Products to keep brassica seeds safe
Forage brassica crops provide an excellent source of energy and protein for grazing livestock at critical times of the year when the quantity and quality of pasture on offer is limiting livestock production.
As we move towards the November Agritechnica event, Austrian manufacturer Pottinger is about to release a brace of new Novacat rear butterfly mowers.
Following on from the NOVACAT V 10000, launched last year, the new Novacat V 8400 and 9200 machines offer maximum working widths of 8.40 and 9.2 metres respectively. They come with alternate mounting positions, allowing 8.12 to 8.36m on the smaller unit and 8.95 to 9.2m on the larger. Depending on the position selected, the clear passage width between the mowers is 2.03 to 2.28m.
Featuring a compact design, angled booms allow for an extremely short headstock, which brings the centre of gravity closer to the tractor. Lighter than existing models in the extensive range, the units can be supplied as a standalone mower, or with tine (ED) or roller (RC) conditioners. This results in tare weights of 1890 to 2420kg, making them suitable for pairing with the increasing number of high horsepower 4-cylinder tractors.
The heart of these mower combinations is the cutter bar. At just 4cm high, this guarantees optimum crop flow, while the 28cm deep profile helps deliver the optimised ground tracking. The centre pivot mounting on the mower units provides lateral oscillation of +20°/ -16° to ensure perfect ground tracking, with hydraulic weight alleviation providing uniform ground pressure over the whole working width.
The Non-Stop Lift hydraulic collision safety device provides protection of the cutter bar, avoiding obstacles by folding backwards and simultaneously raising the boom, preventing damage – particularly at higher speeds.
Control functions include the easy to operate, Basicline preselect system as standard or the option of the ISOBUScompatible Selectline preselect control system. Either system allows both mower units to be lifted separately using just one spool valve. This also actuates the transport safety interlock that hydraulically “locks out” the mowers at the headland, preventing them swaying and coming into contact with the ground.
The Selectline preselect system automates the individual lift system, making it easier to mow wedge-shaped or irregular paddocks. If the tractors are equipped with headland management functions, individual lifting can be accomplished using two separate spool valves.
During road transport, the mower is hydraulically folded vertically through 92° and then locked hydraulically in the transport position.
When attaching and detaching the mower combination, the retractable front guard provides plenty of space between the tractor tyres and the mower, allowing easier hitch and unhitch tasks.
Can discarded beef skins become premium dog food? Would camel milk work for your morning flat white? These are just two of the questions that will be answered next week at an international conference in Palmerston North.
Meat the Need, New Zealand’s dedicated charity delivering locally sourced protein meals to food-insecure communities, is launching an online National Charity Auction.
The turmoil and challenges faced by the kiwifruit industry in the past 30 years were put to one side but not forgotten at a glitzy night for 400 kiwifruit growers and guests in Mt Maunganui recently.
The Government's passing of new freshwater management laws has been welcomed by farmers, but could cause some councils a headache.
Irrigation New Zealand chief executive Vanessa Winning is stepping down after four years in the role.
Free workshops focused on managing risk in sharefarming get underway this week.
OPINION: You're never as good as when you're dead, and with due respect to Theo Spierings' family, the Hound can't…
OPINION: In a victory for common sense over virtue signalling, David Parker's National Policy Statement (NPS) work on freshwater is…