Grainswest - Tech 2022

Tech 2022 grainswest.com 21 METHANE ON THE MOVE With the aim of greening the planet and farm wallets, New Holland Agriculture developed the T6.180 Methane Power Tractor. “The T6.180 operates on either methane or compressed natural gas (CNG),” said Mike Cornman, livestock and dairy segment lead for New Holland Agriculture North America. “According to our tests, that lowers running costs by about 30 per cent when using CNG rather than diesel.” A farmer with an on-farm biodigester can even produce biomethane to power the machine. The tractor has 16 forward gears and 16 reverse gears. Its semi-power shift transmission allows the driver to shift two or more gears without clutching, which makes it ideal for shifting on the go. “Livestock and dairy farms are a natural fit for the tractor given its size and the increasing availability of methane gas from on-farm digestors,” said Cornman. It is well suited for haying applications or as a chore tractor on a TMR mixer for feeding cattle.” Early in 2023, the tractor will be available for purchase in limited quantities at Alberta New Holland dealerships. PICK A ROCK, ANY ROCK Rock removal is a tedious and time-consuming chore. To make the job easier and more efficient, a Bellevue, Wash., tech company developed an entirely new system that can pluck 400 per hour and works well in any field conditions. The technology easily attaches to a compact track loader or tractor loader and works well for surface and partially buried rocks from 15 to 60 centimetres in diameter. The rock picker’s arm is outfitted with a “hand” that utilizes wheeled tracks to pull the rock into its grip and into the loader bucket. Its grip expands or contracts as necessary and moves the rock with minimum soil disruption. “It grabs rocks from the top down and tosses them into an 80-inch wide bucket using controls that anyone can operate,” said Trevor Thomson, TerraClear president. The device widens the picking window. “It doesn’t rake your field like other rock picking solutions, so you can pick whenever you need, even after seeding or planting,” said Thomson. TerraClear also offers a drone field mapping service users can access through its app. The process pinpoints rocks by chosen size and charts pickup progress. “Mapping allows users to find rocks in a wide area or prioritize the largest rocks where necessary,” said Thomson. The unit is available for online purchase at terraclear.com or through select local dealers.