Amazone extends hoe range
With many European manufacturers releasing mechanical weeding systems to counter the backlash around the use and possible banning of agrochemicals, Amazone has added a new model to its Venterra mechanical hoe range.
Dubbed as a universal seeder, Amazone’s new GreenDrill 501 is said to be ideal for one-pass sowing of ‘catch crops’, fine seeds and undersown crops in combination with the company’s trailed cultivators.
The 500 L hopper has a wide opening for rapid filling, being accessed using steps and a platform. The bottom section of the hopper contains a protective sieve in order to prevent foreign bodies entering the electrically driven metering unit, a fill level sensor monitors the contents and a screw lock on the hopper lid protects the seed against dust and moisture.
A range of easily changed metering rollers are available to suit different seed sizes, with seeding rates adjusted via the in-cab terminal, that also serves for one-touch calibration.
Alternatively, the process can be carried out using the mySeeder app on a suitable smart device. The GreenDrill 501 can be controlled, using section and variable application rates, using any ISOBUS terminal.
Mounted on a trailed cultivator, such as the Catros compact disc harrow, the GreenDrill 501 utilises a hydraulic blower fan to transport the seed from the metering unit to the sowing coulters.
The blower fan is not required if the GreenDrill 501 is mounted on a Cirrus trailed cultivator-drill combination.
Seed is transferred from the distribution head to the baffle plates, which ensure an optimal lateral distribution across 16 to 48 seed rows, while also offering the ability to create tramlines.
Holstein Friesian excellence was front and centre at the 2025 Holstein Friesian NZ (HFNZ) Awards, held recently in Invercargill.
The work Fonterra has done with Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, LIC and Ravensdown to save farmers time through better data connections has been recognised with a national award.
This past week has seen another round of negotiations between India and New Zealand to produce a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Cautiously optimistic is how DairyNZ's regional manager for the lower North Island, Mark Laurence describes the mood of farmers in his patch.
The Infrastructure Commission has endorsed a plan by Chorus to expand fibre broadband to 95% of New Zealand much to the delight of rural women.
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its…
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content…