Turning data into dollars
If growing more feed at home adds up to $428 profit per tonne of dry matter to your bottom line, wouldn’t it be good to have a ryegrass that gets you there quicker?
Bigger and better, says Stallion chief executive Grant Allen describing the company’s largest MTF mobile calf feeder, the Mixer Tanker Feeder.
Designed to feed 60-65 calves on the 80-teat feeder, the largest MTF is for farmers wanting to save time and energy, Allen says.
“People are buying larger mobile units to raise calves in bigger mobs, saving time and reducing the number of trips”.
The MTF is easy to use for transporting and mixing colostrum, milk powder or any other calving supplement for feeding. It comes in 50, 60, 70 or 80 teat configurations and can hold 1000L.
It has a robust galvanised frame and a tandem axle layout.
Its standard single cylinder Honda four stroke engine powers the pump, and the engine can be optioned with electric start, making the process of mixing and distributing milk as easy as turning a key.
The 1000L tank is easily filled using a camlock fast fill connection. Its rear mounted hose and dispenser nozzle allow a seamless, easy switch from paddock to pen feeding.
Easy cleaning starts with a quick-fit hose connection at the rear of the unit. When the operator fills the tank to about one quarter this starts the pump which activates self cleaning that takes about three minutes. Also, the easy clean manifold design allows fast draining of residual rinse water.
Stallion has designed and manufactured calf feeders and transport gear for 30 years.
Allen has good advice for calf rearers: “Don’t skimp on the number of teats on the feeder. Calves grow rapidly so always aim to see 10-15% of the teats free to avoid overcrowding and bullying.”
Acclaimed fruit grower Dean Astill never imagined he would have achieved so much in the years since being named the first Young Horticulturist of the Year, 20 years ago.
The Ashburton-based Carrfields Group continues to show commitment to future growth and in the agricultural sector with its latest investment, the recently acquired 'Spring Farm' adjacent to State Highway 1, Winslow, just south of Ashburton.
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has blasted Fonterra farmers shareholders for approving the sale of iconic brands to a French company.
A major feature of the Ashburton A&P Show, to be held on October 31 and November 1, will be the annual trans-Tasman Sheep Dog Trial test match, with the best heading dogs from both sides of the Tasman going head-to-head in two teams of four.
Fewer bobby calves are heading to the works this season, as more dairy farmers recognise the value of rearing calves for beef.
The key to a dairy system that generates high profit with a low emissions intensity is using low footprint feed, says Fonterra program manager on-farm excellence, Louise Cook.
OPINION: Microplastics are turning up just about everywhere in the global food supply, including in fish, cups of tea, and…
OPINION: At a time when dairy prices are at record highs, no one was expecting the world's second largest dairy…