Stihl Launches BT140, Its First Battery-Powered Auger
With battery tools becoming more widespread and more importantly, productive and reliable, it was only time before we saw augers or post-hole borers.
Amazone’s new AutoTS spreading system can increase yields along the borders of the paddock by up to 17%.
Cultivation, seeding and fertiliser application specialists Amazone, claims its new AutoTS spreading system can increase yields along the borders of the paddock by up to 17%.
Accurate, tailored fertiliser application plays a critical role in reducing costs and protecting the environment. The proven, disc-integrated system uses shortened blades for more accurate, flexible spreading along borders. This allows the machine’s settings to be adjusted to a specific spreading situation – such as a crop edge, boundary or water course, from the tractor cab.
“For example, if a paddock borders onto land with a similar crop, 100% of the application rate can be spread right up to the edge of the field using the side spreading function,” explains CLAAS Harvest Centre product specialist – Amazone, Steve Gorman.
“If the paddock borders a road or public footpath, the boundary spreading function reduces the maximum throwing distance and prevents fertiliser from being thrown across the border.”
Large-scale field trials, conducted over several years, have compared the performance of AutoTS system to conventional border spreading techniques under real-time, practical conditions.
Comparing calcium ammonium nitrate being spread at 24 metres, over three separate passes, the average yield of the five-metre border treated using a conventional border spreading system was only 68% of the main body of the paddock.
This increased to 85% when using the Amazone AutoTS system.
“This improvement can really add up in small or irregular-shaped fields because they have a higher proportion of border area,” Gorman adds.
The value generated by the AutoTS system, compared to conventional border spreading systems, can be estimated using an Amazone’s online calculator: www.amazone.net/border-spreading-calculator
Farmgate lamb prices are down by 8%, beef cattle by 4.5% and farm expenditure up by 4.2%.
Kiwifruit growers are watchful but remain optimistic as concerns around the potential effects of the El Niño weather pattern this season.
Almond hulls sourced from Australian orchards may have the potential to help New Zealand cows reduce emissions, boost milk yield and lower input costs.
Striking a balance between meeting the needs of industry to speed up approval time for products but on the other hand ensuring that risks are properly assessed.
Surprised, humbled and quite thrilled. That’s the reaction of James Allen, one of the founding partners and now chief executive of AgFirst, on being made a life member of the Institute of Rural Professionals.

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