Success for Argo tractors
The judges at last year’s Agritechnica event picked the Italian-built Landini Rex 4-120GT Robo- Shift Dynamic as the Best of Specialised category at its Tractor of the Year 2024 Awards.
German harvest specialist Claas will take away a silver medal from the upcoming Agritechnica show for its automatic pressure control system (APC).
The APC allows operators to get maximum performance from the new Quadrant 5200 and 4200 large square balers.
As experienced operators know well, while a tractor of sufficient power is required for output, there is little point in baling at high pressure setting if the twine is unable to withstand these loads. So for the new series, Claas has moved away from working only on bale chamber pressure, to now also monitoring the load on the baling twine.
The quality of the twine, measured in metres per kilogramme, will determine its ultimate capacity. This value is entered into the implement control terminal (ICT) by the operator. Ion operation sensors measure the load on the twine and if this approaches or exceeds the maximum load the system automatically and gradually reduces the system pressure until the overload is rectified – then it resets to the pre-arranged system pressure. With this system of measurement the baler is capable of making bales of uniform density irrespective of crop conditions and operator experience, maximising daily output.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
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.
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.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.