Case IH launches new Tier 3 Puma Tractor at Fieldays
Case IH is expanding its popular Puma range in New Zealand, with a new model that was released at Fieldays.
While we are used to hearing about the latest hi-tech tractors or machines winning medals for technical innovation, it seems that in the livestock sector, designers and manufacturers are also taking awards, often for developing solutions for more basic problems.
That’s the case for a Cow Toilet, which took out the only Gold Award at the 2021 Digital Eurotier Livestock Machinery Event.
Featuring a suspended bowl that collects the 15 to 20 litres of urine produced by a typical housed European cow every day, the toilet, designed by Dutch firm Handkamp, separates manure from urine at source to help reduce ammonia emissions.
The collection system is integrated into the rear section of a specifically designed feeding station. In operation, the front of the unit stimulates a specific nerve bundle just about the cow’s udder, causing the animal to spontaneously urinate. The resultant liquid is filtered through a sieve, then drained via a suction line to storage.
Tests on local farms show that the system collects around 50% of the daily urine production, which given there are 1.5 million dairy cows in the Netherlands means there is a potential to collect 15 million litres of urine. The manufacturer is already looking for uses for the liquid, with tests already underway to assess its viability as a fertiliser on local fruit farms. There is also research being done on its viability as a fuel or for the generation of electricity.
Back in the dairy barn, additional benefits of separation are said to be cleaner floors, improved hoof health and better air quality. Still around 18 months away from commercial availability, the €20,000 units, each capable of dealing with 25 cows, are also being trialled for possible integration into robotic milking systems.
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
A leading financial and banking advisor says he doubts if most dairy farmers fully understand the dynamics of banking.
Dairy farmers are shoring up their balance sheets, with almost $1.7 billion of debt repaid in the six months to March 2025.
Virtual fencing company Halter is going global but for founder Craig Piggott, New Zealand farmers will always remain their main partners.
A former Fonterra executive is the new chair of the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ).
New Federated Farmers national dairy chair Karl Dean is looking forward to tackling the issues facing the sector.
OPINION: A last-minute compromise ensured that the election of the new Federated Farmers national dairy chair wasn't a repeat of…
OPINION: Just as it's healthy for cockies to get out of the shed and off the farm occasionally to get…