Innovation takes centre stage at Fieldays 2025 awards event
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
Farmlands says it is partnering with Blackcurrent to change that equation with Farmlands FLEX, a joint solar and technology venture said to "put the power in farmers' hands".
The co-op says Farmlands FLEX delivers intelligent microgrid systems custom-built and managed to meet the demands of working farms and orchards. It says the system is designed to create energy independence for farmers and growers - slashing power bills, keeping critical operations running during outages and even generating a long-term income source.
"Rising energy costs are a huge concern for our customers," says Farmlands chief executive Tanya Houghton.
"Finding solutions for on-farm energy needs have been a part of Farmlands' strategy for a long time."
To better support the profitability and productivity of farmers and growers, Farmlands says it provides five-year electricity pricing certainty through its partnership with Meridian, and its three-year-old fuel joint-venture, Fern Energy, is now the country's largest rural bulk fuel provider.
Farmlands FLEX says it is set to truly transform on-farm energy sourcing and management as another key cornerstone of Farmlands' total offering.
"The on-farm applications for Farmlands FLEX are wide-reaching: the 5am dairy shed power surge, keeping irrigation running during blackouts and protecting frost fans when electricity isn't available or there's an outage. Farmlands FLEX address real farm challenges," says Houghton.
Farmlands FLEX is due for launch at National Fieldays. The Farmlands and Farmlands FLEX team are ready to talk about the benefits and start working with farmers and growers on a personalised plan.
The co-op says the benefits are:
- 30-40% reduction in electricity costs
- Operational continuity during power outages
- Conversion of power expenses into a valuable on-farm asset
- New revenue potential from sellign surplus energy.
Bay Shear near Oxford, an early Farmlands FLEX customer, initially expected to deliver $400 - 500 monthly savings on their dairy shed's electricity. Their first month delivered over $550 in reduced power costs.
