Hose runner saves time and effort
Rakaia-based equipment manufacturer Pluck’s Engineering will soon start production of a new machine designed to simplify the deployment and retrieval of temporary water troughs used in winter break feeding.
SIAFD started in the 1950s as machinery demonstrations on a leased site at Lincoln.
However, the event has been held at Kirwee since they bought the site before the 2015 event.
SIAFD event chair Hayden Dorman says Kirwee is well-drained land on a shingle base.
It "gets a bit slithery on top" when wet but not like the Lincoln site, which was heavy land "where you just keep sinking."
The group initially bought 40ha at Kirwee then another 40ha, so there is room for expansion and development, but Dorman says they have yet to decide what direction to go.
There is little infrastructure on site apart from an office, a small machinery shed, basic toilet blocks, tracks, water and power.
Power lines and outlets are strategically placed across the exhibition space but with no connection to the national grid, as that would incur a daily connection fee. Instead, six or eight temporary generators are brought in to power it up at show time.
Dorman told Rural News that further developments for the site are "on our radar" but will have to be carefully chosen.
Because the site is leased to a neighbouring farmer between shows, it's not like there are other events to help pay for development, he explains.
"If we spend a lot of money we've got to look at what sort of return we get from that.
"We can build something that's worth a million bucks but are we getting a return from it?
"We do need something but we just have to decide how much we're willing to spend, so we've got to make up our minds sooner rather than later because prices of things don't keep going down."
A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.
Funding is proving crucial for predator control despite a broken model reliant on the goodwill of volunteers.
A major milestone on New Zealand's unique journey to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis could come before the end of this year.
We're working through it, and we'll get to it.
The debate around New Zealand's future in the Paris Agreement is heating up.
A technical lab manager for Apata, Phoebe Scherer, has won the Bay of Plenty 2025 Young Grower regional title.