONAL ANALYSIS
The New South Wales region has the largest market share in the Australian tractors market accounting for nearly 29% in 2024. However, this region offers a variety of agricultural products such as wheat, barley, oats, and others. The region represents one of the major areas of agricultural production in Australia. The region is also leading in high penetration of compact tractors. New South Wales, Australia, varies significantly across the state, including coastal plains, fertile river valleys, and mountainous regions.

New South Wales, Queensland, followed by Victoria, have reportedly shown a higher demand for agricultural tractors than other regions of the country in 2024. The demand for tractors is expected to grow at a robust pace during the forecast period (2025-2030). Also, Queensland is a significant contributor to the Australian industry, known for its high-quality agricultural produce. It is a leading producer of sugarcane, bananas, macadamias, sweet corn, avocados, beans, and capsicums.

The outlook for Western Australia in 2025 is positive, with expectations of good rainfall to support crop production. According to data from the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics, wheat production and the demand for beef and lamb are projected to increase in the first half of 2025. Also, the Australian tractors market is currently in the growth stage, and manufacturers are seeking capacity augmentation in the country. The Northern Territory region of the country has relatively low levels of farm mechanization, and vendors can explore these regions with a portfolio of small tractors that are suitable for the rolling hills and low mountains of the region.

SEGMENTATION INSIGHTS

INSIGHTS BY HORSEPOWER

The Australian tractors market is categorized into these segments based on horsepower: less than 60 HP, 60-100 HP, 101-200 HP, and above 200 HP. The less than 60 HP segment generated the highest sales in most of the regions. Tractors in this HP range can easily handle small and medium-sized fields and heavy-duty mowing tasks. The following market trends drive less than 60 HP range tractor sales:

These high-performance (HP) tractors are highly regarded by the global farming community for their adaptability to a variety of crops, making them a versatile tool in the diverse agricultural landscapes around the world. Their design aligns well with sustainable farming practices, as small to medium-sized tractors offer an optimal power-to-efficiency ratio that supports eco-friendly farming methods.

Additionally, these tractors provide cost-effective solutions in a competitive agricultural market. The smaller HP range is particularly appealing to budget-conscious farmers who do not want to compromise on performance, making these tractors a preferred choice for those looking to maximize efficiency and productivity while minimizing costs.

INSIGHTS BY DRIVE TYPE

The Australian tractors market is dominated by low-range HP 2WD tractors. Among the several tractor models available in the country, 2WD tractors are the most favored by farmers. The low relative cost of ownership, the sufficiency of features and haulage power, and convention make 2WD tractors more popular among farmers. Australia has a high number of medium-scale farmers with an average farm size of around 500 ha/farm. For this reason, farmers prefer to use their own large and powerful machines. In Australia, power paddles are attached to two-wheeled tractors for wheat plantations.

Lardner Park Field Day 2025

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DRIVING from Mareeba to Weipa in a day? Toots would have hated that.

The tougher it was, the better it was for Toots, who made a name for herself as the last to deliver freight to the Cape before the wet season and the first truck to get through when the water subsided.

When she first started driving to the Peninsula from the base in Cairns, the road from Mareeba was only sealed to Mount Molloy. Getting to Cooktown was a big enough challenge, but driving a semi-trailer to Weipa was bordering on crazy.

Southern truck drivers didn’t even make it to Lakeland before giving up. The copious amounts of corrugations and bulldust were just too much. Not for Toots.

To get to Mount Carbine, you had to open and close 16 gates. The Mulligan Highway did not exist. If you made it to Lakeland and kept heading north, you faced a rough road to Cooktown. If you look a left turn and headed to Laura and beyond, the road soon evaporated.

When Weipa was emerging as a bustling mining town on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, all employees were flown in, and freight came via plane or barge. There was no official road linking Weipa with the south, just a telegraph line in the bush, with enough scrub cleared for maintenance.

This was no barrier for Toots and her husband Ron, who made a name for themselves servicing every Cape York community and cattle station in the dry season. They would cut down trees and build their own bridges, they would spend hours shovelling mud to free themselves of a bog – often around the black soil near Piccaninny Plains – and, surprising to most, had a great time doing so.

