No-frills fert on offer
Ballance Agri-Nutrients has launched SimplyFert, an ex-hub and therefore lower-cost offering said to give its shareholders choice and flexibility for purchasing nutrients.
The recent cold snap makes it hard to imagine spring is just around the corner, but Tornado fertiliser spreaders from Agriquip should make a breeze of spreading for the new campaign.
Based on a heavy duty, hot dipped galvanised steel frame, the Tornado 1300 looks like it’s built to last, and that the designers have put some thought into how it’s put together.
Any components likely to contact the fertiliser – spreader discs, vanes, guards and hopper shutters – are manufactured from stainless steel; the one piece hopper is made from polyethylene and is quickly removed for access to the guts of the unit to do cleaning or maintenance.
Adjustments are easy: spreaders vanes are adjusted by a single wingnut, and the shutter opening by a threaded nylon rod. Shutter actuation is controlled from the tractor seat by hydraulic rams.
With a hopper capacity of 1300L, one tonne can be loaded easily with little risk of spillage. Spread width, dependent on material, is up to 36m.
The drive to the central and lateral oil-filled gearboxes is by 540rpm PTO, the standard specification includes a galvanised mesh in the upper hopper to remove lumps and foreign objects, and agitators keep fertiliser moving in the lower part.
Can discarded beef skins become premium dog food? Would camel milk work for your morning flat white? These are just two of the questions that will be answered next week at an international conference in Palmerston North.
Meat the Need, New Zealand’s dedicated charity delivering locally sourced protein meals to food-insecure communities, is launching an online National Charity Auction.
The turmoil and challenges faced by the kiwifruit industry in the past 30 years were put to one side but not forgotten at a glitzy night for 400 kiwifruit growers and guests in Mt Maunganui recently.
The Government's passing of new freshwater management laws has been welcomed by farmers, but could cause some councils a headache.
Irrigation New Zealand chief executive Vanessa Winning is stepping down after four years in the role.
Free workshops focused on managing risk in sharefarming get underway this week.
OPINION: The country's dairy farmers will now also have a hand in providing free lunch for schools.
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