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.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand says it is seeing strong farmer interest in its newly launched nProve Beef genetics tool, with early feedback and usage insights confirming its value in helping farmers make better breeding decisions and drive genetic improvement in New Zealand's beef herd.
The Innovation Awards at June's National Fieldays showcased several new ideas, alongside previous entries that had reached commercial reality.
To assist the flower industry in reducing waste and drive up demand, Wonky Box has partnered with Burwood to create Wonky Flowers.
Three new directors are joining Horticulture New Zealand’s board from this month.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) says proposed changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will leave the door wide open for continued conversions of productive sheep and beef farms into carbon forestry.
Federated Farmers says a report to Parliament on the subject of a ban on carbon forestry does not go far enough to prevent continued farm to forestry conversions.