H is the 1!
OPINION: Good on Miraka for eschewing electric power for its future tankers, opting for the much more practical heavy-vehicle ‘green’ choice, hydrogen, putting NZ’s first H-powered tanker on the road.
Having upped the ante in the alternative fuels segment for use in tractors with its T6 Methane tractor, last year New Holland took a majority interest in Bennamann, a company specialising in methane capture.
Using methane produced by capturing dairy herd effluent makes perfect sense, but the tricky part is capturing the gas before cleaning and compressing it ready for storage, thereby removing multiple storage vessels around the tractor.
Bennamann, based in the southwest of England, was founded in 2011 and over the ensuing years developed a circular model which reclaims fugitive methane from cattle and uses it to
The next part of the equation will be the development of methane capture at a commercial level on-farm, now being addressed with the resources that New Holland can bring to the table.
Already, development has led to the introduction of the world’s first liquefied fugitive methane tractor prototype, the New Holland T7 Methane Power LNG, which is operationally carbon negative when fuelled using Bennamann’s system. Research has found that a 120-cow farm operating our shared methane capture technology can reduce the CO2 equivalent of 100 western European households – about 780 tons annually.
Looking at the science of Liquified Fugitive Methane more closely, due to its high energy density, liquefied methane (a natural gas) is much easier to store and efficiently distribute than renewable energy sources such as hydrogen and compressed natural gas. This makes liquefied methane a direct and suitable replacement for fossil fuels in high power applications, even in the most remote locations such as construction sites.
OPINION: While dairy farmers were busy milking cows last Wednesday morning, 150 leaders and stakeholders of the industry gathered at Parliament over breakfast to celebrate their achievements.
First up to the podium at the recent Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) Conference in Wellington, Minster for Agriculture, Todd McClay, reflected on a difficult 12 months, but hinted at signs that things were turning the corner, saying “when ag does well, New Zealand does well”.
A 2022 Nuffield scholar, Lucie Douma, was brought up on a Southland dairy farm and as a hobby likes the risky business of trail running and ultra marathons.
In a “watershed vote”, Synlait shareholders have approved a recapitalisation plan that hands over control of the listed milk processor to China conglomerate Bright Dairy.
Fonterra is investing $150 million on a new cool store at its Whareroa site in Taranaki.
European dairy co-operative Arla Foods is forecasting a total revenue of nearly $25 billion this year.
OPINION: Normally farmer good organisations are happy to use the media to get their message across to politicians and the…
OPINION: It's that time of the year again when milk processors announce their annual results and final milk payout for…