increase font size
TAMA president Kyle Baxter.
As we crank in to 2022, NZ’s agricultural tractor and machinery industry seems to have mirrored the automobile sector with record breaking sales in 2021.
Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) president Kyle Baxter says that the industry is showing massive resilience, but notes many challenges have to be dealt with – almost on a daily basis.
“The number of new tractors sold in 2021 was just under 4,200 units, which could have been more but shipments arriving in late December just couldn’t be dispatched to customers before the holidays. However, it does mean that most distributors will get off to a good start for the New Year,” Baxter explains.
“Looking forward, as an association we believe that the numbers for 2022 are likely to go higher, but of course they might get restrained because of availability from the supplier factories. The fact is most of the factories have full order books, so it means there is very little wriggle room for placing new orders for production in this calendar year or beyond.”
He adds that with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in Europe and its recent arrival in New Zealand, TAMA members are taking steps to ensure they have workforce continuity, taking lessons from their partners in Europe.
“They report that production is being adjusted on a day-by-day basis, with workers checking in sick and, in many cases, off work for many days,” Baxter says
In other industry matters, TAMA is finalising plans to make a ‘Critical Workforce Border Exemption Request’ to the Ministry for Primary Industries, to address the dire shortage of heavy machinery diesel technicians and the need to fast track more into the country.
On a lighter note, the TAMA 2021 Awards have seen Oliver Bertram, a technician at Tulloch Farm Machines in Masterton, presented with the Plasback Emerging Talent for Service Award, while James Mitchell of Norwood took out the Trade Me Emerging Talent in Sales Award.
TAMA also announced details of its Ron Gall Scholarship for industry leadership.
Sponsored by Tulloch Farm Machines in memory of the organisation’s late general manager, the award offers a one-off $2,000 prize – to inspire industry leaders, allowing them to attend a course, workshop or conference to further enhance their abilities.
While it wouldn’t be unfair to call the LDV T60 “the poor man’s ute”, a change of distributor in 2023 has seen the brand raise its profile, while the recent arrival of the new LDV T60 Max Plus, will undoubtedly open the door to a wider audience for the brand.
Ag and Civil Machinery Direct, a division of Hamilton- based Waikato tractors, has recently been awarded the sole distribution in New Zealand for Kemper’s range of precision forage equipment.
While the name and technology remain unchanged and new machines will continue to carry the Novag name, all the assets, intellectual property and staff of the French manufacturer have been acquired by a new organisation called Agriculture Nouvelle Génération.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
Having already hit the headlines for recycling broken 2.4 metre vineyard posts into 1.8 and 1.6 metre, half and quarter posts for agriculture, Repost recently hit the milestone of one million posts recycled, diverting the CCA treated posts from landfill.
The 2025 game bird season is underway with Hawke’s Bay and Southland reporting the ideal weather conditions for hunters – rain and wind.
A group of meat processing companies, directors and managers have been fined a total of $1.6 million for deliberately and illegally altering exported tallow for profit.
New Zealand’s top cheeses for 2025 have been announced and family-owned, Oamaru-based Whitestone Cheese is the big winner.
Waikato farmer, and Owl Farm demonstration manager, Jo Sheridan is the 2025 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
New Zealand’s special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr believes the outlook for the dairy sector remains strong.
Everyone from experienced veterinarians and young professionals to the Wormwise programme and outstanding clinics have been recognised in this year’s New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe (NZVA) awards.
OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…
OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.
