Calf feeding boost
Advantage Plastics says it is revolutionising calf meal storage and handling, making farm life easier, safer, and more efficient this season.
Any young fella with a Ford 5000 and an 80-inch Howard Rotovator can’t fail to be impressed by a slightly larger combination that recently set new record by cultivating 770ha in 24 hours.
The new record took place on a farm near the town of Slatina in Romania, with the successful double act being a 691hp John Deere 9RX 640 tracked machine mated to a 18.4m Bednar Swifterdisc XE 18400 Mega disc cultivator. The combination dealt to stubbles of wheat, canola, peas and beans in six paddocks – the largest being 161ha.
This beat the previous record, set as far back as 2007, by 125.4ha. That pairing was a Challenger MT875B and 14m Gregoire Besson cultivator.
Working at a depth of 7.0cm, the cultivator – equipped with 560mm diameter discs (5mm) and a 630mm diameter rear V-Ring packer with scrapers – achieved an average output of 32.6ha/ hour. Meanwhile, the 9RX powerhouse hit maximum speeds of 21km/h and covered a total distance of 450.7km.
The tractor averaged just over 3.0 litres of diesel per hectare with a total fuel use of 2355.61 litres.
Achieved by a team of eight people, the tractor was only stopped for just 24 minutes during the 24-hour period – to change drivers, refill the 1490 litre diesel tank and to deal with a small hydraulic leak on the cultivator.
The Czech manufacturer introduced the Swifterdisc XE Mega series in 2021 and currently offers three models from 14.4m to 18.4m working widths. The XE 18400 weighs in at 22.3 tonnes and folds to a transport width of only 3 metres wide by 4 metres high.
The RX 640 stats are no less impressive, tipping the scales at around 25.5 tonnes and boasting a 13.6 litre JD twin turbo engine mated to an 18-stage powershift transmission.
The CEO of Apples and Pears NZ, Karen Morrish, says the strategic focus of her organisation is to improve grower returns.
A significant breakthrough in understanding facial eczema (FE) in livestock brings New Zealand closer to reducing the disease’s devastating impact on farmers, animals, and rural communities.
Farmer co-operative LIC has closed its satellite-backed pasture measurement platform – Space.
OPINION: The case of four Canterbury high country stations facing costly and complex consent hearing processes highlights the dilemma facing the farming sector as the country transitions into a replacement for the Resource Management Act (RMA).
The 2024-25 season apple harvest has “well and truly exceeded expectations”, says Apples and Pears NZ chief executive Karen Morrish.
Through collaborative efforts with exhibitors, visitors, and industry partners, Fieldays says it is reaffirming its commitment to environmental responsibility with new initiatives for 2025.
OPINION: The Greens aren’t serious people when it comes to the economy, so let’s not spend too much on their…
OPINION: PM Chris Luxon is getting pinged lately for rolling out the old 'we're still a new government' line when…