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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.
New Zealand based company Robotics Plus, a specialist in agricultural automation, has announced an agreement for it to be acquired by Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd to form Yamaha Agriculture Inc – a new company focused on delivering autonomous equipment and AI-powered digital ‘solutions’ that help growers in the specialty crop market become more sustainable, profitable and resilient.
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PGG Wrightson has launched a new stock-counting service using drones and Artificial Intelligence (AI), which it says removes all the hassle for farmers, while achieving 99.9% accuracy.
While we are seeing more and more drones being used in New Zealand agriculture, we’re some way behind the US, where in places like the Midwest, the drones are certainly bigger than Texas.
A new technology company has been formed which will help New Zealand’s farmers and primary sector better understand and capitalise on their natural vegetation and biodiversity.
After 20 years of milking cows, Northland farmer Greg Collins is ready to step into the governance side of dairy.
For some Canterbury teenagers, their career is being shaped by hands-on experience in a sector they are passionate about - dairy farming.
Dairy farmers will be paying a new levy rate of 4.5c/kgMS - an extra 0.9c/kgMS - to industry-good body DairyNZ from June 1 this year.
The 'atmospheric river' of rain that swept down the country last week almost completely avoided one of the worst drought-affected regions in the country – coastal Taranaki.
Much-needed rain finally arrived in Northland, giving many farmers breathing space to get themselves back on track for next season.
Despite the turmoil in global markets, Fonterra is continuing with a dual track process to divest its multi-billion dollars consumer businesses.
