Fieldays 2026 Returns to Mystery Creek This June
Tickets have officially gone on sale for Fieldays 2026, marking less than 50 days until the event.
Irish agritech company MagGrow has won the International Innovation Award at the 2020 Fieldays Innovations Competition.
MagGrow won the award for its technology that significantly reduces waste associated with conventional pesticide spray applications.
The company suggests a major issue with most conventional spraying methods for crop production is wastage, with up to 70% of conventional pesticides sprays not hitting or staying on the target crop. MagGrow has addressed this issue with a simple, two-component spraying technology that can be installed on new equipment or retrofitted on to existing sprayers.
The patented, proprietary technology passes pesticides through magnetic fields under appropriate flow conditions and changes the physical properties of the fluid to optimise the spray droplets. This delivers both superior spray drift control and crop coverage. Increased spray coverage performance can range from 36% to 100% compared to conventional spraying.
Added benefits include a reduction in water usage by up to 50%, alongside an extended spraying window. Users will typically see a return on their investment in less than a year on chemical savings alone, as well as healthier and less diseased crops due to the improved crop coverage.
Meanwhile, the increased coverage supports a reduction in labour requirements. Another key consideration for farmers is the fact there is little or no maintenance, with no moving parts, cables, or electrical wires.
Gary Wickham, co-founder and chief executive of MagGrow, says the new technology has been created and commercialised to help farmers meet their individual profitability and sustainability goals.
“New Zealand has always been on our radar as a major supplier in the agricultural food supply chain and critically, an early adopter of innovation and new technology,” he told Rural News. “We are hoping to soon install our systems onto key customer farms where we will demonstrate our award-winning technology.”
MagGrow is currently working with Trimble Ag, and other leading dealers throughout New Zealand, and is supported locally by Enterprise Ireland.
Horticulture New Zealand says proposed changes to the Plant Variety Rights Act 2022 will drive innovation, investment and long-term productivity.
More than 1200 exhibitors will showcase their products and services at next month’s National Fieldays, with sites nearly sold out.
Despite difficult trading conditions for European machinery manufacturers brought about conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, alongside the United States imposing punitive tariffs, Italian manufacturer Maschio Gaspardo, has seen turnover increase 12% in 2025 to €390 million (NZ$775m) with a net profit of €11.2 million (NZ$22.3).
New Zealand innovation company Techion, best known for its animal diagnostics platform, FECPAK has signed an exclusive strategic partnership with Farmlands to bring independent animal health disease intelligence to its customers.
Zespri says it welcomes the recently signed Western Bay of Plenty Regional Deal, describing it as an important step towards supporting growth in the region and for New Zealand's kiwifruit industry.
Troubled milk processor Synlait has lost its third chief executive in five years.

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