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.
Power Farming at Fieldays will show the latest from the Jean du Bru cultivation camp -- a new roller drill fitted with an APV seeder unit.
The MegaPack RS roller drills are available in 5.3 or 6.3m working widths with a heavy duty 150 x 150mm drawbar attached to a 100 x 100mm frame supporting the roller assemblies.
Roller gangs are centrally pivoted to achieve good contour following, and a clever C-spring damping system will prove useful in uneven or stony ground.
With a Cambridge and cracker ring set-up, mounted on 70mm diameter shafts featuring greaseable bushes, the machines weigh up to 4.9 tonnes depending on model. Up front, the levelling bar, adjusted manually or hydraulically, helps shatter clods and creates a levelling effect.
When folding the machine for work or transport the hydraulic wings are synchronised to fold at the same time, improving stability on slopes and locking into the transport position.
An APV seeder unit with 16 outlets is integrated into the overall design. This is mounted on a factory installed platform at the rear of the machine, easily and safely accessed via a ladder with a handrail.
Federated Farmers says it is cautiously welcoming signals from the Government that a major shake-up of local government is on its way.
Ashburton cropping and dairy farmer Matthew Paton has been elected to the board of rural services company, Ruralco.
The global agricultural landscape has entered a new phase where geopolitics – not only traditional market forces – will dictate agricultural trade flows, prices, and production decisions.
National Lamb Day is set to return in 2026 with organisers saying the celebrations will be bigger than ever.
Fonterra has dropped its forecast milk price mid-point by 50c as a surge in global milk production is putting downward pressure on commodity prices.
The chance of a $10-plus milk price for this season appears to be depleting.

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