Carrfields expands South Island footprint with Agricentre South Kubota dealership acquisition
Two of the South Island’s agricultural machinery dealers are undertaking strategic changes designed to deliver even greater specialist support to farmers.
Kubota has announced plans to start field testing the autonomous hydrogen powered fuel cell tractor it recently unveiled at Expo 25 in Osaka Japan.
The concept vehicle uses a fuel cell supplied with compressed hydrogen, stored in dual tanks below the hood, with the electricity generated powering two electric motors - one powering the wheels, the second driving the PTO system.
Offering the ability to operate via remote control, the vehicle is 4.4m long x 2.3m high x 2.2m wide – a similar size to a standard agricultural tractor.
Regarding endurance, Kubota reports that the hydrogen tanks offer enough capacity to allow the tractor to work for half a day, with performance similar to that of a conventional 100hp tractor.
The field testing will be used to verify these claims, alongside a focus on unmanned operation, efficient refuelling and research to confirm the fuel cell configuration can match the performance and reliability of a diesel-powered tractor.
Canterbury farmer Michelle Pye has been elected to Fonterra’s board for a three-year term.
Farmers are welcoming the announcement of two new bills to replace the under-fire Resource Management Act.
The Government has announced it will immediately roll over all resource consents for two years, with legislation expected to pass under urgency as early as this week.
The New Zealand National Fieldays Society has achieved a major sustainability milestone - reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and reaching the target five years early.
Fonterra's 2025/26 financial year is off to a strong start, with a first quarter group profit after tax of $278 million- up $15m on the previous year.
Government plans to get rid of regional councillors shows a lack of understanding of the fundamental problem affecting all of local government - poor governance.