Govt Commits $4m to Rural Wellbeing Initiatives
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.
Austrian manufacturer Pöttinger gave a sneak peek of a new automatic swath placement system for the Novacat V 10000 ED/RC Collector mowers at Agritechnica 2025, and recently confirmed that the upgrade will be available for the upcoming European mowing season.
Automatic swath placement ensures that the mower combinations, equipped with a cross-conveyor belt, always deposit the forage correctly.
Merging swaths to one side of the machine - described as intelligent mowing - is more efficient and accomplished much easier than previously.
Said to result in around 40% less raking work, lower fuel consumption, better utilisation of harvesters because of greater forage volumes in each swath, all leading to more cost-effective harvesting.
Additionally, skipping lanes enables larger turning circles at the headland, which helps reduce damage to the sward.
Previously, swath merging systems could be a challenge for the drivers because they required constand switching of the cross-conveyor belt manually.
The new automatic swath placement system automatically switches the cross-conveyor unit depending on which lane is being mowed, resulting in forage always being placed correctly, reducing the risk of operator errors.
In addition, drivers can focus fully on the machine and the surroundings, resulting in reduced fatigue.
If the machine is equipped with Pöttinger Connect, the mowing pattern is intuitively displayed on the map in the HARVEST ASSIST app. This means that the drivers always have a complete overview to efficiently plan their working day.
A new joint investment of $1.2 million aims to accelerate farmer uptake of low-methane sheep genetics, one of the few emissions reduction tools available to New Zealand farmers.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has issued a stark warning about the global implications of the ongoing Gulf crisis.
Fonterra has announced interim changes to the leadership of its Global Ingredients business.
New Zealand agritech company Halter has announced unveiled a new direct-to-satellite technology solution for its smart collars for beef cattle, unlocking virtual fencing for some of the country's most remote farming regions.
Dairy Women's Network (DWN) has announced a new limited edition DWN Monopoly NZ Dairy Farming Edition, created to celebrate the people, places and seasons.
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) and Federated Farmers say they welcome the announcement last week that the Government will increase the conveyance allowance by 30%.