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.
Sometimes less is more, meaning the need for technology isn’t always the answer, just a wellbuilt, simple machine to do a job efficiently.
The recently introduced Swift- Blade from Hustler appears to meet this criteria, in the form of a basic front-end-loader mounted manure scraper for cleaning down feed pads, holding yards and dairy sheds.
Featuring a robust frame with quick attach mounters for the front loader, allowing easy pick up and go, the heart of the machine is a 40mm thick, high-tensile SBR rubber blade that offers abrasion and impact resistance, while scraping the area cleanly.
Said to have a working life of around three years in normal use, once worn, the blade can be flipped and hopefully deliver another three years of service. To accommodate different tractor sizes and a range of operating conditions, the blade height can be easily adjusted.
With ease of use in mind, fold down support legs are positioned on either side of the machine to deliver easy pick up and drop off after an area is cleared. Measuring 2,600mm wide and 845mm tall, the LM260 scraper weighs in at around 205kg.
Showcasing the huge range of new technologies and science that is now available was one of the highlights at last week's National Fieldays.
Coby Warmington, 29, a farm manager at Waima Topu Beef near Hokianga was named at the winner of the 2025 Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer Award for sheep and beef.
Northlanders scooped the pool at this year's prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy Awards - winning both the main competition and the young Maori farmer award.
Red meat farmers are urging the Government to act on the growing number of whole sheep and beef farm sales for conversion to forestry, particularly carbon farming.
The days of rising on-farm inflation and subdued farmgate prices are coming to an end for farmers, helping lift confidence.
A blockbuster year and an exciting performance: that's how Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Director General, Ray Smith is describing the massive upsurge in the fortunes of the primary sector exports for the year ended June 2025.
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