Tyres carry more, but with less damage
With larger and more powerful machinery comes increased weight and the potential for greater damage to soil.
Tyre giant Michelin is to spend US$1.45 billion buying Camso, a well-known maker of rubber tracks for farm machines and snowmobiles.
Interestingly, it calls itself a ‘road-free company’: besides agriculture it also makes solid tyre equipment for earthmovers and forklifts.
The two companies will bring their off-road divisions together to form a new operation in Quebec, Canada.
The new entity, expected to be the world leader in off-road mobility, will “provide customers with a range of premium radial tyres and tracks”.
The merger is expected to speed new track and airless tyre technologies such as the already-released Michelin Tweel.
Michelin forsees higher sales and a likely cut in costs of up to $55 million by 2021.
While the District Field Days brought with it a welcome dose of sunshine, it also attracted a significant cohort of sitting members from the Beehive – as one might expect in an election year.
Irish Minister of State of Agriculture, Noel Grealish was in New Zealand recently for an official visit.
While not all sibling rivalries come to blows, one headline event at the recent New Zealand Rural Games held in Palmerston North certainly did, when reigning World Champion Jack Jordan was denied the opportunity of defending his world title in Europe later this year, after being beaten by his big brother’s superior axle blows, at the Stihl Timbersports Nationals.
AgriZeroNZ has invested $5.1 million in Australian company Rumin8 to accelerate development of its methane-reducing products for cattle and bring them to New Zealand.
Farmers want more direct, accurate information about both fuel and fertiliser supply.
A bull on a freight plane sounds like the start of a joke, but for Ian Bryant, it is a fond memory of days gone by.

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