increase font size
TopDown and Opus with E-services are available to order now, with the first machines expected in New Zealand in late 2024.
While many industry watchers have been singing the praises of the latest and greatest innovations at the recent Agritechnica Event, held recently in Germany, agricultural journalists have been deliberating the winners of the Farm Machine of the Year 2024.
Väderstad’s TopDown with E-services was the winner of the Farm Machine 2024 award in the tillage category. The introduction of E-Services on TopDown 400-700 and Opus 400-700 allows the machines to use prescription maps to control the machine settings automatically and on the go.
This means operators can program how the individual working elements behave for each specific paddock’s characteristics. The discs, tines, leveller and packer can be programmed to achieve the best results considering the soil type or other characteristics in different areas of each field.
With the TopDown with E-services, Väderstad claims to be applying the same thinking used in its variable rate seed application and fertiliser application technology to cultivate – using the ‘as much as necessary, as little as possible’ approach. This is said to deliver benefits including reduced diesel consumption and wear and tear, alongside improved soil health and increased working speeds.
TopDown and Opus with E-services are available to order now, with the first machines expected in New Zealand in late 2024.
Meanwhile, the Kuhn FC 13460 RA mower-conditioner with grouper was awarded Farm Machine 2024 in the forage harvesting category.
It is said to offer a significantly higher work output than conventional mowing combinations with a variable working width of 12.4 to 13.4 metres. Operators benefit from substantial savings on pulling power, fuel and labour costs when mowing large areas with a single machine.
In a single pass, the machine’s belt grouper forms a swath from 1.8m to 3m wide, with the forage collected over a cutting width of more than 13m. This allows the user to exploit the full potential of forage harvesters and large square balers.
Design detail sees the inclusion of a telescopic axle to increase clearance, making it easier to form a wider and evenly shaped swath for even drying and improved pick-up. It also gives improved stability of the machine during U-turns and working on slopes.
This machine also lends itself to Controlled Traffic Farming strategy on a 12m track. This reduces the impact of machine passage on the ground, while machine controls – including the front mower – are easily operated by an ISOBUS compatible on-board terminal or either the CCI 800 or 1200 terminals and the CCI A3 joystick.
Farm races or laneways are central to moving animals, people and machinery around the farm. In the case of dairy farms, their maintenance is paramount as cows may walk considerable distances two or even three times a day.
With effluent becoming a more important part of farm management, particularly for its value as an alternative to “bagged” fertiliser, it is timely for the Power Farming Group to be introducing the Fliegl range of tankers.
It has been a year of new products and innovation at Numedic, the Rotorua-based manufacturer and exporter of farm dairy effluent equipment.
Australian agricultural equipment distributor, Waringa Distribution, has increased its support to South Island farmers and contractors with the appointment of Brown Agri Solutions at Hororata, near Christchurch, as a sales agent.
John Deere has started the New Year with the release of JDLink Boost, using a satellite connectivity solution to ensure customers continue seamless work in fields with little to no cellular coverage.
Reducing nitrogen inputs does not necessarily mean reducing profits, says DairyNZ principal scientist Ina Pinxterhuis.
Southland Federated Farmers president Jason Herrick says farmers are prepared for winter grazing every year.
The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) is launching a new round of grants to support projects aimed at enhancing dairy farming sustainability via the a2 Farm Sustainability Fund.
DairyNZ is inviting applications for an associate director position.
Dairy's superpowers are lifting their game on proving greenhouse gas credentials.
Taupo-based low-carbon dairy company Miraka has its sights set on using 100% renewable energy in the next decade.
OPINION: Back in the 1960s and '70s, and even into the '80s, successive National government Agriculture Ministers and Trade Ministers…
OPINION: The new Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche has just had the hallelujah moment of the 21st century in…
