Rein 'Deere' spreads Christmas cheer
The Brandt Hastings team, joined by Rudolph the Red-Nose Rein ‘Deere’, spread holiday cheer this week at the Hawke’s Bay Hospital children’s ward.
Cows ingesting metal objects in conserved feed is typically going to end in tears, quite often with a trip to the knacker’s yard.
Fitting a magnet to a mixer wagon auger can help extract these foreign bodies, but bring with them the task of removal, where operators must enter the mixing tub where they are exposed to sharp cutting blades. Additionally, some magnets are so powerful that they run the risk of erasing a chip in a credit card or do damage to a mobile phone. German mixer wagon manufacturer Siloking has developed a heavy-duty magnet concept that allows metal objects to be safely removed from outside the tub.
The company suggests this has made the job safer and easier, which seems to have the backing of judges at the recent Eurotier Show in Europe, who awarded the idea a silver medal.
Compared to existing solutions, the magnet is permanently secured to the base of a mixing auger, then shrouded by a stainless- steel housing.
The magnet is said to be so powerful that nails, mower blades and even tedder tines, adhere to this housing.
In operation, an integrated tool is used to slide out the housing, that when pulled away from the magnet, sees metal objects simply fall off to be collected. When used in a twice-daily feeding regime, the company recommends checking and clearing the magnet once a week.
The option can be fitted to all the firm’s trailed and self-propelled machines, costing around $4,000.
Danielle Hovmand has been announced as the 2024 recipient of the New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) Contiki Local Legend Award.
Over 1,000 Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers in the Hawke’s Bay have now been immunised against measles.
Open Farms is calling on farmers to sign up to host an open day event on their farm this year.
Steph Le Brocq and Sam Allen, a bride and groom-to-be, are among those set to face off in regional finals across New Zealand in the hopes of being named the Young Farmer of the Year.
For the primary sector, 2024 would go down as one of the toughest years on record. Peter Burke reports.
Environment Southland says it has now ring-fenced $375,000 for new funding initiatives, aimed at enhancing water quality.
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