Farming smarter with technology
The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry professionals from across the country.
Swedish implement manufacturer Quicke is expanding its Powergrab series with two new models – designed for silage handling with front-end, telescopic and wheeled loaders.
The L+ model is designed for loaders with lift capacities up to 5.5 tonnes. Meanwhile, the XL+ is suitable for loaders with up to 10 tonnes lift capacity.
These two newcomers are powerful bucket grabs for silage handling. The models are suited to farms with high feed demands, utilising powerful hydraulic cylinders to handle all types of silage – including grass and corn silage, loose feed and liquids.
The two new models offer significant improvements. These include a grab design that uses four pivot bearings for improved stability, alongside a cut-out to allow it to be used on loaders with Z-link kinematics for the crowd and dump functions.
Both models hold silage loads securely in place. The side plates and side tines designed to prevent spillage, while the bucket body features an integrated spill guard at the top to prevent any losses.
The Powergrab L+ has an opening width of 2 metres and has a capacity of 2.1 cubic metres. While the higher capacity XL + unit opens to 2.14 metres with a capacity of 3 cubic metres.
Both models are available with the M24 bolt-on-hook system, making them suitable for all popular loader types, with availability for autumn 2024.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says the 2025 Fieldays has been one of more positive he has attended.
A fundraiser dinner held in conjunction with Fieldays raised over $300,000 for the Rural Support Trust.
Recent results from its 2024 financial year has seen global farm machinery player John Deere record a significant slump in the profits of its agricultural division over the last year, with a 64% drop in the last quarter of the year, compared to that of 2023.
An agribusiness, helping to turn a long-standing animal welfare and waste issue into a high-value protein stream for the dairy and red meat sector, has picked up a top innovation award at Fieldays.
The Fieldays Innovation Award winners have been announced with Auckland’s Ruminant Biotech taking out the Prototype Award.
Following twelve years of litigation, a conclusion could be in sight of Waikato’s controversial Plan Change 1 (PC1).
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