Amazone unveils flagship spreader
With the price of fertiliser still significantly higher than 2024, there is an increased onus on ensuring its spread accurately at the correct rate.
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.
An independent report, prepared for Alliance farmer shareholders is backing the proposed $250 million joint venture investment by Irish company Dawn Meats Group.
Whangarei field service technician, Bryce Dickson has cemented his place in John Deere’s history, becoming the first ever person to win an award for the third time at the annual Australian and New Zealand Technician of the Year Awards, announced at a gala dinner in Brisbane last night.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
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