Kiwi company Duncan Ag will launch its Renovator MK4 no-till drill at this year’s National Ploughing Championships.
Founded in 1937 by the Clough family in Shannon, New Zealand, 80 years later the family company, Duncan Ag, “maintains a stronger connection than ever” to the Irish market.
The company has noted a growing practice of no-till/conservation tillage on Irish farms as well as potential growth in the Irish dairy market, making Ireland and Irish farmers a “perfect fit” for Duncan Ag’s seed drills and forage feed-out machinery.
With a commitment to design quality forged through the manufacture of rugged swamp ploughs almost 80 years ago, Duncan Ag products have become “indispensable pieces of farm machinery” to their customers worldwide, the company claims.
This is something Duncan Ag is keen to display in the New Zealand pavilion at this year’s National Ploughing Championships.
The ag firm supplies a range of machinery throughout the world including seed drills, bale feeders, cultivators, trailers, spreaders, mowers and cranes.
Regarding the company’s drill, the Renovator MK4 is suitable for larger farming operations or contractors, is claimed to be simple to set-up and operate, yet adaptable to different conditions.
The MK4 boasts large-capacity boxes for both fertiliser and seed, 25mm coil tines and Duncan inverted ‘T’ boots with tungsten tiles on the leading edge.
Image source: Duncan Ag
The drill has a variation of sowing rates for most seed types and fertiliser. The MK4 comes in 3m or 3.5m sowing widths, with either 125mm or 150mm row spacings.
Tom Tierney, independent agent for Duncan Ag in Ireland, has seen the benefits of Duncan Ag machinery first-hand, noting: “Irish land and Irish farms require a very particular type of machinery. Machines need to be robust as well as flexible to cope with the land as well as the seasons.
Duncan Ag’s seed drills, in particular, are designed for direct sowing as well as sowing into cultivated or semi-cultivated conditions.
“Most of the seed drills on offer to Irish farmers are arable drills not necessarily suited for direct or no-till sowing.
“Duncan Ag’s bale feeders offer an alternative method of feeding out than currently seen in both Ireland and the UK and offer an economical and efficient means for feeding out baleage and silage,” Tierney explained.
Craig McIsaac, Duncan Ag Chief Executive, also commented ahead of the ‘Ploughing’, saying: “We’ve seen these trends before in New Zealand with farmers having a growing dairy offering looking to no-till or conservation tillage.
We’re excited to partner with Irish farmers to assist with these trends and ultimately improve Irish farmers’ profitability through working smart on the farm – a key theme for all of us New Zealand companies returning and debuting at the Ploughing this year.
Duncan Ag will be stationed at the New Zealand Pavilion, located at Stand 268, Row 11, Block 3 at the National Ploughing Championships this Tuesday to Thursday, September 19-21, in Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
