$52,500 fine for effluent mismanagement
A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.
While New Zealand plays catch-up and Europe leads in using farm effluent, it was always going to fall to the North American continent to go large — very large.
At the recent Euro Tier 18 event in Hanover, Germany, the Canadian company Cadman showed off its self-propelled slurry pump and reeler system called the Continuous Manure Applicator (CMA).
Offered in three versions, all powered by a DPS (John Deere), 9.0L, 375hp engine, the CMA 5500 carries a whopping 853m of 139mm diameter delivery hose.
The applicator unit, carried by a tractor in the paddock, has a swivelling connector arm to keep the supply hose in the same position when the tractor makes a headland turn to begin a return run.
The CMA is synched to the spreading tractor by GPS, with the system paying out or re-winding the delivery hose at the same rate as the tractor’s travel speed.
At the headland, when the tractor makes a turn to set up for the next run, the CMS automatically moves forward to keep the hose in alignment for a straight pull.
The unit is said to achieve outputs of up to 200 cubic metres depending on material consistency and ground topography. The manufacturer says the key benefit of the system is its use in row-crops such as maize — even crops 1m tall — with no physical damage to the plants.
The machines are designed to be moved between jobs by a tractor about 350hp.
According to Zespri's November forecast for the 2025/26 season, returns are likely to be up for all fruit groups compared to the last forecast in August.
Next month, wool training will reach one of New Zealand's most remote communities, the Chatham Islands - bringing hands-on skills and industry connection to locals eager to step into the wool harvesting sector.
Farmers' health and wellbeing will take centre stage with a new hub at the 2026 East Coast Farming Expo.
Dannevirke farmer Dan Billing has been announced as the new national chair of Beef + Lamb New Zealand's (B+LNZ) Farmer Council.
A Mid Canterbury beef farm has unlocked a new market for its products thanks to its unusual beef breed, and an award-winning pie taking the district by storm.
The number of beef straws going into dairy cows is on the increase, according to LIC beef genetics product lead Paul Charteris.