Case IH Farmall C Upgrade: More power, weight & precision
The Case IH Farmall C, well known across New Zealand, has just seen an upgrade including a new look, increased weight and hydraulic power, and a cab overhaul.
Gisborne-based maize corn and squash grower H Pak Ltd has taken delivery of New Zealand’s first Case IH AFS Connect Magnum 340.
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.
OPINION: After two long years of hardship, things are looking up for New Zealand red meat farmers.
A casualty of the storm that hit the Bay of Plenty recently was the cancelation of a field day at a leading Māori kiwifruit orchard at Te Puke.
Michael Wentworth has joined the team at Mission Estate Winery, filling the "big shoes" of former Chief Executive Peter Holley, who resigned in September last year, after almost 30 years running the storied Napier venue.
Some arable farmers are getting out of arable and converting to dairy in the faced of soaring fuel and fertiliser prices on top of a very poor growing season.
The New Zealand seed industry has reached a significant milestone with the completion and approval of the new seed certification system.
New Zealand's persimmon season will kick off early this year, with fruit set to hit shelves soon.

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…