Landini Rex 4 vineyard tractor series debuts in NZ
The Landini Rex 4 Series, recently released in New Zealand, is designed with vineyards in mind.
Cultivation, seeding and fertiliser application specialists Amazone, claims its new AutoTS spreading system can increase yields along the borders of the paddock by up to 17%.
Accurate, tailored fertiliser application plays a critical role in reducing costs and protecting the environment. The proven, disc-integrated system uses shortened blades for more accurate, flexible spreading along borders. This allows the machine’s settings to be adjusted to a specific spreading situation – such as a crop edge, boundary or water course, from the tractor cab.
“For example, if a paddock borders onto land with a similar crop, 100% of the application rate can be spread right up to the edge of the field using the side spreading function,” explains CLAAS Harvest Centre product specialist – Amazone, Steve Gorman.
“If the paddock borders a road or public footpath, the boundary spreading function reduces the maximum throwing distance and prevents fertiliser from being thrown across the border.”
Large-scale field trials, conducted over several years, have compared the performance of AutoTS system to conventional border spreading techniques under real-time, practical conditions.
Comparing calcium ammonium nitrate being spread at 24 metres, over three separate passes, the average yield of the five-metre border treated using a conventional border spreading system was only 68% of the main body of the paddock.
This increased to 85% when using the Amazone AutoTS system.
“This improvement can really add up in small or irregular-shaped fields because they have a higher proportion of border area,” Gorman adds.
The value generated by the AutoTS system, compared to conventional border spreading systems, can be estimated using an Amazone’s online calculator: www.amazone.net/border-spreading-calculator
On the eve of his departure from Federated Farmers board, Richard McIntyre is thanking farmers for their support and words of encouragement during his stint as a farmer advocate.
A project reducing strains and sprains on farm has won the Innovation category in the New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards 2025.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ), in partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and other sector organisations, has launched a national survey to understand better the impact of facial eczema (FE) on farmers.
One of New Zealand's latest and largest agrivoltaics farm Te Herenga o Te Rā is delivering clean renewable energy while preserving the land's agricultural value for sheep grazing under the modules.
Global food company Nestle’s chair Paul Bulcke will step down at its next annual meeting in April 2026.
Brendan Attrill of Caiseal Trust in Taranaki has been announced as the 2025 National Ambassador for Sustainable Farming and Growing and recipient of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the National Sustainability Showcase at in Wellington this evening.
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