Kilter AX-1: First Autonomous Weeding Robot Lands in NZ
Claimed to be the first autonomous robot for New Zealand vegetables growers, the first Kilter AX-1 unit has arrived in the country.
Technology to help fruit and vegetable growers now and in the future will be demonstrated at the Horticulture Conference in Hamilton later this month.
“We’ve gone all out to ensure that this year’s conference features demonstrations of technology that can help growers tackle some of the challenges that they face,’ says Horticulture New Zealand chief executive, Mike Chapman.
“From biological control products for crop protection to robots for asparagus harvesting and greenhouse spraying, they will all be demonstrated during the morning of second day of the conference.
“We have several demonstrations lined up. This is in addition to a biosecurity response stimulation, and field trips to Zealong Tea Plantation and Hill Laboratories.
“In other words, this year’s conference will not only feature great local and international speakers, it will be highly interactive, taking advantage of the Mystery Creek venue and its location.”
The conference, to be held between 31 July and 2 August at Mystery Creek, Hamilton, has the theme “Our Food Future”.
While demand for healthy, New Zealand grown food is high, the challenges that growers face are significant as they battle for land to grow on, access to water, and capable people to help the industry thrive.
The conference will focus on solutions, several of which need to be found fast. Some solutions will come from better collaboration while others will come from being creators and early adopters of science, technology and innovation.
Testing confirms H5 bird flu in a single northern giant petrel, found dead on a remote Cape Palliser beach in the Wairarapa, says Dr Mary van Andel, the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Chief Veterinary Officer.
"What's for dinner?" may sound like a simple question, but for many Kiwi parents, answering it has become a job in itself.
Fifty Eight years ago, on the 16th of August 1968, August Claas, the founder of the harvesting company and father of Helmut Claas, personally presented a Claas Senator combine harvester to Scottish farmer John Steven.
New Zealand consumers are paying more for beef mince than ever before, with the average retail price now sitting above $24 per kilogram, according to Rabobank.
State farmer Pamu has delivered its strongest operating result on record.
Four years since it was first detected in New Zealand, researchers and growers now know much more about management of maize pest fall armyworm (FAW).