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.
Last year, Vredo released its DZ5 platform – a range of newly developed, innovative machines offering a solution to (re)seed professional grass in the fine turf sector.
The newly developed Stitch roller for its DZ5 series – recently introduced as the Synergy compact – uses a double-disc principle combined with this stitch roller seeding technique.
The “stitching” process is sowing grass seed into the soil, by thin sharp tines to make many small incisions (cuts) and better trapping the seed. Typical results show a 68% germination rate, which is significantly higher than the “dimple seeders” so far available on the market.
With the Stitch Compact, Vredo has developed a seeder that incorporates two pendulum-suspended Stitch rollers to make 1600 incisions per m2. The seed is broadly deposited in the interrupted cuts and guided into the soil. An even sowing pattern is formed, due to the 17mm narrow row spacing.
The machine is intended for seeding when there is a short recovery period – maybe between sports events or in loose (rolled) soil when first seeding.
As standard, the Stitch Compact is equipped with a smooth roller to further seal the cuts and ensures that the seed is well bedded in.
The machine has a large seed hopper, maintenance-free variator with seamless dosage adjustment and accurate seed dosage for high efficiency. It also incorporates a standard weight carrier for applying more weight.
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Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says the 2025 Fieldays has been one of more positive he has attended.
A fundraiser dinner held in conjunction with Fieldays raised over $300,000 for the Rural Support Trust.
Recent results from its 2024 financial year has seen global farm machinery player John Deere record a significant slump in the profits of its agricultural division over the last year, with a 64% drop in the last quarter of the year, compared to that of 2023.
An agribusiness, helping to turn a long-standing animal welfare and waste issue into a high-value protein stream for the dairy and red meat sector, has picked up a top innovation award at Fieldays.
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