Agricultural drone use soars among NZ contractors
Use of agricultural drones by contractors in New Zealand is soaring.
Frontloader specialist Quicke's Q-companion is designed to allow operators to record weights of materials loaded, so it proves useful for mixing rations or loading trucks with produce for hauling away from a farm.
For the 2019 season, several improvements will see a wider range of languages, better colour rendering in the screen and most importantly, Bluetooth connectivity. This last feature will allow users to automatically upload weighing results to the cloud for accessing later on a PC or tablet.
Other new features allow operators to monitor the loader position and boom angles from the tractor seat, while also getting a visual display of how much loader lift capacity remains available and the cumulative weight of materials already loaded.
A further nod to efficiency and speed of operation is delivered by an audible notification that beeps when a pre-set height of implement angle is achieved. This will allow the user to set items like ‘bucket level’ or perhaps when pallet forks or bale grabs are just slightly higher than the bed of a truck or farm trailer.
The system also includes a reminder of maintenance schedules, such as when the loader/implement needs lubrication.
On the eve of his departure from Federated Farmers board, Richard McIntyre is thanking farmers for their support and words of encouragement during his stint as a farmer advocate.
A project reducing strains and sprains on farm has won the Innovation category in the New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards 2025.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ), in partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and other sector organisations, has launched a national survey to understand better the impact of facial eczema (FE) on farmers.
One of New Zealand's latest and largest agrivoltaics farm Te Herenga o Te Rā is delivering clean renewable energy while preserving the land's agricultural value for sheep grazing under the modules.
Global food company Nestle’s chair Paul Bulcke will step down at its next annual meeting in April 2026.
Brendan Attrill of Caiseal Trust in Taranaki has been announced as the 2025 National Ambassador for Sustainable Farming and Growing and recipient of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the National Sustainability Showcase at in Wellington this evening.
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