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Machinery demonstration at the 2019 South Island Agricultural Field Days at Kirwee.
A couple of the machines that will be on show at the 2023 SIAFD have effectively already done their live demonstration.
These have been used for planting out the maize that will used by other machines in harvesting at the event.
Ashburton-based Euro- Agri brought a Lemken combination consisting of an Azurit precision planter and Solitair seed wagon to the site in mid- October to plant out two of the three varieties of maize.
Product specialist Eliot Schofield says EuroAgri is the sole South Island distributor for Lemken, a German brand with a 243 year history. He says R&D on the Azurit line has been done in New Zealand.
“New Zealand has some of the most varying conditions in the world,” Schofield told Rural News.
The planter features what is called DeltaRow technology, in which each row effectively becomes two close rows, with seeds set in a zig-zag pattern and with the fertiliser band between them.
Commenting on the logistics of getting machines to customers, Schofield says it’s still quite difficult.
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SIAFD chairman Hayden Dorman reviews the layout at the Kirwee field days site. |
“But getting into the country isn’t the hard part now, it’s build slots.”
With gear being purchased all over the world and the continuing knockon effects of Covid, some machines are 12 or even 18 months away between ordering and coming out of the factory, he says.
Then, they are 12 weeks on the water before they get here.
Schofield says freight costs have “pretty much tripled” on what they were three years ago.
Twin rotor swathers have become the ‘go-to’ for forming swaths to feed hungry harvesters and balers, however, the design layout often means that crop located between the two rotors is not picked up, turned over or incorporated into the swath formed for subsequent harvesting.
Operating large tractors became more expensive back in March due to the ongoing Strait of Hormuz conflict, meaning contractors had to introduce fuel surcharges and farmers had to adjust their budget forecasts.
Close to the Abel Tasman and Kahurangi National Parks, Motueka is known for apples, pear and kiwifruit orchards, alongside specialised crops such as hops. Indeed, that specialisation, saw the area being the New Zealand centre of the tobacco growing, until the early 1980s.
Can-Am has introduced its 2027 range of side-by-side vehicles (SSV) and all-terrain vehicles (ATV), including the industry leading Defender, the Maverick R and the hugely capable Outlander ATV, incorporating a host of advancements designed to deliver an exceptional riding experience.
With battery tools becoming more widespread and more importantly, productive and reliable, it was only time before we saw augers or post-hole borers.
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (the College) and Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network are calling for investment in a proposed new training pathway for rural GPs, warning that many rural practices are struggling to recruit while a large share of the existing workforce nears retirement.
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Synlait has swung to second-half profit as operations stabilise, but the dairy processor still posted a $75.4m annual loss.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
