Slippery slope
OPINION: It used to be that the National Fieldays attracted brickbats for being officious clipboard carriers, while the regional, farmer-run field days enjoyed the bouquets for being easier to deal with.
Handypiece is a fully portable shearing handpiece being used by thousands of farmers and ag workers, in diverse roles across the globe.
While the main use is sheep shearing, it is also finding favour with those operators crutching, dagging, cow tail trimming and cattle branding, alongside alpaca and goat shearing, Tb testing of deer, grass sampling and plant trimming.
The Handypiece Pro has variable speed ranging from 2400 – 3500rpm.
Dagging, crutching and trimming cows’ tails operate well at a mid-speed of 2700rpm, while anyone wanting to get a nice cut while shearing can wind it all the way up to 3500rpm.
The brushless motor means the battery lasts even longer and it is possible to crutch up to 300-400 sheep from one battery charge.
The Handypiece kit comes with 12 amp/hr and 6 amp/hr batteries, battery charger, a belt, holster and pouch all made from heavy-duty leather, 5m extension cord and a carry kit bag.
Following a side-by-side rolling into a gully, Safer Farms has issued a new Safety Alert.
Coming in at a year-end total at 3088 units, a rise of around 10% over the 2806 total for 2024, the signs are that the New Zealand farm machinery industry is turning the corner after a difficult couple of years.
New Zealand's animal health industry has a new tool addressing a long-standing sustainability issue.
The Government has announced that ACC will be a sponsor of this year's FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition.
As veterinary student numbers grow to help address New Zealand's national workforce shortge, Massey University's School of Veterinary Science is inviting more veterinary practices to partner in training the next generation of vets.
South Island dairy farmers will soon be able to supply organic milk to Fonterra.

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