Kilter AX-1: First Autonomous Weeding Robot Lands in NZ
Claimed to be the first autonomous robot for New Zealand vegetables growers, the first Kilter AX-1 unit has arrived in the country.
Pioneer potato growers the Balle family are taking their business a step further.
The family business, growing potatoes in and around Pukekohe and the Waikato for more than three generations, have teamed up with chipmakers to inspire a new brand.
The 'Chip Off the Old Block' range potato chips will be made using only their potatoes.
On each packet, you can find information about what variety of potato was used and where they were sourced from.
Dacey Balle, one of seven brothers from thirteen children to Bernie and Norah Balle, says the family takes its potatoes seriously.
"And surely, great chips need to start with great potatoes," he says.
"The 'Chip Off the Old Block' recipe is based on a few quality ingredients, just as you might find them in your own pantry – great potatoes, sunflower oil, natural seasonings – and that's it.
"And, as little as possible is done to them through the manufacturing process, for the flat cuts the skins are left on and potatoes are sliced nice and thick."
'Chip Off the Old Block' chips will be available in major supermarkets.
New Zealand's pest problem has reached crisis point, according to Federated Farmers' second National Pests Survey, which shows farmers are spending more money and effort on control — yet pest numbers keep climbing faster than they were two years ago.
Testing confirms H5 bird flu in a single northern giant petrel, found dead on a remote Cape Palliser beach in the Wairarapa, says Dr Mary van Andel, the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Chief Veterinary Officer.
"What's for dinner?" may sound like a simple question, but for many Kiwi parents, answering it has become a job in itself.
Fifty Eight years ago, on the 16th of August 1968, August Claas, the founder of the harvesting company and father of Helmut Claas, personally presented a Claas Senator combine harvester to Scottish farmer John Steven.
New Zealand consumers are paying more for beef mince than ever before, with the average retail price now sitting above $24 per kilogram, according to Rabobank.
State farmer Pamu has delivered its strongest operating result on record.

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