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harvest times Winter 2019
CLAAS Combine Breaks the Record (again!) Also Inside: CLAAS Wins Two AE50 Awards SHREDLAGE® Leads to Better Gains and Feeding Efficiency in Beef Cattle XERION Tractors Help Manure Professionals Increase Productivity
Never Stop Learning and Growing As I read through this edition of Harvest Times, I’m struck by the many ways people use CLAAS technology and equipment. It’s such an honor to be part of so many amazing operations, and we’re always finding new ways to improve our hardworking customers’ lives. At CLAAS, we’re thrilled to play a part in setting three world records. We are privileged to work side by side with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to discover new ways to improve the finishing process for beef cattle. And we are humbled to take part in a symposium that works to maintain sustainability while feeding a growing population. Thanks for spending part of your busy life with us at CLAAS. We hope you learn something new – and keep growing! Best regards,
G. Eric Raby, President and General Manager – Sales
A Rewarding Experience Gets Even More Rewarding CLAAS machines are reliable, efficient and easy to maintain, but even the best equipment needs parts and maintenance from time to time. That’s why we’re making parts replacement as painless as your routine maintenance with rewards.claas.com, a one-stop hub for more than 500 CLAAS ORIGINAL Parts rebates. The process is easy. Simply purchase a qualifying product and complete the rebate submission online before March 31, 2019 (purchases made on or after December 1, 2018 qualify). Approved submissions will be mailed a rebate in the form of a CLAAS Prepaid Mastercard® within 6 to 8 weeks. For more information or a list of qualifying products, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page or see your CLAAS dealer. Make your CLAAS experience even more rewarding.
AE50
AWARDS
CONVIO FLEX Draper and Variable Rate Harvesting Earn AE50 New Product Awards
The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) recently held its annual AE50 Awards program, celebrating products that feature the highest in innovation, significant engineering advancement and impact on the market served. CLAAS was honored with two of these – one for the CONVIO FLEX Draper and the other for Variable Rate Harvesting. Entries for the AE50 awards are submitted from around the world and are reviewed by a panel of international engineering experts to determine the top 50 products that represent the diversity of agricultural and biological engineering. “CLAAS constantly strives to ensure a better harvest with a long line of premium equipment designed for maximum throughput, efficiency and reliability,” says CLAAS of America President and General Manager-Sales, Eric Raby. “We’re excited to be recognized by ASABE for these innovative solutions.”
The winners The new CONVIO series of flex draper heads has advanced features such as AUTO CONTOUR FLEX and AUTO BELT SPEED. These can be set to automatically adjust in the field. The CONVIO features a flexible cutterbar, knife bar and side belts that enable the cutterbar to follow ground contour. CONVIO FLEX is the only flex draper in the industry with a 9-inch range of vertical flex. Variable Rate Harvesting leverages precision sensor technology with autonomous machine control. It automatically optimizes machine performance by sensing changing field conditions, crop density and machine speeds and adjusting machine performance accordingly, helping farmers boost productivity. Variable Rate Harvesting is currently available on all CLAAS LEXION combines and JAGUAR forage harvesters.
For more information about the AE50 award program and the 2018 winners, visit www.asabe.org/AE50.
SHREDLAGE Provides Better Feeding Efficiency in Finishing Beef Cattle ®
It is becoming a well-known fact that SHREDLAGE® corn silage, produced exclusively by the CLAAS JAGUAR forage harvester, increases milk production in dairy cattle.* Now, a new University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) study** shows that it also benefits beef cattle by improving gains and feeding efficiency.
Roughage is a necessary part of finishing diets for beef cattle, maintaining rumen function and reducing digestive upset. Since roughages are bulky and expensive, the search is on for ways to reduce the amount of roughage fed during the finishing period without causing a negative impact on the feedlot performance.
In the study, cattle that were fed rations containing SHREDLAGE corn silage experienced a 2.9 percent greater average daily gain and a 4.4 percent greater feed-to-gain ratio when compared to control groups fed the percentage of conventionally chopped and processed silage.
