Kverneland to debut Alentix fertiliser spreaders at Agritechnica
With Agritechnica just around the corner, it’s no surprise to see manufacturers drip-feed some information of new products worth a closer look.
With 25 years experience of electrical seed metering, Kverneland claims it knows more about electric drive systems than any other precision seeding company.
Early designs appeared while the company developed the Unicorn Synchro Drive first seen in 1993; over the years this has evolved into the Kverneland e-drive II seen today.
During that process, other introductions have been section control and greater computing power, ultimately leading to the company’s Geoseed technology.
Geoseed is a patented control system that allows seeds to be placed either in parallel rows or alternately spaced between the rows. In the latter format, a diamond pattern is created, said to offer better uptake of nutrients, light and water.
When used with the company’s Geocontrol software, the precisely planted regime can also help reduce seed rates and eliminate overlaps that lead to densely planted areas.
Electric drive remains prominent in Kverneland’s precision seeder machines, used in the Optima and Monopill ranges aimed at maize and beet growers. Interestingly, this precision seeding is the means by which farmers and growers plant ‘amazing mazes’ to add to their income streams.
All KV precision seeders can work with the ISOBUS compatible iXtra LiFe front tanks and liquid fertiliser applications, and the company also offers two of its own universal ISOBUS terminals for use with its own or any other ISOBUS compatible machinery.
New Zealand needs a new healthcare model to address rising rates of obesity in rural communities, with the current system leaving many patients unable to access effective treatment or long-term support, warn GPs.
Southland farmers are being urged to put safety first, following a spike in tip offs about risky handling of wind-damaged trees
Third-generation Ashburton dairy farmers TJ and Mark Stewart are no strangers to adapting and evolving.
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give the green light to supply their American stores, they allowed themselves a week for the exercise.
Fonterra chair Peter McBride says the divestment of Mainland Group is their last significant asset sale and signals the end of structural changes.
Thirty years ago, as a young sharemilker, former Waikato farmer Snow Chubb realised he was bucking a trend when he started planting trees to provide shade for his cows, but he knew the animals would appreciate what he was doing.