An 'amaizing' season
It's been a bumper season for maize and other supplements in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
Maize silage has long been critical to livestock farmers' conservation choice for winter feed, so it's no surprise to see harvester manufacturers looking at new ways to make the crop more productive.
In the early days the crop needed to be cut extremely short to ensure all the kernels were cracked and digestible, then the corn cracker systems of the late 1980s allowed an increase in crop length, while achieving the same result.
A silver medal will go to Claas at Agritechnica in Germany in mid November for its recently launched MCC Max maize silage conditioning system for its Jaguar range of self-propelled forage harvesters.
Using a pair of rollers with a saw tooth profile and 30 angular segments, the system combines friction, cutting and shearing to intensively condition the grains and release the maximum amount of digestible starches (which increase energy levels), as well as shredding the stalk material at chop lengths up to 22mm.
This can increase feed value, and there advantages in the ensiling process, not least by achieving better levels of consolidation at longer chop lengths.
Surplus maize silage could find buyers in the burgeoning AD gas production industry from a common silage clamp.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
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