increase font size
Owner Tony Ireland says there has been a reduction in damaged bales needing attention and customer complaints.
A switch to KUHN film binding is paying off for one South Waikato baling contractor, Ireland Contracting, who bought two FBP 3135 balers last spring, attracted to the KUHN FBP’s bale quality (shape and density) and reliability of the film binding system.
Producing around 20,000 bales each year, with 17,000 pushed out by the FPB duo in the last 9 months, the team wraps most bales with the 3D wrapping system, applying wrap more evenly across the bale and around the bale edges to prevent damage during cartage and handling.
Owner Tony Ireland says there has been a reduction in damaged bales needing attention and customer complaints with the change to the FBPs. He also notes that the film binding system is easier to load with the 750mm film rolls, rather than the heavier fullwidth rolls, and makes delivering plastic out to jobs easier with only one product to worry about.
The bales are operated behind Fendt tractors using their own in-cab ISOBUS terminals, and operators say the ISOBUS makes it easy for them to switch between tractors without the added complication of monitors and looms.
The Ireland Contracting team also like the rotor drive disengagement feature, making blockages easy to manage if the intake chokes and the chamber is nearly full. The system allows the operator to disengage the intake system, while maintaining the drive to the bale chamber, allowing the bale to be tied and ejected before re-engaging the intake and allowing the blockage to pass into the now empty chamber.
Independent tests comparing the systems have found film-on-film has less potential for the surface spoil that can often be found between layers of net. Despite initial customer scepticism, there is little cost difference, if any, between film-on-film and net and film, especially when bale quality is factored in. “The costs are comparable, if not slightly cheaper than net film,” KUHN South Island sales manager Justin Williams says.
Williams notes that film binding is increasingly preferred over traditional net binding for silage bales as it provides tighter wrapped bales with better protection around the circumference. The additional oxygen barrier is also said to guarantee better silage quality, an easier bale to unwrap, even in frost and the removal of the need to separate net or film wraps for recycling.
This film binding system uses two regular 750mm stretch-film rolls, which offers several advantages over competitive film binding systems that are using wide mantle films. This includes a higher prestretch ratio compared to wide film binding systems, reducing costs by up to 37% and extending film changing intervals reels by 30%.
Film and net binding are two separate systems on all KUHN baler-wrappers, enabling the operator to carry both film and net at the same time. Switching between the two is quick and easy as there is no need to change rolls and no tools are required.
Twin rotor swathers have become the ‘go-to’ for forming swaths to feed hungry harvesters and balers, however, the design layout often means that crop located between the two rotors is not picked up, turned over or incorporated into the swath formed for subsequent harvesting.
Operating large tractors became more expensive back in March due to the ongoing Strait of Hormuz conflict, meaning contractors had to introduce fuel surcharges and farmers had to adjust their budget forecasts.
Close to the Abel Tasman and Kahurangi National Parks, Motueka is known for apples, pear and kiwifruit orchards, alongside specialised crops such as hops. Indeed, that specialisation, saw the area being the New Zealand centre of the tobacco growing, until the early 1980s.
Can-Am has introduced its 2027 range of side-by-side vehicles (SSV) and all-terrain vehicles (ATV), including the industry leading Defender, the Maverick R and the hugely capable Outlander ATV, incorporating a host of advancements designed to deliver an exceptional riding experience.
With battery tools becoming more widespread and more importantly, productive and reliable, it was only time before we saw augers or post-hole borers.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.
Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.
The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.
OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.
OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.
