SIAFD knocks it out of the park!
While the temperature was struggling to reach about 5 degrees and the horizontal hail had enough grunt to slice cheese, the SIAFD committee knocked it out of the park by delivering another great event.
Launched at the South Island Agricultural Field Days, the Shelbourne Powerspread caught the eyes of the Innovation Competition judges who awarded it first place in the imported machine category.
It is sure to catch the eye of anyone wanting to move solid or liquid manures efficiently.
Built in the UK and imported by Toplink Machinery, the Powerspread is available from 7.5 to 15 tonnes capacity. Comprising a tank through which runs a central rotor with paddles, it takes material fed via a water-tight guillotine style door onto a 1.4m wide overshot discharge impellor.
A simple reversible driveline consisting of two main chains ensures minimal maintenance.
Depending on the consistency of the material a uniform spread pattern of up to 26m can be achieved, and in the event of a blockage the impellor can be lowered away from the main body to clear obstructions.
Targeted at contractors or large scale farmers, the Powerspread Pro 2300 holds about 10.5m3. All up it weighs 11.5 tonnes and can easily be pulled by a tractor of 140hp.
Its low loading height ensures it can be filled easily by tractor frontloaders or telehandlers.
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…