Fieldays hold out the begging bowl
OPINION: When someone says “we don’t want a handout, we need a hand up” it usually means they have both palms out and they want your money.
Following its sale in December 2020, Pukekohe-based Fieldmaster’s products have been added to the already extensive range of brands offered by Hamilton-based Ag Attachments.
Established back in 1955, Fieldmaster is well known for its belt or gear-driven toppers, slashers, wide-area mowers and mulchers, alongside its specialised mowers for the orchard and viticulture sectors.
Also well regarded is the Fieldmaster range of post rammers. These cater for all sectors – from an entry level farmer machine, right through to a high-end unit with hammers of up to 700 pounds for the toughest contract fencing duties.
More recently, Fieldmaster introduced the European Cosmo ranges of rotary hoes and power harrows. Completing the offering are a range of single, triple and Jumbo Buster rippers, spring tine cultivators, disc ploughs and Cambridge rollers.
“The addition of Fieldmaster to our product offerings means that we have all sectors covered with products for every task,” says Ag Attachments national sales manager Martin Gray.
“We have had a great deal of interest from existing users and the dealers we supply, who can see new opportunities. While the plan is to move to a new, purpose-built facility in the latter part of 2021, we will use the traditionally ‘slow’ time for sales during the winter to ramp up production and increase stock, in the expectation of a very busy spring and summer.”
Virtual fencing and herding systems supplier, Halter is welcoming a decision by the Victorian Government to allow farmers in the state to use the technology.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
New Zealand’s national lamb crop for the 2025–26 season is estimated at 19.66 million head, a lift of one percent (or 188,000 more lambs) on last season, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) latest Lamb Crop report.
Farmers appear to be cautiously welcoming the Government’s plan to reform local government, according to Ag First chief executive, James Allen.
The Fonterra divestment capital return should provide “a tailwind to GDP growth” next year, according to a new ANZ NZ report, but it’s not “manna from heaven” for the economy.
Fonterra's Eltham site in Taranaki is stepping up its global impact with an upgrade to its processed cheese production lines, boosting capacity to meet growing international demand.

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