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FIVE HUNDRED Australasian farmers and farm machinery dealers gathered in Christchurch last month for the centenary of Claas, the world’s largest family-owned farm machinery maker.
The event was co-hosted by Landpower, Claas distributor in both countries, and its local dealership, Claas Harvest Centre Canterbury, at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand.
A satellite telecast linked the Christchurch event with the Claas factory in Harsewinkel, Germany and 17 other locations including China, India, Ukraine, USA, UK, Poland and Turkey.
The telecast, hosted by Claas family members and directors was watched by 12,000 employees at Harsewinkel and other representatives and their families worldwide.
New Zealand was first in the telecast, which included several videos on New Zealand and Australian farming.
“Landpower and the Claas Harvest Centre network enjoy a strong and enduring partnership with Claas,” Landpower chief executive Richard Wilson says. “We are proud to represent the brand in this part of the world.”
Herby and Pam Whyte set up Landpower (then called Farmrite) in 1975, at first to buy machinery for their farming in Southland. The company has represented Claas in New Zealand since 1987 and in Australia since 1997.
Whyte developed a friendship with Helmut and Erika Claas, and now with their daughter, Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser, “a relationship pivotal to the success of my business,” Herby says. “In Claas I found a partner… I have profound respect and admiration for.”
Landpower represents Claas, Amazone and Grimme in Australasia. The group has 26 Claas Harvest Centres in the two countries.
“We want to be seen as farm machinery professionals, not dealers,” Whyte says. “To do this, we have to deliver quality products, expert knowledge, innovation and service second-to-none.”
August Claas established his engineering works in 1913 to make straw balers. He developed a simple knotter in 1921 that was the cornerstone of the company’s growth and success.
He then began making harvesting machinery – a long line of combine innovations and developments. The company holds 3000 patents. More recently it has entered the tractor and telehandler markets.
Twin rotor swathers have become the ‘go-to’ for forming swaths to feed hungry harvesters and balers, however, the design layout often means that crop located between the two rotors is not picked up, turned over or incorporated into the swath formed for subsequent harvesting.
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.
Scheduled to replace its Axion 800 series, Claas has released details of the new, three model, Axion 8 CMATIC range.
Following the €1.6 million investment in a prototype workshop in early 2025, Claas has invested an additional €3.3 million at its Metz-Woippy baler production plant to increase production capacity.
After its flagship 1200 model set a Guiness World Record in forage harvesting, mopping up 4096 tonnes of whole crop silage in 12 hours, Claas has picked up a brace of awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ASABE).
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (the College) and Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network are calling for investment in a proposed new training pathway for rural GPs, warning that many rural practices are struggling to recruit while a large share of the existing workforce nears retirement.
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Synlait has swung to second-half profit as operations stabilise, but the dairy processor still posted a $75.4m annual loss.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
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