SIAFD knocks it out of the park!
While the temperature was struggling to reach about 5 degrees and the horizontal hail had enough grunt to slice cheese, the SIAFD committee knocked it out of the park by delivering another great event.
Farmers wanting to shift solid or liquid manures should note Toplink Machinery’s UK-made Powerspread.
Launched at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, it won first place in the imported machine category.
Made in the UK and imported by Toplink Machinery, the Powerspread is offered in a range from 7.5-15 tonnes capacity.
It comprises a tank through which runs a central rotor with a paddle design. Material is fed via a watertight guillotine style door onto a 1.4m wide overshot discharge impellor.
A simple, reversible driveline of two main chains ensures keeps maintenance to a minimum. Depending on the consistency of the material a uniform spread pattern up to 26m can be achieved.
In the event of a blockage the impellor can be lowered away from the main body to clear obstructions.
Targeted at contractors or large scale farmers, the Powerspread Pro 2300 holds about 10.5m3 and weighs 11.5 tonnes all-up.
It can easily be pulled by a tractor of 140hp and its low loading height ensures easy filling by tractor frontloaders or telehandlers.
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.

OPINION: If you ask this old mutt, the choice at the next election isn't shaping up as a contest of…
OPINION: A mate of yours says we're long overdue for a reckoning on what value farmers really get for the…