Amazone extends hoe range
With many European manufacturers releasing mechanical weeding systems to counter the backlash around the use and possible banning of agrochemicals, Amazone has added a new model to its Venterra mechanical hoe range.
New Zealand farmers can learn plenty about effluent management from their European counterparts.
Northern hemisphere farmers have long valued the nutrient benefits of liquid and solid manures, and the machinery industry has developed plenty of machinery for application on grasslands and crops. For example, self-propelled machines have resulted from the need to handle high daily outputs within time or season constraints, often because spreading has been forbidden at weekends.
Much of the material used in the cropping sector in Europe originates from the pig industry, well known for its problems with odours, prompting cultivation and seeding specialist Amazone to exploit the opportunity provided by its larger Catros disc cultivators.
The 7 - 9m Catros+ machines can be equipped with distribution heads fed by an umbilical connection to incorporate liquid effluent during cultivation, so getting nutrients to the plant root levels, with the added benefit of minimising odours in sensitive areas.
To deal with the corrosive effluents being used, machines are supplied with modified seals on the disc bearing assemblies and extra greasing points throughout the machine frames.
Distribution heads are sourced from industry leaders Vogelsang, who can supply their DosiMat or ExaCut heads dependant on the material and quantity being applied.
In operation, delivery pipes take material to a point ahead of the front rows of discs where it is mixed with the surface levels. A second set of discs further incorporate the effluent to depths between 3 and 14 cm for effective use.
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…