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Applying chemicals to arable or grassland crops has many variables — differing chemical formats and target volumes, and forward speeds that vary with undulating terrain.
The latest innovation from John Deere — its ExactApply spray nozzle — is said to increase flexibility and improve accuracy.
It has six nozzles mounted on a rotating turret, working with two electronically operated liquid control valves. The system can manually switch between two nozzles and independently adjust spray pressure and flow rates.
Flow rate is controlled by pulse wave modulation that enables a much wider range of spraying speeds and application rates, with speed from 10 to 30km/h at a constant pressure, or application rates of 100 to 300 litres/ha at constant forward speeds.
Interestingly, the system can also adjust flow and pressure to create a droplet size that is resistant to drift, which will prove useful in sensitive areas or changing weather.
Greater accuracy is achieved by adjusting flow rates to individual nozzles across the boom; this means greater flow is delivered to the end of the boom that is travelling faster on the outside of a curve, while a reduced flow is delivered to nozzles at the inside of the radius.
For long working days during ideal conditions, each nozzle is equipped with LED lighting for night-time spraying and a blockage detection system that advises operators of any interruption of liquid flows.
The recently announced Milk Sustainability Centre – a collaboration between global giant John Deere and milking and feed specialists De Laval – is said to deliver dairy farmers a new tool to enhance efficiency and sustainability, while also rising to the challenges of changing regulations that affect their businesses.
Agri-tech company Precision Farming is linking with John Deere’s Operations Centre guidance technology to automate nutrient and spray record-keeping and Nitrogen Cap compliance for farmers.
Three New Zealanders took top honours at the fourth annual John Deere Technician of the Year Awards.
John Deere's 6M Series tractors have been given a major update for 2025 with more speed and power across the 13-model range and, for the first time, will include four models above 200hp and a 50km/h transmission.
Probably best known for its tractors, harvesters and farm equipment, it looks like John Deere is about to put its long-recognised and trademarked catch phrase of ‘Nothing Runs Like a Deere’ into practice.
An eight million dollar, three year campaign to get wealthy Chinese to buy New Zealand beef and lamb is now underway.
The country's largest lender to the agriculture sector says it's not favouring home loans over farm and business lending.
Reeling from two consecutive years of heavy losses, Alliance says it has appointed Craigs Investment Partners to explore external capital-raising options.
Meat company Alliance has posted a second consecutive trading year of a heavy loss.
Red meat farmers are warning that wholesale conversion of farms into forestry to achieve climate change targets will be unsustainable for the country.
The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.
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