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.
The German cultivation and seeding machinery maker Lemken is chasing more business in New Zealand.
It set up a subsidiary in mid 2018 to support its business in New Zealand and Australia. This is to give new dealers and customers in NZ a more direct link to the company, better technical support, a wider choice of tillage and seeding equipment and greater access to demonstration machines.
Lemken managing director and sales manager Robert Wensing says the move will be crucial to Lemken’s growth and will help develop the company’s partnerships with local dealers.
“We have begun establishing our new dealer network,” Wensing said. The first dealers are Te Aroha Tractors, Te Aroha, and Tractor Repairs and Spares (TRS) in Renwick, Seddon, Richmond and Hawke’s Bay.
“We expect to make further announcements regarding new dealers soon,” said Wensing.
New Lemken products will be launched in NZ later this year, Wensing said. These will include the Rubin 10-disc cultivator with larger discs than the Rubin 9 it replaces, a symmetrical disc layout and much improved overload protection.
Other releases will include the Diamant 16 plough and Solitair 23 front-mounted, air-seeder.
Lemken will be at site A15 at Fieldays.
Fonterra directors and councillors are in for a pay rise next month.
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.

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