Factory clocks up 60 years
There can't be many heavy metal fans who haven’t heard of Basildon, situated about 40km east of London and originally created in 1948 to deal with the population boom after the Second World War.
Specialised root crop harvester manufacturer Grimme has announced updates to the third generation of its Varitron 470 self-propelled harvester.
These include a more modern design, a new suspension system to simplify attachment and removal of the haulm topper, and more input power for the haulm topper.
Further new features include the Speedtronic-web system. This provides automatic speed adjustment, allowing the main webs to be controlled according to forward speed and crop load.
Additionally, the rotational direction of the extraction unit can now be reversed, allowing the rollers to operate in an extraction or transfer mode. For the upcoming season, the Varitron 470 is also supplied standard with the CCI 1200 operator terminal.
The updates, included on wheeled and Terra Trac versions of the 470 also include a 460hp Stage 5 engine, brighter LED work lights.
There are also a range of intake configurations for harvesting potatoes, onions and carrots.
Meanwhile, Grimme’s two-row Evo 280 self-propelled machine can now be optioned with a 6.0 tonne, NonstopBunker, or a larger 7.5t capacity version, which despite its larger dimensions, still sees the harvester’s overall width remaining below three metres for road transport.
The German company has also introduced a new, two-row trailed elevator harvester for the 2023 season, called Select 200.
The ISOBUS-operated machine, available with a wide range of different separators, is equipped with automatic steering and telescoping axle that also keeps the road width below three metres.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
World Veterinary Day falls on Saturday 27 April.
Graham Brown, the executive chef for Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ), is excited about Korea.