GEA launches AI-powered walkover teat sprayer
GEA says that its latest walkover teat sprayer is helping farmers save time and boost udder health.
Hamish Noakes’ Milkabit Farm uses a GEA rotary platform said to be the first of its kind in New Zealand.
Hamish Noakes’ Milkabit Farm uses a GEA rotary platform said to be the first of its kind in New Zealand.
The automated platform is designed specifically for goats.
It has an integrated feeding system offering five different feed allocations, which makes feeding different flocks on the same farm easily achievable; and it alters feeding regimes based on variables such as inclement weather.
The system uses a head locker that securely holds the goat in place and allows accurate reading of the animal’s ID tag, and a stainless steel feed bin that can be easily emptied or cleaned.
In operation, entry boxes regulate goat flow onto the platform, ensuring no empty bails during milking and preventing goats from crowding into bails.
ID tags are read in each milking stall and the data is fed into a herd management system.
The parlour has automatic wash system, allowing better cleaning of plant, and a glycol snap chilling system that chills milk to 4oC before it enters the vat.
An extra feature of the parlour at the Milkabit Farm is a floor that can be raised or lowered to suit the height of the farm worker. It is 4.5m wide so the operator can work on several bails without having to step off the raised floor.
Waikato dairy farmer Neil Bateup, made a companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in the New Year 2026 Honours list, says he’s grateful for the award.
Another Australian state has given the green light to virtual fencing, opening another market for Kiwi company Halter.
Farmer interest continues to grow as a Massey University research project to determine the benefits or otherwise of the self-shedding Wiltshire sheep is underway. The project is five years in and has two more years to go. It was done mainly in the light of low wool prices and the cost of shearing. Peter Burke recently went along to the annual field day held Massey's Riverside farm in the Wairarapa.
Applications are now open for the 2026 NZI Rural Women Business Awards, set to be held at Parliament on 23 July.
Ravensdown has announced a collaboration with Kiwi icon, Footrot Flats in an effort to bring humour, heart, and connection to the forefront of the farming sector.
Forest & Bird's Kiwi Conservation Club is inviting New Zealanders of all ages to embrace the outdoors with its Summer Adventure Challenges.