Mixer makes feeding easy
Coolbreene Trust near Taupo is a large-scale dairy operation farming 1150ha, including run-off blocks, within a 10km radius of its home base.
One of the more interesting first-time exhibitors at National Fieldays was Storti, from Verona, NE Italy, showing a self-propelled, self-loading mixer wagon. This large machine was catching the eye of large scale dairy farmers.
Dating back to 1956, this company has extensive knowledge of the total mixed ration (TMR) market, evidenced by its range of trailed and self-propelled machines from 8-33m3 with vertical or horizontal mixing.
Most types of machine are also capable of self-loading, with a hydraulically driven cutter head on a loader arm mounted on the rear or front of the machine in the case of the self-propelled units. This has the major advantage of not needing a dedicated loader tractor, or in the worst case having to unhook the mixer wagon, load up, then re-connect to carry out a mix, which is very time consuming.
Storti marketing manager Ignacio Nunez mentioned standout features of the Doberman model on display: high efficiency rotor for a homogenous mix and low power consumption, bi-directional loading arm to suit all types of material being loaded, and heavy ladder construction chassis.
He also pointed out options such as the in-built weight system and the single lever control of the whole unit.
Nunez also announced the recent signing of a distribution agreement for New Zealand with Robertson Manufacturing, Canterbury, well known for their bale and silage feeders.
Robertson sales manager Tyronne Campbell commented, “The addition of Storti to our product offering allows us to cover the whole spectrum of animal feeding, and the decision to join forces with Storti is based on their worldwide reputation for experience in the TMR field.”
Robertson plans countrywide demonstrations of the Doberman self-propelled machine.
Tel. 03 303 7228
OPINION: Public pressure has led to Canterbury Police rightly rolling back its proposed restructure that would have seen several rural police stations closed in favour of centralised hubs.
When I interview Rachel Cox, she is driving - on her way to her next meeting.
With Fonterra's UHT plant at its Edendale site less than a year from completion, demand continues to grow for products the plant will produce, such as Anchor Whipping Cream.
A new $50,000 scholarship fund designed to support and empower women in the New Zealand dairy industry through leadership development has been launched.
Many farmers around the country are taking advantage of the high dairy payout to get maximum production out of their cows.
In 2015, the signing of a joint venture between St Peter's School, Cambridge, and Lincoln University saw the start of an exciting new chapter for Owl Farm as the first demonstration dairy farm in the North Island. Ten years on, the joint venture is still going strong.