Author: National Ploughing Association

Milking parlours and dairy management systems, designed to make life easier for farmers and their cows, will be part of the product offering from Waikato Milking Systems at this year’s National Ploughing Championships.

The company’s European sales manager Gillian Fullerton-Smith said she is looking forward to showing farmers how the Waikato brand can help them grow the value of their dairy.

She said being part of the 88th Ploughing Championships is a great opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces in the dairy industry as well as speak to new customers over the three-day event, from September 17-19 at County Carlow in Ireland.

Gillian will also be a key note speaker at the NZTE/Enterprise Ireland discussion on improving farm productivity, at the show event on September 19.

 Along with milking parlours and dairy management systems, Waikato Milking Systems will also showcase its full range of milking automation products including cutting-edge udder health detection technology.

The company will also demonstrate how its Electronic Milk Meters and accurate feed to yield technology can help lift dairy farm production.

Collectively, the products offer a simple and robust system to meet all farmers’ requirements, Gillian says.

With the abolition of European milk quota regulations, farmers in Ireland have been exploring the possibility of herd and milking system expansion.

Gillian says more Irish farmers are turning to rotary platforms to manage large herds.

Waikato Milking Systems rotary parlours are world-renowned for enabling one person to manage the milking requirements of large herds.

The company’s Centrus Composite Rotary Platform and its Orbit Concrete Rotary Platforms are versatile milking options which can be tailored to any size.

In the past few years customers in Ireland have installed 40-bail rotary platforms, up to 70-bail, for example.

Gillian says adding the company’s NaviGate Dairy Management System and its Milking Automation products to a milking parlour can really help a farmer improve throughput and productivity.

NaviGate acts as an extra pair of hands in the parlour. It can monitor the milking performance of each cow, its weight, heat cycle and health. It will also automatically sort the cows when they exit the parlour.

The data helps farmers make decisions to improve the overall productivity and profitability of the herd and farm.

Waikato Milking Systems, Milking Automation options help control, monitor and customise a dairy’s operation.

Management and automation technology can be fitted to rotary or in-line milking parlours, at a level defined by the farmer.

Gillian said the plug ‘n’ play feature of both platform types allows further technology upgrades later on or when the budget allows.

In-line parlours remain an efficient and economical solution for smaller commercial herds in Ireland.

They require a smaller building footprint than a rotary platform and still a favoured system for many family operations.

Waikato Milking Systems offers three in-line systems, including the Supa4 Mid-Line System, Loopline Mid-Line System and the Low-Line System.

“It’s about helping farmers find the total solution, helping them grow the value of dairy, using local people with local dealers in the Ireland,” Gillian says.

To view examples of our milking parlours, visit the Waikato Milking Systems Facebook page or YouTube channel.

Waikato Milking Systems will be at the National Ploughing Championships, Ballintrane, Fenagh, County Carlow, from September 17-19, site Block No.2, Row No.1, Stand No.2.

Blood pressure & pulse checks, lifestyle advice and heart health information at Row 31, Stand 653

Dublin, 09 September 2019: The Irish Heart Foundation is calling on farmers and attendees at this year’s National Ploughing Championships in Fenagh, Co. Carlow to visit its stand at Row 31, Stand 653 from September 17th – 19th to receive a free heart health check.

Attendees will receive a free blood pressure check, pulse check, lifestyle advice and heart health information during their visit while experiencing the work the Irish Heart Foundation does in communities across Ireland in the fight against heart disease and stroke. Through a virtual reality tool, ‘A Journey into your Heart’, attendees can view a heart that is experiencing atrial fibrillation in 3D. The Irish Heart Foundation’s presence at the National Ploughing Championships is supported by Pfizer Bristol-Myers Squibb.

High blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke and heart attack in Ireland and is a silent killer while people with atrial fibrillation (irregular pulse) who are not treated are five times more likely to have a stroke. People with high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation often have no symptoms. 80% of premature heart disease and stroke is preventable and it is important that the public take the opportunity to receive their free check and help catch these conditions in time.

