Fencing smarts from the Emerald Isle
While a leading New Zealand brand seems to have a stranglehold on the local electric fencing market, a company from the Green Isle seems to be making significant inroads, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.
Fencing specialist Strainrite has expanded its range of electric fence energisers.
It now markets six new solar powered units that can also be powered from a mains supply.
Some models also have a long life, lithium-ion phosphate battery that outperforms standard chemical batteries. The battery has a reliable life cycle, no memory fade and a long shelf life.
The new energisers also have adaptive power technology (APT), a concept developed in South Africa and widely patented.
In contrast to a conventional energiser which will push all available energy through arcing along a fence (so reducing the effectiveness and the integrity), the APT units will detect arcing and try to reduce voltage to a point just below where arcing occurs.
This helps maintain higher energy levels along the fence line, so improving its effectiveness.
In practice, the system maintains voltage at higher levels when, say, damaged or wet insulators, coastline salt build-up, long grass or stuck animals cause lengthy earthing.
The units also foils thieves with a user-chosen a PIN.
Entered and stored via a key chain remote, when the function is enabled the energiser cannot be operated until a remote with the correct PIN is presented.
Each time power is removed or restored to the energiser, the remote must be used to activate the unit.
A partnership between Canterbury milk processor Synlait and the world's largest food producer, Nestlé, has been celebrated with a visit to a North Canterbury farm by a group including senior staff from Synlait, the Ravensdown subsidiary EcoPond, and Nestlé's Switzerland head office.
Canterbury milk processor Synlait is blaming what it calls "a perfect storm" of setbacks for a big loss in its half year result for the six months ended January 31, 2026.
More of the same please, says Federated Farmers dairy chair Karl Dean when asked about who should succeed Miles Hurrell as Fonterra chief executive.
A Waikato farmer who set up a 'tinder' for cows - using artificial intelligence to find the perfect bull for each cow - days the first-year results are better than expected.
Fonterra says it's keeping an eye on the Middle East crisis and its implications for global supply chains.
The closure of the McCain processing plant and the recent announcement of 300 job losses at Wattie’s underscore the mounting pressure facing New Zealand’s manufacturing sector, Buy NZ Made says.
OPINION: The good news keeps getting better for NZ dairy farmers.
OPINION: With export of livestock by sea dead in the water, opponents of the Gene Technology Bill think they can…