European tractor registrations down
A total of 108,800 tractors were registered across Europe in the first six months of 2022, with 31,900 tractors of 37kW (50 hp) and under and 76,900 of 38kW and above.
Shallower Ruts and less soil compaction came to light in a field test of Michelin XeoBib tractor tyres.
The tyres featured the maker’s Ultraflex technology, reports the New Zealand distributor, TRS Tyre & Wheel.
The XeoBib tyres were fitted to a Massey Ferguson 6616 tractor/ Kuhn power harrow drill combination in a 100ha field.
With conventional tyre pressures (20 psi front and 30 psi rear) it cost the NZ equivalent of $1932 in fuel to drill the field, and resulted in an average rut depth of 133mm. But when the pressures were dropped to 7 psi front and 13 psi rear the cost was just $1142, saving $790. The average rut depth was 88mm, and soil compaction was markedly lower.
Michelin’s agriculture technical manager, Gordon Brookes, commented, “The benefits of Michelin’s Ultraflex technology lie in its ability to be run at incredibly low pressures. This not only has multiple paybacks for the soil, notably reducing compaction and therefore enhancing yields, but the enhanced traction also means the wheels don’t slip as much, so don’t use as much fuel to complete the job.”
As well as Xeobib and Axiobib tractor tyres, Michelin has Ultraflex tyres for other applications – CargoXBib high flotation tyres for trailers, CereXBibs for combines and forage harvesters and SprayBibs for high-clearance sprayers.
Tel. 0800 336 334
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Two major red meat sector projects are getting up to a combined $1.7 million in funding from the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
Angus Barr and Tara Dwyer of The Wandle, Lone Star Farms in Strath Taieri have been named the Regional Supreme Winners at the Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Dunedin.
OPINION: The distress that the politicians and bureaucrats are causing to the people of Wairoa and the wider Tairāwhiti is unforgivable.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
OPINION: The new government has clearly signalled big cuts across the public service.
OPINION: Your canine crusader is not surprised by the recent news that New Zealand plant-based ‘fake meat’ business is in…