Hose runner saves time and effort
Rakaia-based equipment manufacturer Pluck’s Engineering will soon start production of a new machine designed to simplify the deployment and retrieval of temporary water troughs used in winter break feeding.
Heading into the second event at its new home in Kirwee, the South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) is thriving and growing.
Organisers say this year’s event from March 29-31 will be bigger than ever and it will underscore the fact that SIAFD is New Zealand’s premier demonstration event for agricultural machinery.
In 2015, SIAFD held its first field days at the site it purchased on Courtenay Road, Kirwee. The executive committee bought the site when it outgrew its leased site near Lincoln University, where it was for 30 years.
“When we moved to Kirwee we purchased 40ha, which allowed us to accommodate up to 450 exhibitors. Now we have purchased an additional 40ha of land adjacent to our site,” SIAFD media spokesperson Daniel Schat says.
“While we will not occupy the entire 80ha at the 2017 field days, we will have more exhibitors and a bigger demonstration space than last time.
“The machinery demonstrations will include beet harvesters and maize choppers and a full range of balers and cultivation equipment.”
SIAFD switches between Canterbury and Southland alternate years. During the off year Kirwee farmer Tony Redman leases the SIAFD site and in recent months Cressland Contracting Ltd has been doing site development work on the newly acquired portion of the site.
Schat says SIAFD is a true community event. Dedicated volunteers organise and run the field days, and community groups provide many of the services – parking, catering and clean-up – that make them function smoothly.
“We also provide $5000 in scholarships that go to two Lincoln University students. We will announce the winners of the 2017 scholarship winners soon,” he says.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
Holstein Friesian excellence was front and centre at the 2025 Holstein Friesian NZ (HFNZ) Awards, held recently in Invercargill.
The work Fonterra has done with Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, LIC and Ravensdown to save farmers time through better data connections has been recognised with a national award.
OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the…
OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left…