While Ron came from a trucking family and helped Toots get behind the wheel of big rigs, it was his wife who ran the show. She made history as the first Australian woman to clock a million miles in a truck and became a pioneer of females in the transport industry. And she did all of this while raising children, often with them sitting beside her in the cabin, coughing up dust from the Cape York wilderness.

THE TRAGEDY

TOOTS died at 10.43 am on the 29th of February, 1992 doing the job she loved beside the truck she called her ‘Old Girl’. All week, Toots and Ron had been carting the pylons that had been removed from the old Weipa wharf and stacked in a number of piles around Evans Landing. Their trucks were parked parallel to each other.

“No one really knows what went wrong that day,” daughter Donna Vawdrey wrote in her book Toots: Woman In A Man’s World.

“The crane operator was using a dogman to signal him for the control of the load, as this last pylon was on a slight slope and hidden from his direct view.

“As the pylon was being lifted, it started to swing. A steel plate, protruding from the side of the pylon, was small enough to fit between the duals where Toots was standing.

“It crushed her against the wheel of her semi, inflicting massive chest injuries. Toots clutched her chest, gasping, ‘I can’t breathe,’ before losing consciousness.”

Emergency services arrived at the scene within a couple of minutes, but Toots could not be revived. Two inquests were held with the outcome stating that it was simply a tragic accident. Simultaneous funeral services were held in Weipa and Cairns.

There were 200 mourners at St Luke’s Church in Weipa. The ladies of Napranum sang together in a hymn of tribute to Toots. Following the service in Cairns, a horn-blowing convoy of semi-trailer rigs led the procession to the crematorium, where they all, simultaneously, blasted their air horns in a final farewell.

At the Cairns funeral, Glenda Putt summed up how many folks felt. “That woman was a lady. She had the respect of everyone. She was special. I am so pleased I got to meet her.” Jim Gordon reminisced on the time he and Toots danced together at the Musgrave Centenary celebrations. In his words, ‘She was a good friend with a terrific heart.’

“It was a sad end to a special era in road transport for the Gulf country, and the people of the Cape would dearly miss the personal touch that Toots gave to everything she did,” Donna wrote.

PERSONAL BATTLES

THE story of Toots would be short-changed without explaining the personal challenges she faced outside of the truck cabin. Most know of her as a mother of eight, but Toots faced significant battles as a mum. Along the journey, she lost one child to stillbirth and had another son, Sheldon, who died just three days after he was born.

Toots also had to cope with being separated from half of her children for a large chunk of their formative years. Toots gave birth to “JB” John Joseph Bishop in 1951. She was just 16 years old and, as a result of being underage, had to serve 100 hours of community service. The father was in prison. Her next four children – Kaylene, Cheryl, Donna and Ricky were with her first husband Frederick Hipworth, best known as “Dinghy”.

When the relationship broke down, Toots turned to her friend Ron Holzheimer for comfort. “Ron packed up Toots and the kids, moved to the Atherton Tableland and pitched a tent beside a creek at Yungaburra,” Donna wrote. “He settled his newly acquired ‘instant’ family and began looking for work.”

A burgeoning happy family was then torn apart when Dinghy drove to Redlynch and snatched the three girls outside an ice cream shop. He would later grab JB and Ricky in a similar fashion, leaving Toots and Ron childless. “Toots never gave up trying to get custody of her children,” Donna wrote in her book.

“Her fears were realised in 1962 when, to her dismay, Dinghy gained custody of all five children, even his stepson JB. “Toots was denied visitation rights, and she did not have the money to fight the court order. “She was deemed an unfit mother as she had no fixed address.

“Her stolen children grew up believing they were not wanted or loved.” Toots and Ron would go on to have three children of their own – Sharon, Lynny and Troy. Eventually, each of her other five children would make their way back into Toots’ life. When she died, she had eight kids who all proudly called her mum.

THIRTY YEARS ON

DAUGHTERS Donna and Cheryl still can’t believe the impact their mother had on so many people and are still told new stories about Toots on a regular basis.

