Keep boundary fences secure - NZ Police
Police in the Waitematā North district are urging landowners to ensure their fences are secure after several complaints about wandering stock.
Strainrite fencing Systems says it has developed the Joule Shield wooden post claw insulator to address the limitations inherent in older insulators.
The new insulators are said to cope with modern energisers that deliver much greater voltage than older units, while also giving more effective stock control.
Strainrite says that while existing design insulators were effective with older, lower-output energisers, higher currents can result in power loss, lack of fence efficiency and increased running costs.
Tests show the Joule Shield insulators withstand 50% more voltage in a dry-conditions test and up to 100% more voltage in simulated rain.
The insulators are designed with low profile, heavy-duty jaws for extreme load endurance and multiple shield plates. The latter increases the surface area and tracking distance, helping reduce potential power leakage.
The multi-shield design is inspired by the insulators seen on high voltage power lines; they have structural webbing and thicker walls for strength and durability, using UV stabilised polymers.
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.