Marese Damery, Health Check Manager with the Irish Heart Foundation, said: “Research has shown that farmers are a high-risk group for heart disease and stroke. The Irish Heart Foundation has been providing health checks to farmers at marts since 2013 through our Farmers Have Hearts programme. 80% of farmers who have attended these checks were at risk of heart disease and stroke so we are delighted to be attending the National Ploughing Championships which gives farmers, their families and friends an opportunity to get checked for free.

“We support farmers and people in all communities in living longer, healthier lives and by providing these free heart health checks and health information, we aim to help people make positive changes to their lifestyles.”

Dr Declan O’Callaghan, Medical Director, Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, said: “Pfizer is delighted to support the Irish Heart Foundation’s presence at the National Ploughing Championships this year in Carlow. We would encourage everyone attending to visit for their free heart health check and use the virtual reality tool to get an insight into your heart.”

We are a social enterprise focused on trade not aid with Africa – our goal is to create jobs in Africa through building market links with the world.  We believe helping people earn their own living enables them to lift themselves out of poverty and stop relying on handouts. 

On our stand next week, we’ll be showing off the best of the best food products that Africa has to offer and most of the producers have more than one Irish connection.  We’ll be doing spicy sauce sampling and gourmet chocolate tasting and visitors will have a chance to buy what they like knowing that they’re contributing to the charity’s aims

A new Landini tractor that brings all the control, efficiency and driver comfort benefits of a stepless CVT transmission lower down the horsepower scale will make its first appearance in Ireland at the National Ploughing Championships in September.

The Landini 6-145C LS V-Shift is a variant of the popular 6C Series, previously only available with semi-powershift transmissions; the new V-Shift transmission provides ultimate driving ease in the yard with a loader, in the field with an implement or on the road with a trailer, spreader or tanker.

Landini sales director Ben Agar says: “This is a very advanced transmission in terms of its capabilities and the benefits it offers over a powershift but it’s also quite simple and provides a driving experience that operators say is much easier and more comfortable while enabling them to get the most out of the machine.”

The Landini 6C V-Shift is powered by a 4.5-litre Euro Stage IV engine from FPT Industrial (successor to the Iveco engines business) with power outputs of 114hp, 121hp and 130hp for cultivations, ploughing and other types of draft work.

Dual Power automatically engages when using mobile pto-driven equipment and when travelling on the road to boost those outputs to 121hp, 133hp and 140hp.

The V-Shift transmission, designed, engineered and assembled by Landini manufacturer Argo Tractors at its extensive factory complex in northern Italy, provides control and comfort benefits in all three scenarios.

“Principle among these is infinitely variable ground speed control,” notes Will Doyle, Landini sales manager in Ireland. “The ability to precisely match ground speed to the task and working conditions results in optimum productivity, as well as optimum quality when it comes to operations such as stone and clod separation for potatoseedbeds.”

Work quality also benefits with pto-driven implements because of the control system’sability to maintain consistent engine and power take-off shaft speed by automatically adjusting the transmission ratio to compensate for inclines or when moving from tougher areas of soil when using a power harrow or tiller.

“On the road, driving a Landini 6C Series V-Shift tractor is as easy as driving an automatic car,” Will Doyle points out. “Simply engage ‘forwards’ using the shuttle and use the accelerator pedal to regulate your speed.

“The engine/transmission control electronics take care of the rest and once at a comfortable cruising speed will automatically spool up the transmission ratio while bringing the revs down to use less fuel and give the operator a quieter ridewhile concentrating solely on steering and the road conditions ahead.”

V-Shift versions of the Landini 6-145C come to ‘LS’ spec as standard, which means they get load-sensing variable output hydraulics with up to 110-litre/min from the pump.

Thanks to a dedicated gear pump for steering and auxiliaries such as the four-wheel drive and pto clutch packs, the main pump’s entire flow is available to the 5400kg rear linkage and optional 2500kg front linkage, and to the spool valves.

Mechanical valves are standard but electronic versions can be specified with timing and flow adjustments made through the touch-screen display that is also used to select different transmission modes and settings.

Cab and front axle suspension is available on 40kph versions of the Landini 6C V-Shift tractors and installed as standard with the 50kph gearing option together with oil-immersed disc brakes in the front axle.

The highly-effective suspension front axle has wishbone mountings for each wheel to allow independent movement for maximum traction on a rough surfaceand ultimate comfort in all situations.