A team of researchers at UNL wanted to determine how adding SHREDLAGE as a roughage component to a steamflaked corn diet would affect finishing beef cattle. SHREDLAGE is an innovative conditioning process for long-chopped corn silage, exclusive to the CLAAS JAGUAR forage harvester.
Study details Karla Jenkins, a University of Nebraska Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management Researcher, explains the study’s goals this way: “The hypothesis for this study was that if we could have a little larger particle size in the roughage, such as a silage type roughage, that possibly we could reduce the amount fed, which would then reduce the amount in the truck and increase the efficiency of feeding and still maintain rumen function for the animal.” The 128-day study was conducted during the finishing period for beef cattle at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research Feedlot in Western Nebraska. In the study, final finishing diets contained 9 or 14 percent of either SHREDLAGE corn silage cut at 26.5 mm or conventionally chopped and processed corn silage cut at 13 mm. The diets also contained 15 percent wet distillers grains and 5 percent mineral supplement on a dry matter basis. The remainder of the diet dry matter came from steam-flaked corn.
CLAAS Product Manager Matt Jaynes explains, “All of the silage for the study came from the same irrigated field, harvested on the same day, and moisture and starch levels were the same. The SHREDLAGE was harvested by a JAGUAR 960 with an ORBIS 750 header.” The cattle were fed a finishing diet containing: • • • •
Steam flaked corn Processed corn silage 15% wet distillers grains 5% mineral supplement *Carcass Basis
The variable in the study was the corn silage. Four different groups of cattle were fed one of the following variables: • 9% conventionally chopped corn silage • 14% conventionally chopped corn silage • 9% SHREDLAGE, or • 14% SHREDLAGE
*Carcass Basis
By chopping corn silage at lengths ranging from 21 to 30 millimeters and then shredding the chopped material with a special SHREDLAGE processor, the JAGUAR produces a silage with improved bacterial fermentation during ensiling, which results in greater digestion in the cow’s rumen.
The results “The results of the study suggested that feeding 9% roughage in the diet and using a process that increases particle size, such as SHREDLAGE, actually increased performance in the cattle efficiency, as well as final product,” explains Jenkins. In fact, this group showed a 7.4 percent greater feed-to-gain ratio and 5.4 percent better average daily gain than feed containing 14 percent conventionally chopped and processed corn silage. By reducing the amount of roughage needed, producers can save money while allowing the cows to metabolize more of the nutrition for greater weight gains during the finishing process. “The big takeaway is that very little of the ration was corn silage,” says Jaynes, “but it still made a huge difference because cattle can turn SHREDLAGE into valuable nutrients more easily. So, producers can increase gains simply by providing a finishing diet that includes SHREDLAGE rather than conventionally chopped silage.”
*Carcass Basis
*Carcass Basis
To learn more, visit tinyurl.com/shredlage-UNL
*The intensive processing of SHREDLAGE has been previously proven in dairy cows. A 2012 trial conducted by the University of Wisconsin showed that SHREDLAGE dramatically increases the physical effectiveness of corn silage in the rumen while improving availability of the starch contained in all parts of the plant. The result of the Wisconsin study was an increase of 2.4 pounds per cow in daily milk yield. For more information about the University of Wisconsin dairy study, visit https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/forage/files/2017/12/shredlage-pas-639.full_.pdf. **Source: UNL Beef Watch “SHREDLAGE® as a Roughage Component in Steam-flaked Corn Diets for Finishing Cattle.” Karla H. Jenkins, UNL Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management, October 1, 2018.
LEXION Combine Breaks Three Corn Harvesting Records –
Including One of Its Own Back in 2010, CLAAS of America Product Manager/Field Support Jeff Gray, together with Stewart Farms Partnership in Yorkville, Illinois, set a world record when they harvested 51,153 bushels of corn in 10 hours, using a CLAAS LEXION 760 TERRA TRAC combine. Eight years later, the Stewarts asked Gray to join them in an attempt to eclipse that record, along with two more – all in one incredible day. Since the Guinness Book of World Records doesn’t officially recognize 10-hour harvesting records, Craig Stewart and his sons Bob and Brad, forged on and decided to break their standing record anyway, while earning the recognized 8- and 12-hour records as well. Conditions were challenging. They received a half inch of rain the night before, and the corn averaged 17-18 percent moisture levels, but the Stewarts still managed to crush all three records,
thanks to teamwork, planning, and the many technological advancements of the new LEXION 760 TERRA TRAC and 16-row header.
