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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.
Case IH used Agritechnica to reveal its new Puma series tractor, featuring what it claims is an entirely new vehicle design, which allows operators to enjoy a smoother ride with superior manoeuvrability, alongside the latest precision technology.
Creating a great deal of enthusiasm at Agritechnica, the T5.120 ‘Il Trattore’ styling concept tractor was celebrating the legacy of research and development, engineering, and design expertise, with the concept bearing a striking green and red colouring and styling inspired by the original first Fiat tractor, the Fiat 702 and the ‘Made in Italy’ logo.
Agritechnica was the launchpad for several “new” tractors, most reworks of existing models, but Deutz Fahr ‘s new 8 Series was the result of a clean sheet, with the manufacturer using multiple superlatives such as a ‘Step into the Future and Age of the Titans’.
In an already crowded market, Polish machinery manufacturer Samasz is set to unveil a prototype of its Z4-1550 four-rotor rake at Agritechnica.
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Virtual fencing and herding systems supplier, Halter is welcoming a decision by the Victorian Government to allow farmers in the state to use the technology.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
New Zealand’s national lamb crop for the 2025–26 season is estimated at 19.66 million head, a lift of one percent (or 188,000 more lambs) on last season, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) latest Lamb Crop report.
Farmers appear to be cautiously welcoming the Government’s plan to reform local government, according to Ag First chief executive, James Allen.
The Fonterra divestment capital return should provide “a tailwind to GDP growth” next year, according to a new ANZ NZ report, but it’s not “manna from heaven” for the economy.
Fonterra's Eltham site in Taranaki is stepping up its global impact with an upgrade to its processed cheese production lines, boosting capacity to meet growing international demand.
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