“Just this morning I had a man called Wayne Kelly ring me and tell me about the time mum helped him when he was at Palmer River and had run out of fuel and had no food to get by,” Donna said on Sunday.

“You hear these stories all of the time about how mum would just help anyone who needed it.” Despite being a woman in a man’s world, Toots was a lady first and foremost.

“She didn’t swear in front of us kids and gave us a lashing if we did,” Donna said. “She would say ‘frig’ a lot, but that’s about it.

“In the Cape she would look after all the ladies on the stations, often picking up material for them to make dresses or other small items that would make their lives a little bit better. “She was driven to drive trucks, but she never became a half-baked man. She was always a woman. “Her compassion, understanding and big heart shone through.”

Those thoughts were echoed by Cheryl, who was in Weipa on the day her mother died. “She’s never far from your mind,” Cheryl said.

“I’m amazed at how many people still remember her. “Even when I still go up to Weipa, people say ‘I can’t believe Toots isn’t here anymore’. “She was loved by a lot of people.”

Cheryl admitted to feeling some guilt about her mum’s death. She and her husband Ray were living in Weipa and in charge of the local depot at Evans Landing. “She always gave me the weekend off when Ray was home,” Cheryl recalled.

“I felt guilty for a number of years because I should have been working. Mum was suffering from bad asthma, but that was her, she just kept going.” Cheryl said she hoped talks of a movie about Toots would eventuate to fully preserve her memory.

“That would be the icing on the cake,” Donna said. A production company had been sitting on the movie or TV series idea for a number of years, but it had yet to make any major advances. For now, her book is the only substantial record of Toots’s life, although there are a number of tributes dotted around the state that honour her legacy.

TRIBUTES FLOW

MEMBER for Leichhardt Warren Entsch says he didn’t know Toots all that well, but he had no hesitation in pushing for the bridge at Kennedy Creek to be named in her honour. “We knew each other, but we didn’t have much to do with one another,” the MP said.

“Probably the most graphic image I have of Toots is her bogged to the axle and she’s covered in mud with a floral sundress on. She’s there beavering away to get herself out of trouble. When I pulled up and offered to help she very pleasantly told me to piss off.

“There weren’t too many people in the Cape that didn’t know her.” Mr Entsch said when he became the federal member there was an opportunity to name the bridge over the Kennedy Creek as they sealed the road from Lakeland to Laura.

“I contacted the family to ask if they had any objections to applying for the bridge to be named in her honour, and I was up there with the family when it was unveiled.

“It was a wonderful legacy for Toots.” Retired Cape York police officer Tony Tallen was based at Edward River (now Pormpuraaw) for a stint and remembered Toots fondly.

“She was as tough as nails,” he said from his Tasmanian home. “I remember her lifting these 44-gallon drums that very few blokes could manage on their own.

“Toots would never let you do anything for her; she took her job very seriously.” The quietly-spoken truckie went from being a popular figure in the Gulf and Cape to a famous female icon in Australia after TV program The Australians dedicated an episode in her honour.

Journalist and producer Peter Luck described Toots as a ‘mother earth’ figure with big biceps, big breasts, short wavy black hair, brown leathery skin and a dry, slightly gruff, raspy voice. Legendary country music singer Slim Dusty further immortalised Toots when he released The Truckie is a Ladyon his award-winning album Making a Mile, which picked up a Golden Guitar in 1998. There’s a street named after Toots in Evans Landing, and you’ll still find the memorial at the Archer River Roadhouse.

One of the most popular lasting tributes to Toots is her legendary MAN truck, which was restored and sent to the National Road Transport Hall of Fame in Alice Springs before it was moved to the Diamantina Heritage Truck and Machinery Museum in Winton.

“We just felt like the truck should be in Queensland because she was from here,” Donna said. There are a number of other small tributes to Toots around the state and in the Cape.

Toots: Woman In A Man’s World has sold more than 13,000 copies to date.

“When I did the first print run, I only ordered 2000 copies, and they sold in three weeks,” Donna said. “I then rushed another order of 2000 and they sold within three months.”

www.toots-thebook.com.au 

“Samantha Watkins Photography”

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