Celebrating success
The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith says it's important for his department to celebrate the success of a whole range of groups and people around the country.
Farm biosecurity raises questions about rural professionals visiting farms then needing to clean their footwear.
The Jacson Cube, a compact, lightweight, all-in-one boot cleaning and disinfecting system folds up for the boot of a car or ute.
It’s the idea of business partners Rusty Knutson and Jacqui Humm of Jacson3, developed over the last two years.
The idea emerged when Knutson, collecting calves for export, saw many farmers struggling to restrict the spread of diseases such as rotavirus and cryptosporidium between mobs of animals.
Thorough cleaning and disinfecting of boots on entry and exit from each property was obviously difficult to do well with just a basic bucket, brush, and spray bottle combo.
So came the Jacson Cube for cleaning and disinfecting lots of shoes.
It’s made from heavy polypropylene; the three main components -- body, lid and car-boot tray/footbath -- weigh 10kg empty and 15kg when filled with water or disinfectant.
It takes one minute to set up and two to pack away.
A rotating brush is mounted on an aluminium spindle which is mounted to a rhino-plastic grating that keeps debris and contaminants away from the body.
A hand-brush can be used to shift stubborn debris while using the integrated handle in the lid for support. An integral power-spray applicator draws disinfectant from a 3L reservoir and uses a spray tip with enough pressure to shift debris.
The body contains storage for disinfectant, gloves, wipes and hand sanitiser.
For set-up the unit is connected by a 13-15mm hose-tail, from where liquid is directed upwards into the brush assembly. From here it cascades over and under the footwear, whose motion causes the brush to rotate.
It’s also designed for use without a water source, by using the integral reservoir, carried in a vehicle boot; this can double as a footbath if used with an optional integral disinfectant mat.
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.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
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