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.
German manufacturer Horsch has introduced the new Leeb FT front tank, that mounts to a tractor’s 3-point linkage and offers additional spraying capacity.
Available in 1,200 litre and 1,800 litre capacities, the Leeb 1.2 FT and 1.8 FT complement the brand’s recently launched Leeb CS rear-mounted sprayer, but will obviously also work with other brands of sprayer.
Designed with compact dimensions and an optimised centre of gravity, when combined with the rear CS unit, the combination offers up to 4,000 litres of spraying capacity in a highly flexible and manoeuvrable format. The FT uses a standard coupling triangle to ensure short set-up times and easy handling without the need to manually couple hydraulic lines.
The FT Basic can also be used as an additional water tank with a 2” suction line towards the rear of the tank, without agitator and cleaning, and can be combined with all trailed Leeb models.
The higher specification Leeb FT Pro is completely integrated into the software and the water circuit of the Leeb CS and features its own agitator and cleaning.
Featuring ISOBUS control with an intuitive interface, the Leeb FT has lighting integrated in the front tank and an optional camera system for a better overview of the space in front of the machine.
Chinese textile company Saibosi has partnered with Wools of New Zealand to put the 'farm to floor' story of New Zealand wool rugs on screen for its customers.
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.