AGCO’s €1B engine investment
Global tractor manufacturer AGCO – the home of Massey Ferguson, Fendt and Valtra – has released a totally new engine design.
Valtra has won a major international design award for its tractor SmartTouch armrest and interface between operator and machine.
The company had already scooped Tractor of the Year and Machine of the Year 2018 awards.
Now the SmartTouch has been singled out on its own merits, winning the IF Design Award that drew 6400 entries from 54 countries for judging by 63 experts.
Designed and manufactured in Finland and launched in 2017, the SmartTouch is said to break new ground in operator ease-of-use; all controls on the armrest are logically positioned and within easy reach.
Also noted were the product’s ergonomics, clarity of the display and the choice of materials to ensure operator comfort and durability.
The layout has a nine-inch touch screen at the front of the armrest, an integrated drive lever and a dedicated hydraulic control joystick.
Movement controls have been lifted from Mainland Poultry’s Hillgrove Farm in Otago, after the successful eradication of H7N6 strain of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
Harvesting is underway of one of New Zealand’s rarest and most unusual fruit - persimmons.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
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