Friday, 23 February 2024 10:55

Investing in eco-friendly bale storage

Written by  Mark Daniel
CNH is supporting the development of the first viable compostable net wrap for bales in agriculture. CNH is supporting the development of the first viable compostable net wrap for bales in agriculture.

Through its investment arm CNH Ventures, CNH is supporting the development of the first viable compostable net wrap for bales in agriculture.

The investment in the Canadian start-up Nature’s Net Wrap aims to accelerate their mission to eliminate waste from the process of collecting and storing baled crops.

During harvesting operations based around large round bales, once a bale is formed it is generally held with a coating of net wrap and an outer layer of stretched plastic, which at the point of use is removed and eventually ends up getting burnt or placed in landfills. Farmers and contractors are limited in the reuse or recycling of plastic wraps or nets, negatively impacting their environmental footprint.

Shifting to compostable net wraps has the potential to significantly benefit farmers and the environment.

It will help reduce landfill use, haulage and disposal costs, eliminate soil contamination, improve animal safety, and reduce the risk of water contamination, likely resulting in a reduction of around 2.5 million tons of plastic waste each year.

With high growth in this market is propelled by the general demand for chemical- and plastic-free solutions, the innovation uses biopolymer material made from renewable resources.

It is said to hold up structurally and can naturally break down in the earth’s soil or alternatively be composted.

CNH’s investment is supporting the testing and validation of the solution, with one of the company’s New Holland balers being used to produce all the bales in the testing phase.

An initial product launch is expected later in the year.

More like this

BA Pumps expand

Cambridge based BA Pumps & Sprayers, specialists in New Zealand-made spraying equipment, has acquired Tokoroa Engineering’s product range, including the iconic Milk Bar mobile calf feeder products, alongside calf and feed trailers.

Entries open for innovation award

Fieldays and its renowned Innovation Awards are celebrating their 57th year, marking a longstanding tradition in the agricultural calendar, with the latter delivering a platform for problem-solvers to showcase their innovation to the primary industries.

Mounting kit helps with accurate metering, spreading

StocksAg has introduced a mounting kit to fit its Turbo Jet 8 or 10 units to pneumatic trailed SKY EasyDrills, allowing separate metering and accurate application of products like Avadex through an additional set of outlets behind the drill’s press wheel.

Seed drills carry a new distributor head

Väderstad’s Rapid A 400-800S, Rapid A 600-800C, Spirit 400C/S and Spirit 600-900C/S pneumatic seed drills have received a new distributor head that can be fitted with motors for all outlets.

Solid performer at a sharp price

Waikato dairy farmer Dan Hinton reckons the main reason he hasn’t bought a side-by-side yet is the purchase price, with many brands offering little or no change from $30k to $40k.

Featured

Editorial: NZ's great China move

OPINION: The New Zealand red meat sector, with support from the Government, has upped the ante to retain and expand its niche in the valuable Chinese market - and the signs are looking positive.

Wool-derived protein eyes $2b market

Keratin extracted from New Zealand wool could soon find its way into products used to minimise osteoporosis, promote gut health, and other anti-inflammatories, says Keraplast chief executive Howard Moore.

Strong uptake of good wintering practices

DairyNZ has seen a significant increase in the number of farmers improving their wintering practices, which results in a higher standard of animal care and environmental protection.

Winter grazing warning

Every time people from overseas see photographs of cows up to their hocks in mud it's bad for New Zealand.

National

OSPRI's costly software upgrade

Animal disease management agency OSPRI has announced sweeping governance changes as it seeks to recover from the expensive failure of…

Machinery & Products

BA Pumps expand

Cambridge based BA Pumps & Sprayers, specialists in New Zealand-made spraying equipment, has acquired Tokoroa Engineering’s product range, including the…

Entries open for innovation award

Fieldays and its renowned Innovation Awards are celebrating their 57th year, marking a longstanding tradition in the agricultural calendar, with…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Chinese strategy

OPINION: Fonterra may have sold its dairy farms in China but the appetite for collaboration with the country remains strong.

Not fair

OPINION: The Listener's latest piece on winter grazing among Southland dairy farmers leaves much to be desired.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter