Watermetrics appoints new sales engineer
Water data service provider Watermetrics has appointed Lee Hart as its sales engineer for lower Southland.
A clever trough monitoring system from Australian supplier Farmbot, allows farmers to remotely monitor water supplies to stock, using a clever device aptly named the Wireless Trough Sensor.
Delivering data to the Farmbot Monitor, via a wired or wireless connection, farmers can view real-time consumption trends and variations via a cloud-based dashboard, with the added benefit of alerts should an issue occur at the trough, allowing prompt investigation.
System software allows farmers to receive information on average and minimum water levels and these can be analysed over time from the farm office computer or a mobile hand- held device.
“Having already developed and manufacturing monitors for water dams, water lines, diesel tanks and rain gauges, it was a natural progression to move into water troughs,” comments Farmbot’s managing director Andrew Coppin.
The Wireless Trough Sensor is offered as an add-on to the Farmbot Monitor, a device which integrates Farmbot’s range of sensors and monitoring devices installed around the farm. The cloud based MyFarmbot dashboard collects, stores and reports on information from each monitoring location from anywhere at any time.
The technology leverages satellite connectivity and can alert farmers when there is an issue with their water infrastructure that would lead to excess waste such as a leak, overflow or broken pump. Using the Wireless Trough Sensor, farmers can also quickly identify issues that may be preventing their animals from consuming water, reducing the risk of dehydration and the associated impacts to growth rates and fertility.
Trough sensor
Federated Farmers says almost 2000 farmers have signed a petition launched this month to urge the Government to step in and provide certainty while the badly broken resource consent system is fixed.
Zespri’s counter-seasonal Zespri Global Supply (ZGS) programme is underway with approximately 33 million trays, or 118,800 tonnes, expected this year from orchards throughout France, Italy, Greece, Korea, and Japan.
Animal owners can help protect life-saving antibiotics from resistant bacteria by keeping their animals healthy, says the New Zealand Veterinary Association.
According to analysis by the Meat Industry Association (MIA), New Zealand red meat exports reached $827 million in October, a 27% increase on the same period last year.
The black and white coat of Holstein- Friesian cows is globally recognised as a symbol of dairy farming and a defining trait of domestic cattle. But until recently, scientists didn’t know which genes were responsible for the Holstein’s spots.
According to the New Zealand Dairy Statistics 2024/25 report, New Zealand dairy farmers are achieving more with fewer cows.
OPINION: Dipping global dairy prices have already resulted in Irish farmers facing a price cut from processors.
OPINION: Are the heydays of soaring global demand for butter over?