increase font size
Alpego recently showed its three metre Alysium electric power harrow at the Italian Eima Event.
Distributed by OriginAg in New Zealand, Italian manufacturer Alpego recently showed its three metre Alysium electric power harrow at the Italian Eima Event, taking away an innovation award.
While the base machine is still mechanical, heavy metal groupies will notice the absence of a PTO shaft, while the gearbox used to drive the interlocking gears across the bed of the machine has also been removed.
Instead, the rotors are powered by five electric motors, one for every two rotors. Currently being tested behind a new hybrid tractor, a 700v DC connection provides the Alysium with 50-60kW of electrical power.
Still in the early stages of development prototype, development is centred around understanding what is possible with electrical propulsion, according to the company.
Challenges so far include safety, but already testers have found that the tractor uses up to 35% less fuel. Further benefits are the possibility of controlling rotor speed electrically, with variable speeds to offer real-time adaption to changing soils. It has not been confirmed when, or if, the concept will make it to production.
Having already hit the headlines for recycling broken 2.4 metre vineyard posts into 1.8 and 1.6 metre, half and quarter posts for agriculture, Repost recently hit the milestone of one million posts recycled, diverting the CCA treated posts from landfill.
New Zealand-based company Robotics Plus, a specialist in agricultural automation, has announced an agreement for it to be acquired by Yamaha Motor to form Yamaha Agriculture.
Among the regular exhibitors at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, the one that arguably takes the most intensive preparation every time is the PGG Wrightson Seeds site.
Silage making is both a science and an art, but Claas says it offers onboard technology featured in its Claas Perfect Partners to help farmers make silage more efficiently and effectively.
Since Donald Trump’s import tariff announcement, the world has been on a wild economic ride.
Among the regular exhibitors at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, the one that arguably takes the most intensive preparation every time is the PGG Wrightson Seeds site.
Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.
Buoyed by strong forecasts for milk prices and a renewed demand for dairy assets, the South Island rural real estate market has begun the year with positive momentum, according to Colliers.
The six young cattle breeders participating in the inaugural Holstein Friesian NZ young breeder development programme have completed their first event of the year.
New Zealand feed producers are being encouraged to boost staff training to maintain efficiency and product quality.
OPINION: The world is bracing for a trade war between the two biggest economies.
OPINION: In the same way that even a stopped clock is right twice a day, economists sometimes get it right.
OPINION: The proposed RMA reforms took a while to drop but were well signaled after the election.
