Products to keep brassica seeds safe
Forage brassica crops provide an excellent source of energy and protein for grazing livestock at critical times of the year when the quantity and quality of pasture on offer is limiting livestock production.
Amazone's CurveControl won a silver medal winner at Agritechnica 2023.
It adjusts the lateral distribution to the various cornering speeds and corrects the movement of the spread pattern in centrifugal fertiliser spreaders when driving around bends, resulting in more uniform crops and also helps prevent over-fertilisation inside the bend and fertiliser placement beyond the field boundary.
While curve compensation has already been implemented by Amazone in its crop sprayers, the geometry of the sprayer boom being located tight behind the physical pivot point of the machine means only the application rate within the boom needs adjustment to compensate for curves.
In the case of a fertiliser spreader, the typical throwing distance is up to twice the working width and the application area can be many metres behind the spreader, depending on the type of fertiliser, while the spread fan is kidney-shaped area. This demands a detailed knowledge of the way that the spreading unit works with various fertilisers, along with a corresponding complex implementation of a control algorithm.
Modern centrifugal fertiliser spreaders have the disadvantage that over- and under-fertilised areas inside of the working width occur when negotiating bends as a result of different speeds.
This effect is amplified by the combination of forward speed and swivelling of the spread pattern caused by the steering angle. This means that significant over-fertilisation arises in some areas because of these multiple overlaps, whereas gaps occur in other areas. In addition, the swivelling of the spread fan at the edge of the field causes fertiliser to be applied beyond the field boundary.
CurveControl prevents these effects, which are undesirable from an ecological and economic point of view, and thereby minimises the risk of nutrients leaching into the ground water. Furthermore, incorrect application beyond the field boundary when negotiating bends is prevented by the system.
In addition, CurveControl can further improve the environmentally friendly use of mineral fertiliser in combination with existing solutions such as ArgusTwin, WindControl and GPS part-width section control.
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.
OPINION: The abrupt departure of Synlait chief executive Grant Watson could be a sign that Chinese company Bright Dairy, the…