Fieldays’ sustainability credentials getting greener
The New Zealand National Fieldays Society has achieved a major sustainability milestone - reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and reaching the target five years early.
Anticipating the All Blacks heading to Dublin in November to reap their revenge, an even bigger Irish contingent will visit New Zealand this week for the 50th Fieldays.
NZ is a key market for Irish exporters, so the best of the Ireland’s agritech industry, supported by Enterprise Ireland, will show their latest research and innovative solutions, dubbed ‘The Irish Advantage’.
C&F Green Energy makes small and medium-size wind turbines for farms on off the grid. The company offers models from 11 - 250kW -- high yield, low noise and able to be monitored remotely 24/7.
Equilume, a developer of light therapy devices for the health, growth and performance of horses, now also makes light masks for cows; these adjust the breeding cycle of the animal, allowing it to get ‘daylight’ while inside or at night, to increase lactations and so increase yields by up to 9% (in trials).
Other Irish exhibitors will include Dairymaster milking equipment, milking parlours and feeding systems; Keenan mixer and feed wagons; Malone Farm Machinery, HiSpec, Major Equipment and ProDig Attachments.
There will be balers from McHale, tankers from Abbey Machinery, spreaders from Agri-Spread and wrappers from Tanco.
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.

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