increase font size
Prospr has already proven itself as a reliable autonomous platform in vineyards and orchards.
Croplands Equipment, in partnership with Yamaha Agriculture, has released a new herbicide spray attachment designed for seamless integration with Prospr, Yamaha Agriculture’s autonomous vehicle platform, to further the progress of automation in horticultural weed control.
The attachment builds on Yamaha’s established Prospr autonomous vehicle platform, enabling growers to further enhance automation and improve operational efficiency and reduce manual inputs.
For local growers, the Croplands–Yamaha Agriculture partnership continues to strengthen both companies’ capabilities in rapidly emerging technology, with Croplands manufacturing the Q-Series fungicide sprayer attachment for global markets, while also holding exclusive distribution of Prospr and related attachments throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Croplands general manager Brendan Deck said the herbicide attachment reflects growing demand from horticulturalists for practical, scalable automation solutions that deliver measurable benefits on farm.
“Prospr has already proven itself as a reliable autonomous platform in vineyards and orchards, and this upcoming herbicide attachment is a natural next step,” Deck said. “Growers are telling us they want automation that fits seamlessly into existing programs, particularly around weed control where labour and timing are critical. This attachment extends the capability of Prospr while keeping operation straightforward and efficient.”
Deck goes on to explain the partnership with Yamaha Agriculture provided confidence for growers who were considering investing in autonomous technology.
“Yamaha Agriculture brings global engineering capability and autonomous solutions, while Croplands boasts over 50 years as sprayer specialists backed by service and support on the ground,” he said.
Yamaha Agriculture president and CEO, Nolan Paul, said the herbicide attachment demonstrates Yamaha Agriculture’s ongoing focus on developing flexible automation solutions for speciality crops. Releasing the herbicide attachment is the next step in developing a suite of products growers can rely on for various tasks in their orchards and vineyards.
“Yamaha Agriculture works to help specialty crop growers be more sustainable, profitable and resilient,” Paul says. “We build precision ag automation and intelligent systems that help growers plan, act and adapt with confidence – having multiple attachments, delivered via expert partners is a key pillar of our strategy to deliver automation globally, at scale.”
A long way from when AI meant plunging a plastic-covered arm armpit deep up a cow’s rear, John Deere has shown off its new artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, aptly called JD, which aims to simplify data processing on farms.
In Dacre, near Invercargill in New Zealand’s South Island, Bruce Dinnington is running a dairy operation unlike any other.
Developed in Australia and launched in 2021, John Deere’s See & Spray Select System uses camera-based green-on-brown technology to identify living green plant matter in fallow paddocks and apply herbicide only where it is needed.
Claimed to be the first autonomous robot for New Zealand vegetables growers, the first Kilter AX-1 unit has arrived in the country.
While GPS and guidance have become the norm and yield mapping and variable application continues to gain traction, most agricultural machinery manufacturers continue to expand their technology offerings, amalgamating the vast amounts of data being collected to streamline real-time and ongoing management decisions.
Entries opened on Monday, 5 October 2026 for the 2027 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA), which organisers describe as the nation's biggest celebration of excellence in the dairy sector.
Waikato milk processor Tatua has again declared a record milk payout to farmer shareholders, leaving other processors in the dust.
A Labour-led Government won’t be bringing back the controversial freshwater rules of 2020.
National’s much-touted free trade deal with India featured in the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek, Hamilton on Wednesday night.
New Zealand's 2026-27 freshwater fishing season has opened, with anglers encouraged to head to rivers and lakes over the coming days as conditions look favourable across much of the country.
Central Otago District Council (CODC) has voted against a plan to spread treated sewage sludge from Cromwell and Alexandra on farmland near Lauder, a decision Federated Farmers says reflects strong opposition from rural residents.
