Case IH unveils Optum for CTF practices
Case IH has unveiled a new 3-metre centre set-up for the the Optum tractor range, designed to meet the needs of growers operating under Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) practices.
Case IH diagnostics software is helping a Bay of Plenty-based Case IH dealership to support customers in their new territory on the East Coast.
Case IH’s AFS Connect offers benefits for both users and their supplying dealers. In the case of the former, giving users freedom to adjust, manage, monitor and transfer data, view displays remotely and access support capabilities. In the dealer’s case, it means remote diagnostic information from the tractor is fed to the dealership headquarters, then on to the local dealership team.
Gisborne-based maize corn and squash grower H Pak Ltd has taken delivery of New Zealand’s first Case IH AFS Connect Magnum 340. For owner, Henry Dods, buying the 340 signalled a return to Case IH after a 10-year break. Meanwhile, for supplying dealer Jacks Machinery, the order was a milestone in its recent expansion out of their home base of Whakatane in Bay of Plenty.
H Pak runs a fleet of 20 tractors on the heavy, fertile Gisborne Plains. The arrival at Jacks of tractors of the type and horsepower required meant it was the ideal timing for Dods to return to the Case IH camp.
Working on heavy soil, the tractor was destined to spend most of its life attached to a power harrow. So, when researching a new purchase, Dods went looking for horsepower, full powershift transmission and dual wheels.
The Case IH AFS Connect Magnum 340 allows Jacks to service the East Coast from afar, with the help of a newly established team based in Gisborne.
Users simply log in to AFS Connect to view current field operations, fleet information, agronomic data and more. This allows them to remotely keep an eye on their operation, just as if they were present in the cab.
The display is set up for intuitive navigation and optimum visibility, even on the brightest days. Remote display viewing connects operators with farm managers seamlessly, and Bluetooth capabilities pair the display with a mobile phone to bring everything onto one display.
“If you are used to operating an Android phone, you’d be right at home with the AFS touch screen,” Jacks Machinery says.
And, of course, driver comfort is a top priority too.
Staff immediately took a shine to the red-leather upholstery and were squabbling over who got to drive the new machine, Dods says.
Relationships are key to opening new trading opportunities and dealing with some of the rules that countries impose that impede the free flow of trade.
Dawn Meats chief executive Niall Browne says their joint venture with Alliance Group will create “a dynamic industry competitor”.
Tributes have flowed following the death of former Prime Minister and political and business leader, Jim Bolger. He was 90.
A drop in methane targets announced by the Government this month has pleased farmers but there are concerns that without cross-party support, the targets would change once a Labour-led Government is voted into office.
Farmer shareholders of meat processor Alliance have voted in favour of a proposed $270 million joint venture investment by Irish company, Dawn Meats.
The former chair of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and farmer, Doug Leeder, says rural communities' biggest fear right now is the lack of long-term certainty over environmental regulations.
OPINION: Media luvvies at Stuff, the Spinoff and the Granny Herald are spending more time than ever navel-gazing about why…
OPINION: Why does it take Treasury so long to turn around its figures on how the economy is tracking?