Halter goes global, but NZ farmers remain core to innovation
Virtual fencing company Halter is going global but for founder Craig Piggott, New Zealand farmers will always remain their main partners.
Ag-tech company Consumer Physics is introducing SCiO Cup – said to be the world’s fastest, portable, lab-grade forage dry matter analyser.
It uses near infra-red spectroscopy to allow dairy and beef producers to analyse forage dry matters within a few seconds.
The ease of use offered by the smartphone-operated device allows dry matter analysis to be carried out frequently in-field, for planning harvesting at optimal moisture levels, while also keeping an eye on dry matter intake for animals during feed-out. The process is said to be instant and simple, requiring the user to fill the SCiO Cup with the crop or silage, click the button once to receive results on a smart device or phone within 10 seconds.
SCiO Cup supports dry matter analysis of grass and maize silage (green or ensiled), legumes silage, small grains silage and mixed silage. Silage calibrations are seamlessly and continuously updated in the cloud to ensure seasonal and regional accuracy. SCiO Cup also enables users to track past dry matter results and trends across time, per field or feed bunker/ silage pit.
SCiO Cup is powered by a rechargeable battery and can scan more than 1000 samples on a single charge. Rugged and shock-resistant, designed for in-field applications, the unit comes with a protective carrying case.
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The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
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