Wairarapa’s Bradley Wadsworth blends farming and technology
Bradley Wadsworth lives on the family farm – Omega Station – in the Wairarapa about 30 minutes’ drive east from Masterton.
Rules governing the flying of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) changed on August 1 with the introduction of Civil Aviation Authority Rule 102.
Yamaha Motors NZ wasted no time in getting the new certification, clearing the way for the company to fly its R-Max helicopter UAV. The test flights were done near Auckland.
The R-Max is powered by a 246cc engine and has a 28kg payload. It was designed in Japan at the request of the country's Ministry of Agriculture Forest and Fisheries, which sought an unmanned vehicle for crop spraying. It should suit the widely varying topography of NZ.
"We have developed a robust safety policy for the operation of the R-Max," says Yamaha NZ general manager Daryl Lovegrove.
Fonterra’s impending exit from the Australian dairy industry is a major event but the story doesn’t change too much for farmers.
Expect greater collaboration between Massey University’s school of Agriculture and Environment and Ireland’s leading agriculture university, the University College of Dublin (UCD), in the future.
A partnership between Torere Macadamias Ltd and the Riddet Institute aims to unlock value from macadamia nuts while growing the next generation of Māori agribusiness researchers.
A new partnership between Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) and NZAgbiz aims to make evidence-based calf rearing practices accessible to all farm teams.
Despite some trying circumstances recently, the cherry season looks set to emerge on top of things.
Changed logos on shirts otherwise it will be business as usual when Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses are expected to change hands next month.

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