Innovation takes centre stage at Fieldays 2025 awards event
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
This year, the Fieldays Tractor Pull, in association with PTS Logistics, mark a major milestone – 50 years of crowd-thrilling competition, after a modest contest started in 1975 with two-wheel drive tractors and manual gearboxes.
For long-time competitor and organiser Daniel Reymer, who has been involved in the competition for over a decade, The Tractor Pull is more than a sport – it’s a family tradition.
His father and uncles were among the early competitors in the ‘80s and ‘90s, with Dan’s father, Stephen Reymer, claiming victory in the late 1980s, and three Reymer brothers once famously sweeping the podium at one event, taking home first, second, and third places.
“These were two-wheel-drive tractors, some without cabs — it was a very different set of rules back then,” Dan says, reflecting on how the sport has evolved.
Dan has been involved since before he could legally drive and competing ever since. This year, Dan is hoping his new Case IH Puma 240 might be the game-changer, after narrowly missing out on the top spot in recent years, twice placing second in the weight-adjusted category.
The competition attracts farmers, contractors, and mechanics, with two different competitions.
The weight-adjusted competition sees two tractors with a concrete weight being towed, in a race to the finish line, with the emphasis on driver skill, rather than on a tractor’s power.
In the weight transfer competition, the tractor is driven down a specially prepared track for a far as possible, as weight is gradually added to the tractor-mounted competition sledge. Other categories include modified tractors and tractors manufactured before 1985.
“The modified tractors are always a crowd favourite,” says NZNFS venue operations manager Marie Rechner, who has helped coordinate the event for the past six years.
“The engines roar, the smoke pours, and you’ll often see the front wheels lift right off the ground. It’s loud and the crowds line the bank; they love every second of it.”
This year’s event has attracted strong entry numbers, with competitors from as far afield as Taranaki, Reporoa, and the South Island, looking to drive away with up to $5,000 in prize money.
Helping to power this year’s golden anniversary celebration is new Major Sponsor PTS Logistics, who joining returning sponsors, Corson Maize and Giltrap AgriZone. Heats take place during Wednesday through Friday with the Grand Final on Saturday, from 8am to 1:30pm.
Commercial fruit and vegetable growers are being encouraged to cast their votes in the Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) board directors' election.
A unique discovery by a Palmerston North science company, Biolumic, looks set to revolutionise the value and potential of ryegrass and the secret is the application of ultraviolet (UV) light.
A New Zealand company is redefining the global collagen game by turning New Zealand sheepskin into a world-class health product.
With further extreme weather on the way, ANZ Bank is encouraging farmers and business owners impacted by the recent extreme weather and flooding to seek support if they need it.
New Zealand must continue to educate Chinese consumers about the unique qualities of its red meat products and how they differ from competitors, says Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dan Boulton.
There are opportunities outside the farmgate for young farmers to further develop their skills, says 2025 Primary Industries Emerging Leader Award winner Bridie Virbickas.
OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.
OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.