Friday, 05 July 2024 11:55

Fieldays' top young innovator

Written by  Mark Daniel
The Mark-It drench gun attachment, developed by student Penny Ranger. The Mark-It drench gun attachment, developed by student Penny Ranger.

Growing up on a South Waikato sheep and beef farm, Penny Ranger has firsthand experience on the day-to-day challenges.

One such challenge, when drenching sheep in a race, is working out which animals have been treated.

This led to the idea of developing a user-friendly marking tool; to give a clear indication of animals drenched and the arrival of the Mark-It drench gun attachment.

Penny, currently a Year 13 student at St Peters School in Cambridge, was the winner of a Fieldays Innovation Award, which she admits was originally her elder sister’s idea, but oversaw the development and refinement into a saleable product.

Like many great ideas, simplicity is the key, with a 3-D printed nozzle attachment, which houses a pre-loaded coloured sponge which leaves a mark on the side of the animal’s face as it’s drenched.

Said to offer a 100% indication when drenching, the attachments help reduce increasingly expensive drenching costs by eliminating double- drenching, while also giving confidence that the whole mob has been treated.

The earliest prototype was built in metal, but proved to be heavy and clumsy, so was refined with the use of a PLA plastic, with the attachment now only weighing thirty-three grams.

During the development, Penny overcame initial issues with sourcing and cutting the applicator sponges, then dyeing them with ink. The current version now uses a paint-like marking solution that, with a thicker consistency, doesn’t clog or drip.

Penny was selling starter packs at Fieldays, including the attachment and three dyed sponges for a bargain $35 and is currently setting up a website for online purchasing.

More like this

Quick, accurate access to data

Agri-tech company Precision Farming is linking with John Deere’s Operations Centre guidance technology to automate nutrient and spray record-keeping and Nitrogen Cap compliance for farmers.

Can-Am pushes the boundaries

Can-Am is pushing the boundaries of performance in its Outlander line-up of ATVs with the launch of the new 850 and 1000R models, said to offer industry-leading horsepower, increased suspension travel and refined handling.

Featured

Support welcomed for southern farmers

Federated Farmers says it welcomes the announcement of extra Government support for farmers and growers in Southland and parts of Otago after the region was hit by severe wet weather.

Tatua’s $10.50/kgMS tops, again!

Waikato-based milk processor Tatua has announced a final 2023-24 season payout of $10.50/kgMS for its farmer shareholders, again topping the payout stakes among NZ milk processors.

Will silver turn to gold for state farmer?

Tucked away in a remote part of the central North Island, staff at a Pāmu (Landcorp) farm are working hard to solve one of the biggest challenges facing the dairy and beef sectors.

National

Machinery & Products

Can-Am pushes the boundaries

Can-Am is pushing the boundaries of performance in its Outlander line-up of ATVs with the launch of the new 850…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Gun-shy

OPINION: Listening to the hysterical reportage of gun law reforms being pushed through by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee,…

Beware groupthink

OPINION: Massey University has long been, and still is, a core part of the NZ farming scene, training the next…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter