AUSSIE farmers are clear leaders when it comes to the uptake of precision agriculture developments.

That's the view of Canadian manufacturer Morris Industries' chief operating officer Don Henry, who was in Australia recently as part of a fact-finding tour.

Don said the large acreages planted by Australian grain growers in an often adverse climate had forced the adoption of new and more efficient farming techniques.

"That's why we regularly visit Australia," Don said.

"It's a vitally important market for us as a manufacturer of seeding gear so we make a point of meeting with dealers and farmers to make sure we can also adapt the machinery.

"There is so much difference in the climate in Australia, especially between wet and dry conditions and that obviously spurs a lot of innovation when it comes to cropping.

"There are many aspects of precision ag we take into account for the Australian market, such as tram-tracking ability and being able to easily and precisely place seed and fertiliser in the ground."

Morris air seeders are distributed by Howard Australia.

Howard Australia's Morris product manager Justin James said the Australian market was a core part of Morris Industries' global business.

"The Morris service and research and development staff also makes regular trips to Australia as it's such an important market for them," Justin said.

Morris Industries' North American sales manager Don Kirkwood said the company was continually looking at ways to make seeding more efficient and accurate.

"Plus, by listening to customers we can implement change such as the introduction of a hydraulic auger or belt conveyor for the air seeders," Don said. "That means quicker filling and less down time, especially for the larger gear which has bin capacities up to 22,000 litres."

In terms of larger gear, Morris Industries has developed a 26m seed drill, which will be available for the Australian market next autumn.

Justin said the same machine would also be available in a 24.2m version.