The LEXION 760TT “A lot has changed in the last eight years on the LEXION 760 TERRA TRAC,” says Gray. “More engine horsepower, a higher capacity feederhouse drive, a larger grain tank, faster unloading, a more efficient DYNAMIC COOLING SYSTEM and higher capacity sieves made this challenge easier than the one we did in 2010.” The Stewarts also took advantage of the operator assistance features found in CEMOS AUTOMATIC, a popular new option on LEXION 700 series combines. As its name indicates, this technology automatically and autonomously optimizes ground speed and system settings throughout the combine, based on changing conditions.
Jeff Gray
Product Manager/Field Support
Bob Stewart
Stewart Farms Partnership
“The reason we have the CLAAS combines is, one, the efficiency, and then two is reliability,” says LEXION operator Bob Stewart. “The CRUISE PILOT will actually optimize its own speed and make the adjustments for you on the back end. It’s a big deal.” TELEMATICS allows real-time monitoring of performance information to computers and mobile devices authorized to receive it. Many people kept a close eye on that information as they tracked progress throughout the run.
The team Bob Stewart ran the combine for most of the day, with Jeff Gray stepping in only twice – once to check the settings on CEMOS AUTOMATIC, and once around the 10-hour mark to give Bob a short break. Brad Stewart managed the logistics of the record-breaking day. His job was to ensure that the three grain carts and 10 trucks were running at maximum efficiency to keep up with the nearly constant unloading of the LEXION. “The LEXION machine is very impressive,” says Brad. “It’s incredibly reliable and just eats corn! Our biggest worry was having enough trucks so that we didn’t keep the combine waiting.”
The records One of the requirements for each record was to have the combine come to a full stop and unload all grain in the tank to a grain cart. That grain then went to a truck that took it to Tate and Lyle Grain Elevator in Parnell, Illinois, where it was weighed. At the eight-hour mark, the Stewarts had harvested a record-setting 43,739.68 dry bushels of corn. At 10 hours, they totaled 54,302.97, which was 3,000 bushels more than the record they had set eight years earlier. After 12 hours, the third record was confirmed, with 63,770.10 bushels harvested. Guinness hasn’t yet authenticated the records, but all tabulations and third parties confirm that the day of harvesting was truly one for the record books. Both Gray and the Stewarts are confident that they’ll be notified of their official Guinness records soon.
See the full video story at tinyurl.com/claas-world-record
LEXION 760 TT
Harvest World Record 8 Hours
43,740 bushels 10 Hours
54,303 bushels 12 Hours
63,770 bushels
TECH TALK
WORLD FOOD AWARD PANEL
Jan-Hendrik Mohr (second from left) joins Distinguished Ag Leaders in the U.S. for Panel Discussion
Global Sustainability for a Vibrant Earth Each year, the Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium, held in Des Moines, Iowa, explores the global efforts to feed the earth‘s growing population. Speakers from around the world gather to discuss the most important issues, opportunities and challenges we have as an international community with the common goal of maintaining a sustainable food supply. This year, Jan-Hendrik Mohr, CLAAS Group Executive Board Member in charge of the Grain Harvest Division, joined other leaders on October 17th for an important Borlaug CAST panel discussion hosted by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and American Society of Agronomy (ASA). Maury Salz, President of CLAAS Omaha, Inc., and current ASABE President, helped organize the panel discussion. “It was an honor to have Mr. Mohr here to provide an international perspective to the conversation,” said Salz. “His breadth of knowledge – particularly as it relates to agricultural equipment – added greatly to the discussion.” Panelists included Jan-Hendrik Mohr, Erin Fitzgerald (U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance), Jason Weller (Land O‘Lakes SUSTAIN), and Marty Matlock (University of Arkansas Resiliency Center). They focused on topics about sustainability, land stewardship, and consumer communication. The gathering ended with a Q & A session, giving each speaker an opportunity to provide specifics about what works best for a vibrant and sustainable food system. Dr. Matlock summed it up well by saying, “It‘s urgent that all sectors need to work together – we need to build trust.”
