Farming smarter with technology
The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry professionals from across the country.
Waikato Milking Systems has unveiled the final production version of its ErgoPOD, a state-of-the-art semi-robotic technology designed to increase milking speed, productivity, and efficiency in the parlour.
ErgoPOD will be available for installation on farms next year. After years of development, the prototype was introduced a year ago and at this year’s Fieldays, visitors saw the final production version.
WMS executive chairman Jamie Mikkelson says that to unlock the significant productivity gains that ErgoPOD now provides, the company embarked on a mission several years ago to understand the barriers and challenges that limit milking efficiency.
By studying the work routines of milking operators, they identified the activities that increased effort for the operator and posed musculoskeletal challenges leading to fatigue and health impacts. “We also meticulously analysed every aspect of the milking routine to identify opportunities for automation that would reduce labour and make milking easier,” says Mikkelson.
The culmination of their research and development efforts, guided by a milking science- based approach, resulted in a groundbreaking milking management system. This system significantly reduces the effort required in milking, breaks productivity barriers, and creates a healthier, safer milking environment.
The company says after years of development, ErgoPOD promises to revolutionise milking for dairy farmers worldwide.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says the 2025 Fieldays has been one of more positive he has attended.
A fundraiser dinner held in conjunction with Fieldays raised over $300,000 for the Rural Support Trust.
Recent results from its 2024 financial year has seen global farm machinery player John Deere record a significant slump in the profits of its agricultural division over the last year, with a 64% drop in the last quarter of the year, compared to that of 2023.
An agribusiness, helping to turn a long-standing animal welfare and waste issue into a high-value protein stream for the dairy and red meat sector, has picked up a top innovation award at Fieldays.
The Fieldays Innovation Award winners have been announced with Auckland’s Ruminant Biotech taking out the Prototype Award.
Following twelve years of litigation, a conclusion could be in sight of Waikato’s controversial Plan Change 1 (PC1).
OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is…
OPINION: Once upon a time the Fieldays were for real farmers, salt of the earth people who thrived on hard…