AGCO to take majority stake in Trimble
Global agricultural machinery manufacturer AGCO is set to become a majority owner of Trimble’s precision agriculture business.
Tractor designs have come a long way: compare today's machines with the favourites of yesteryear like the MF 135 or the Ford 4000.
Nowadays these workhorses of the land have more exterior curves than Marilyn Monroe, and interior finishes that would make automobile makers cry.
One such 'modern' tractor, the Valtra T234 from AGCO, recently won a prestigious Red Dot Design Award for 2016, competing against 5200 entries from 57 countries judged by 41 independent design professionals from around the world.
The Valtra T4 series, resulting from seven years R&D, is the first of a new generation in which technical innovations and a whole new look are brought together.
The clean exterior lines look good, and underlying design work has focused on usability, ergonomics, safety, durability, serviceability and, ultimately, the productivity of the machine.
Incidentally, fourth-generation Valtra have also won international awards including Machine of The Year 2015.
Rural trader PGG Wrightson has revised its operating earnings guidance, saying trading conditions have deteriorated since the last market update in February.
It's been a bumper season for maize and other supplements in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
Leading farmers from around New Zealand connected to share environmental stories and inspiration and build relationships at the Dairy Environment Leaders (DEL) national forum in Wellington last month.
AgriZeroNZ, a joint venture fast-tracking emissions reduction tools for farmers, is pouring $5 million in a biotech company to develop a low emissions farm pasture with increased productivity gains.
Fonterra is teaming up with wealth app provider Sharesies to make it easier for its farmer shareholders to trade co-op shares among themselves.
Te Awamutu dairy farmers Doug, Penny, Josh and Bayley Storey have planted more than 25,000 native trees on the family farm, adding to a generations-old native forest.
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