Vendro badged tedders
Masterton based Tulloch Farm Machines has introduced a new series of Krone tedders badged Vendro, to replace the existing KW range.
To farm more sustainably and profitably, many farmers and contractors are exploring the advantages offered by strip-tilling.
Tulloch Farm Machines is looking to meet this demand with a new strip tiller designed to work in pasture — the Strebel SAG 16.
Most crops require a fine seedbed for reliable germination, but traditional cultivation can damage the soil structure, while exposed soil can be eroded by wind or rain.
Strip tillers cultivate strips for a seedbed without disturbing the soil between them, so minimising soil damage and retaining moisture which have the potential to increase yields, reduce costs and ultimately result in healthier soil profiles less prone to pugging.
Tulloch Farm Machines’ Strebel SAG 16 is based on a subsoiler with rotary hoe blades on either side of the subsoiler leg.
The layout is said to break up the soil pan, while the hoe creates an ideal seedbed. The result is a shallow seedbed with shattered ground below, promoting easy root establishment with excellent nutrient and water flows.
Waimate contractor Josh Bleeker is into his first season with a Strebel SAG 16 strip tiller, after running other strip tillers for the past two years in his business Bleeker Ag Services.
“The Strebel is a better designed machine with a better driveline and is a lot easier to work with,” he says. “Where the cultivation occurs there is a more room for soil-flow, whereas with our other machine space is a lot tighter and prone to plug in wet conditions.”
By mid-December, driver Danny Walker had completed about 500ha of fodder beet and maize with the Strebel and was getting more requests from clients for strip tilling.
“We will do about 1000ha this year, building on the 800ha of last year, weather and time permitting” Bleeker says.
“Strip-tilling works well, as it cuts down erosion, particularly on the steeper ground prevalent in the area. The Strebel tiller does everything the crop needs. It creates a loose seed bed and fertiliser is incorporated into the planting zone. This has resulted in yield increases of 3 - 5 tonnes compared to traditional methods.”
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.
OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…
OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…