On busy New Zealand farms and contracting operations the tractor has become far more than a hauling machine. It is the anchor for cultivation, drilling, transport, spraying and the full spectrum of heavy work that keeps a season on track.

The infrastructure that keeps rural New Zealand moving is often invisible until the moment it fails and anyone who has dealt with a washed-out culvert, a collapsed drain or a blown access track knows exactly how quickly a small weakness can turn into a major disruption…

There is always a moment at the start of a planting season when the tractor settles into its rhythm and you feel the planter behind you come to life, and with it comes the familiar question that sits quietly in the mind of every operator. Will the seed land evenly, will the depth be right, will the stand emerge as a full, uniform crop and will the job finish before the weather turns.