Feed pad with rubber matting hailed as game changer
For Otago farmers Michelle and Rogan Borrie, a newly constructed feed pad on one of their three farms has been a game changer.
With harvesting season in full swing and long hours being worked, it’s timely to remind tractor and machinery operators about a frustrating and sometimes expensive issue around fuelling up – the utilisation of Diesel Exhaust Fluids (DEF).
DEFs such as AdBlue and GoClear are used in a post-combustion process to lower exhaust emissions from diesel fuelled engines.
DEFs are not fuel additives, but a catalyst that is added to the exhaust gases, so if they are placed directly in a tractor’s diesel tank, serious damage to your vehicle can occur. Rural Insurance specialists, FMG, reminds its customers that commercial vehicle policies do not cover damage to fuel and engine systems caused by DEFs.
In the case of agricultural contractors, currently in a season with limited or newly trained staff, workloads are high, and they are always under pressure to complete jobs in a limited time frame. So, the cost of adding DEF directly to the diesel tank goes beyond vehicle damage, to the loss of time and productivity, especially if it happens in the middle of the season.
Palmerston Northbased Case IH dealership TransAg has seen this issue many times, so has created a simple tip which anyone can adopt to avoid the issue.
“DEFs are stored in a small tank and, just like diesel fuel, are part of the daily service regime, meaning the driver must ensure it’s kept topped up. To try and avoid the issue, we’ve been painting our tractor fuel caps bright yellow/orange - the universally recognised colour for diesel - to trigger a reminder and try and eliminate any confusion,” says Brian Lett from TransAg. “By contrast, DEF tanks are always fitted with a blue filler cap”
“It’s a simple yet effective action that TransAg have taken, so we wanted to share it so others could benefit from adopting it and help prevent making this avoidable mistake,” says Rosie Blackwood, FMG’s commercial segment manager."
China’s Ambassador Wang Xiaolong says bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and New Zealand has made significant and rapid progress.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.