Ravensdown’s HawkEye Pro Wins Technology Award at Southern Field Days
Ravensdown's next evolution in smart farming technology, HawkEye Pro, was awarded the Technology Section Award at the Southern Field Days Farm Innovation Awards in February 2026.
Agri-tech innovation company MagrowTec has announced a national distribution agreement with spray equipment manufacturer Croplands who operate via a network of more than 170 dealerships across the Australian and New Zealand territories.
During the last three years of its decade-long global journey, MagrowTec has been introducing its magnetically assisted spray technology to the ANZ markets, so the new partnership aims to extend its reach to a wider number of growers in these territories.
During the introductory period, the company worked with leading growers, conducting rigorous in-field crop science studies, consistently showcasing the substantial agronomic advantages of the ‘MagrowTec Effect.’
In practice, the “effect” involves the production of a higher quantity of appropriately sized droplets that adhere to the plant more effectively, resulting in enhanced foliage coverage, superior canopy penetration, improved water management, and reduced drift.
The simplicity lies not only in the benefits imparted by the magnetic fields into the fluid but also in the fact that the system can be easily installed on new, or retro-fitted to any boom sprayer, requires no power, contains no electronics, can be transferred to new boom sprayers, and is virtually maintenance-free.
James Turtle, for MagrowTec Southern Australia says, “Current users of the technology are seeing the benefits of improved crop protection but are also realising that their spraying program is becoming more efficient by either reducing the number of sprays required or by not having to increase their water rate to do a better job.
“This technology will help optimise a grower’s chemical application and deliver an excellent return on investment. Every time you spray, you will land more droplets and therefore chemical on the target, resulting in improved crop health and better agronomic outcomes, putting more dollars back into your pocket.”
Sean Mulvaney, general manager Croplands, says, “We are proudly partnering with MagrowTec to bring their magnetic spray technology solution to both Australian and New Zealand growers.
“Equally exciting is that the solution can be retrofitted to existing boom sprayers or onto new builds.”
As a subsidiary of crop protection company Nufarm Ltd, alongside agricultural seed company Nuseed, Croplands, with over 50 years in the industry, has a deep understanding of the importance of effective and efficient chemical application.
With manufacturing and marketing operations based in Australia and New Zealand and WEEDIT optical spot spraying technology distribution agreements in Canada, the company designs and delivers spraying solutions and customer support to ensure growers stay at the forefront of agricultural production.
New Zealand's diverse cheesemaking talent shone brightly last night as the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association (NZSCA) crowned the champions of the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards.
Tracing has indicated that the source of the first velvetleaf find of the 2025-26 crop season, in Auckland, was likely maize purchased in the Waikato region.
Fish & Game New Zealand has announced its election priorities in its Manifesto 2026.
With the forage maize harvest started in Northland and the Waikato, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is telling growers of later crops, or those further south, to start checking their maize crop maturity about three weeks prior to when they think they will start silage harvesting.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
More than five million trays, or 18,000 tonnes, of Zespri’s RubyRed Kiwifruit will soon be available for consumers across 16 markets this season.

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