Valtra launches sixth-gen S-Series tractors in Australia and New Zealand
Manufactured at its Suolahti factory in Finland, Valtra has released the sixth-generation S-Series tractor range for Australia and New Zealand.
Award-winning pig farmer Patoa Farms likely have the only Valtra S394 tractor in New Zealand — but that may soon change given its many benefits.
Based near Hawarden in North Canterbury, Patoa Farms has operated for more than 20 years.
Along the way, it has scooped numerous awards for its farming operation and environmental performance, including winning the Lincoln University Foundation’s South Island Farmer of the Year in 2014.
Today, the farm runs 5500 breeding sows, living outdoors in their natural environment, a practice that is falling out of favour with many pig farmers
“Pressure is coming on farmers to have a good environmental profile and we are putting a lot of effort into that,” says owner Steve Stern. “We measure what we do so we are more aware of what we are doing, and we try to use the best science that is available.”
Although Stern stepped back into a governance role in 2013, his daughter Holly oversees the day-to-day running of the business, which in total employs around 60 people.
Like any large-scale operation, to run efficiently, means choosing the right machinery. So, when a new tractor was on the wish-list, with a Valtra N93, a N92, a T151 and an elderly B900 already on the farm, a 405hp Valtra S394 ticked all the boxes.
On arrival, the new Valtra got straight to work powering a rock crusher, turning items removed from hump and hollowing paddocks into gravel for roading throughout the farm. Lately, it’s getting an easier life, mainly towing a 42m3, triple-axle K-Two ejector trailer, which is used to move compost, alongside carting silage.
Valtra tractors are manufactured in Finland and are popular in North Canterbury. However, local Valtra dealer at Northern Tractor Services Simon Moir believes Patoa Farms has the only S394 tractor in New Zealand so far.
The Valtra S range features six-cylinder, 8.4 litre AgcoPower engines, in six power ratings from 270 to 405 hp. Combining the twin-turbo engine and a stepless transmission, which allows it to move seamlessly through speed changes, the manufacturer suggests that operating at lower engine revs, resulting in lower exhaust temperatures, delivers lower fuel usage, increased durability and reduced maintenance.
A large, spacious cab provides drivers with a comfortable work environment, while also utilising the smart-touch user interface, allowing precise, logical control of all the tractors key functions and preferred operating parameters.
In an ever-changing world, things never stay completely the same. Tropical jungles can turn into concrete ones criss-crossed by motorways, or shining cities collapse into ghost towns.
Labour's agriculture spokesperson Jo Luxton says while New Zealand needs more housing, sacrificing our best farmland to get there is not the answer.
Profitability issues facing arable farmers are the same across the world, says New Zealand's special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr.
Over 85% of Fonterra farmer suppliers will be eligible for customer funding up to $1,500 for solutions designed to drive on-farm efficiency gains and reduce emissions intensity.
Tighter beef and lamb production globally have worked to the advantage of NZ, according to the Meat Industry Association (MIA).
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
OPINION: Labour leader Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins is carrying on the world-class gaslighting of the nation that he and his cohorts…
OPINION: The huge success of former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson's new TV show, Clarkson's Farm, and the boost it…