Sumo GLS wrestles compaction
A recent demonstration of a grassland subsoiler in the heavily compacted car park at Mystery Creek impressed visiting dairy farmers.
Designed for deep vertical tillage, the Great Plains inline subsoiler shatters yield-robbing compaction layers.
These layers are a known effect of horizontal tillage tools such as ploughs and discs, and of tractors or continuous repeated traffic.
The subsoilers have a working depth of 30-40cm with easily adjusted depth wheels. They are designed for use in autumn to help loosen the soil profile and restore uniform density but with minimal topsoil disturbance.
The subsoiler’s frame is made of high tensile, 9.5mm walled tubing for strength and durability. They come with 70cm (6 shank) or 75cm (5 shank) spacings.
A no-till, 25cm wide, winged point is used with the 19mm no-till leg to minimise surface disturbance yet maximise the soil shattering effect below the surface.
At the rear of the machine, individual 41cm diameter roller assemblies, made from 2.5cm solid bars, level the treated surface, enabling single pass seedbed preparation.
The shanks are protected against stones, rocks or timber by a horizontally mounted coil spring protection system with a trip force of 1360kg.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
From 1 October, new livestock movement restrictions will be introduced in parts of Central Otago dealing with infected possums spreading bovine TB to livestock.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
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