Yamaha acquires NZ’s Robotics Plus, boosting agricultural automation
New Zealand-based company Robotics Plus, a specialist in agricultural automation, has announced an agreement for it to be acquired by Yamaha Motor to form Yamaha Agriculture.
New from the Yamaha camp is R Max2 XT-R.
The manufacturer says the new machine blurs the boundaries between work and play.
At its heart, a powerful 999cc parallel twin, fuel-injected engine that revs out to 8500rpm.
This certainly takes care of the play part, particularly when mated to a refined chassis that features long travel Fox shock absorbers and drive modes for Sport, Trail and Crawl.
On the flip side, when work beckons, its long service intervals make ownership easy, while a hydraulically assisted rear load tray and a factory fitted warn winch system help get the job done.
Looking at the new model in more detail, the machines are available in two or four seat configurations (RMax-2 and RMax-4). Both are equipped with On Command 2WD, 4WD with limited slip differential, and 4WD with a locked diff settings, engaged via a dash-mounted rotary control.
The rear cargo bed offers a 272kg carrying capacity, with multiple tie-down points. While the rear, 2-inch receiver offers a 907kg towing capacity.
As expected from Yamaha, the RMax features the Ultramatic V-belt transmission offering silky smooth transition as the speed increases. It has excellent downhill retardation and control, delivered by a one-way sprag clutch built into the driveline.
Catch up with these new models at the upcoming Central Districts and South Island Agricultural field days sites.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.