Krone Group Earnings Drop Despite Stable Farm Machinery Sales
While turnover was back slightly at €2.3 billion in 2024/2025 (previous year €2.4 billion), the German Krone Group saw earnings fall from €107 million to €40.1 million.
A new EasyCut B950 butterfly mower from German manufacturer Krone looks to have hit the mark with users.
The company has sold all its 2020 production and only one unit is destined for New Zealand.
Designed for high daily output, the rear-mounted units have shed conditioning elements in favour of auger-based mergers to allow swathes to be delivered in three modes. This can take the form of the output of the rear unit and a complementary front unit being merged into one, or individual swathes behind each unit, or no swath forming, instead laying grass at full width to promote quicker drying.
Each 3.6m mower unit is equipped with six discs and two drums, each fitted with two blades. Used with a front mounted unit they offer a 9.45 m cutting width with each pass.
Each mower unit is followed by a close-coupled, 45cm diameter, gear-driven merger element that can deliver a central swath up to 1.5 m wide. Individual mower elements are protected from impact damage by the company’s Safeguard protection system.
The DuoGrip hydraulic suspension system suspends the mowing units at their centre of gravity, with extra support from lateral control arms. The layout is said to offer good ground following and adaptability, with easy adjustment of ground pressure from the control box, used with an easily read pressure gauge.
Lift-out at the headland can be controlled in tandem or individually, with the latter function allowing easy cutting of short ground or irregular shaped paddocks.
The B 950 weighs slightly under 3 tonnes and needs 200hp.
A verbal stoush has broken out between Federated Farmers and a new group that claims to be fighting against cheaper imports that undermine NZ farmers.
According to the latest ANZ Agri Focus report, energy-intensive and domestically-focused sectors currently bear the brunt of rising fuel, fertiliser and freight costs.
Having gone through a troublesome “divorce” from its association and part ownership of AGCO, Indian manufacturer TAFE is said to be determined to be seen as a modern business rather than just another tractor maker from the developing world.
Two long-standing New Zealand agricultural businesses are coming together to strengthen innovation, local manufacturing capability, and access to essential farm inputs for farmers across the country.
A new farmer-led programme aimed at bringing young people into dairy farming is under way in Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
The Government has announced changes to stock exclusion regulations which it claims will cut unnecessary costs and inflexible rules while maintaining environmental protections.
OPINION: Reckless action by Greenpeace in 2024 forced Fonterra to shut down a drying plant for four hours, costing the co-op…
OPINION: The global crusade against fossil fuel is gaining momentum in some regions.