Sustainability Update: Moving sustainability forward in 2025
The New Zealand wine industry Environment Strategy goals highlight key objectives across six different focus areas: Water, waste, plant protection, soil, people, and climate change.
Claas's Axion 960 CEMOS tractor has been recognised as the most sustainable tractor in the prestigious Tractor of the Year awards.
Using a 445 hp Stage V engine and CMATIC continuously variable transmission, the AXION 960 features the CEMOS machine optimisation and CTIC automatic tyre inflation systems. The former automatically adjusts key machine settings for optimal fuel efficiency and productivity, while CTIC automatically adjusts the pressure of the front and rear tyres for optimal performance during work or transport.
The TOTY awards are determined by an expert panel of 26 agricultural journalists from 25 different countries and are normally presented at the EIMA or Agritechnica exhibitions each year.
Wining the sustainable category ahead of 17 other finalists, the judges were particularly impressed by the ease of use of the CEMOS system.
CLAAS Harvest Centre product manager – CLAAS Tractors, Roger Nehoff, explains that the system is based on a ‘dialogue’ with the driver.
“At the start of a job, the driver enters a range of information about operating conditions, such as soil humidity, soil type and working depth; machine data, such as tyre sizes and front and rear ballast; and implement data into the CEBIS touchscreen terminal. The system then actively explores the potential for improvement and passes on suggestions to the driver. The driver can either confirm the suggestions or request alternative settings,” he says.
“In the case of CTIC, the system automatically adjusts the tyre pressure of the front and back wheels, or optionally, trailed implements, to reduce wheel slip, ground damage and fuel consumption during work or transport.
This makes it possible to achieve intelligent dynamic internal tyre pressure adjustment in interaction with other parameters, such as ballast, and real-time performance data.”
Independent field tests conducted by a leading German research organisation found the two systems increased productivity by an average of 16.3% and reduced fuel consumption by up to 16.8% during cultivation.
The DLG field tests showed four out of every five operators were able to improve their productivity or fuel consumption using CEMOS.
CEMOS is available on all new AXION 900/800 and ARION 600/500 tractors equipped with the CMATIC variable transmission, while the CTIC tyre inflation system is available for all models in both series.
Farmlands says that improved half-year results show that the co-op’s tight focus on supporting New Zealand’s farmers and growers is working.
Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says that discovery of a male Oriental fruit fly on Auckland’s North Shore is a cause for concern for growers.
Fonterra says its earnings for the 2025 financial year are anticipated to be in the upper half of its previously forecast earnings range of 40-60 cents per share.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is having another crack at increasing the fees of its chair and board members.
Livestock management tech company Nedap has launched Nedap New Zealand.
An innovative dairy effluent management system is being designed to help farmers improve on-farm effluent practices and reduce environmental impact.
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