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.
Technology used by farmers to maximise harvest capacity in difficult conditions has earned John Deere’s HDR Cutterbar Draper Series a 2021 AE50 Award.
It was one of six John Deere products named by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), which each year recognises innovative product-engineering designs in the food and agriculture industry.
Winning products are selected for ingenuity in product development and for their ability to save farmers time, costs and labour while improving safety.
The HDR Rigid Cutterbar Draper Series was recognised for its ability to maximise harvesting capacity for small grains, canola and pulse production across changing conditions and uneven or rolling terrain while capturing more grain.
Featuring a new hinged frame, the HDR provides terrain-following capability and uniform cut height when harvesting on curves or uneven terrain.
“This reduces crop losses and increases hectares harvested per hour,” says JD’s Australia and New Zealand production system manager Ben Kelly.
The HDR will be available in New Zealand in time for harvest 2022.
Further 2021 AE50 Awards were picked up by the JD X9-1000 and X9-1100 Combine Harvesters.
The latter offers the ability to harvest up to 12 hectares (30 acres) of wheat per hour, or 182 tonnes per hour of corn. The X Series will arrive in New Zealand in August 2021.
Likewise, John Deere’s CF Folding Corn Heads help reduce operating costs by offering fold cycle time of less than 40 seconds, when fitted to X Series harvesters. Or less than 60 seconds when connected to an S700 Series machine.
The folding corn head helps reduces a farmer’s costs by eliminating the need to purchase a header trailer to transport between paddocks.
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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