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TopDown and Opus with E-services are available to order now, with the first machines expected in New Zealand in late 2024.
While many industry watchers have been singing the praises of the latest and greatest innovations at the recent Agritechnica Event, held recently in Germany, agricultural journalists have been deliberating the winners of the Farm Machine of the Year 2024.
Väderstad’s TopDown with E-services was the winner of the Farm Machine 2024 award in the tillage category. The introduction of E-Services on TopDown 400-700 and Opus 400-700 allows the machines to use prescription maps to control the machine settings automatically and on the go.
This means operators can program how the individual working elements behave for each specific paddock’s characteristics. The discs, tines, leveller and packer can be programmed to achieve the best results considering the soil type or other characteristics in different areas of each field.
With the TopDown with E-services, Väderstad claims to be applying the same thinking used in its variable rate seed application and fertiliser application technology to cultivate – using the ‘as much as necessary, as little as possible’ approach. This is said to deliver benefits including reduced diesel consumption and wear and tear, alongside improved soil health and increased working speeds.
TopDown and Opus with E-services are available to order now, with the first machines expected in New Zealand in late 2024.
Meanwhile, the Kuhn FC 13460 RA mower-conditioner with grouper was awarded Farm Machine 2024 in the forage harvesting category.
It is said to offer a significantly higher work output than conventional mowing combinations with a variable working width of 12.4 to 13.4 metres. Operators benefit from substantial savings on pulling power, fuel and labour costs when mowing large areas with a single machine.
In a single pass, the machine’s belt grouper forms a swath from 1.8m to 3m wide, with the forage collected over a cutting width of more than 13m. This allows the user to exploit the full potential of forage harvesters and large square balers.
Design detail sees the inclusion of a telescopic axle to increase clearance, making it easier to form a wider and evenly shaped swath for even drying and improved pick-up. It also gives improved stability of the machine during U-turns and working on slopes.
This machine also lends itself to Controlled Traffic Farming strategy on a 12m track. This reduces the impact of machine passage on the ground, while machine controls – including the front mower – are easily operated by an ISOBUS compatible on-board terminal or either the CCI 800 or 1200 terminals and the CCI A3 joystick.
While it wouldn’t be unfair to call the LDV T60 “the poor man’s ute”, a change of distributor in 2023 has seen the brand raise its profile, while the recent arrival of the new LDV T60 Max Plus, will undoubtedly open the door to a wider audience for the brand.
Ag and Civil Machinery Direct, a division of Hamilton- based Waikato tractors, has recently been awarded the sole distribution in New Zealand for Kemper’s range of precision forage equipment.
While the name and technology remain unchanged and new machines will continue to carry the Novag name, all the assets, intellectual property and staff of the French manufacturer have been acquired by a new organisation called Agriculture Nouvelle Génération.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
Having already hit the headlines for recycling broken 2.4 metre vineyard posts into 1.8 and 1.6 metre, half and quarter posts for agriculture, Repost recently hit the milestone of one million posts recycled, diverting the CCA treated posts from landfill.
The 2025 game bird season is underway with Hawke’s Bay and Southland reporting the ideal weather conditions for hunters – rain and wind.
A group of meat processing companies, directors and managers have been fined a total of $1.6 million for deliberately and illegally altering exported tallow for profit.
New Zealand’s top cheeses for 2025 have been announced and family-owned, Oamaru-based Whitestone Cheese is the big winner.
Waikato farmer, and Owl Farm demonstration manager, Jo Sheridan is the 2025 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
New Zealand’s special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr believes the outlook for the dairy sector remains strong.
Everyone from experienced veterinarians and young professionals to the Wormwise programme and outstanding clinics have been recognised in this year’s New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe (NZVA) awards.
