Pöttinger: From grassland machinery to global innovator
Formed in 1871, Austrian agricultural machinery manufacturer Pottinger originally focused on producing grassland machinery for a little over a century.
Austrian manufacturer Pottinger has added the NOVACAT 402 ED to its range, claiming that with a working width of 3.88 metres, it is the biggest rear-mounted mower with conditioner on the market.
The ED (Extra-Dry) conditioner features V-shaped tines of hardened steel, mounted on rubber blocks and said to guarantee an extended service life. A round, high-volume conditioner hood and adjustable guide vanes deliver a loose and airy full width spread to promote a rapid and uniform drying, or a compact box-shaped swath for following machinery, while also featuring adjustable conditioning intensity.
Weight saving is achieved on the wide machine, with the conditioner hood partially constructed from aluminium.
Mower mounting is aided by a hydraulic lower linkage arm offering easy mounting without having to adjust the tractor hitch struts. When the cutter bar is raised, it is held firmly in place by a stabiliser cylinder, making it easier to drive over swaths and providing greater stability during transport. During transport the mower is pivoted hydraulically to the rear by means of a double-acting cylinder, meaning there is always a clear rearward view.
The swivel mechanism also doubles as a collision protection device.
With safety and good weight distribution in mind, a counterweight delivering up to 600kg is available as an option, increasing the load on the tractors rear left tyre, while at the same time reducing the torsional loading on the machine’s drive shaft assembly.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
OPINION: Should cows in NZ be microchipped?
OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…