Shifting the Perspective on Pre-owned. CLAAS makes it easy to find just what you need, and gives you peace of mind in the process. With thousands of pre-owned machines at the ready, our thoroughly inspected equipment still has plenty of hardworking miles left. If brand new just isn’t in the cards, there’s no doubt that we have the robust and reliable machine to fit your operational needs and far exceed your expectations. In order to streamline your search for the ideal piece of equipment and ensure you’re getting exactly what you’re looking for, FIRST CLAAS USED machines are categorized into three levels of reconditioning to best meet your budget.
Gold Level – A selection of machines that are five years old or newer with fewer than 2,500 engine hours and give you “like new” performance at a less-thannew price backed by a one-year protection plan.
Silver Level – With the same age and mileage requirements as the Gold Level, these machines are meticulously cleaned and inspected, and come complete with a list of recommended service items for the do-it-yourselfers.
Bronze Level – These machines come with a few more years and hours, but with many of the same performance features as a new machine.
Any way you go, you can rest assured you are getting a strong and reliable piece of equipment built to withstand the test of time. To see the full list of FIRST CLAAS USED available inventory visit our recently revamped website.
» fcu.claas.com
XERION Tractors Help Manure Professionals Increase Productivity XERION 5000 and 4000 tractors are taking professional manure contractors to the next level – improving productivity, efficiency, and even comfort. That’s because XERION tractors have features that are unique to the industry, including an exclusive CVT transmission that lets the tractors move as fast as 31 miles per hour on the road, while still providing excellent fuel efficiency. Four-wheel steering and a rigid, reinforced frame provide enhanced stability, and the comfort of the cab reduces operator fatigue. It all adds up. Plus, XERION tractors are very intuitive and easy to use. “At the very beginning we were expecting a difficult adaptation period for our drivers on how to operate and use the new technology,” says Jacob Renaud of GT Custom Work LTD in Dunvegan ON, “but the XERION is
really simple and easy to use. It took about a day for our workers to get familiar with the XERION controls and environment. Once you have spent a day in it, you are good. There is nothing else like the XERION available on the market. This is a unique machine.”
Improved productivity Peter Gilbraith of Gilbraith Farm Services in St. Claude, MB, says his operation uses two 34-foot GBS manure spreaders with five-foot walls and a 50-ton capacity, and the XERION handles it with ease. “We’re pulling double the size spreader, double the tractor, but only one man, and the fuel savings is good.” he says. “We’ve been driving this tractor for two and a half years, we got 3,500 hours on it, and we’ve had zero issues with the tractor.” As Garth Franklin from GT Custom Work LTD in Dunvegan, Ontario puts it, “We are able to speed the process so there is room to take care of more customers. We had to adjust the price because we realized right away the
Jacob Renaud
Peter Gilbraith
See the full video story at tinyurl.com/claas-manure
tanks were far more efficient. You’re not backing into the pump as often. You’re taking a bigger load to the field. The efficiency quotient was really big.” According to Mike Rheault of Assiniboine Injections LTD out of Notre Dame de Laurdes, MB, moving between jobs and even between piles within the field is much faster. “It’s significantly quicker than a normal tractor or a normal four-wheel-drive,” Rheault explains. “We’re able to take on a couple of extra jobs a year just by having that extra efficiency on both the road and inside the field.”
Garth Franklin
Mike Rheault
Reduced fuel and labor costs When a tractor is running eight or more hours a day, fuel economy is crucial. CLAAS POWER SYSTEMS (CPS) brings maximum power when it’s needed, along with fuel-saving technology that pays for itself. David
“We’re burning about eight gallons an hour with a XERION,” Thiessen says Gilbraith. “A different tractor with the same spreader would burn about 20 gallons an hour, so that’s a huge savings.”Besides saving on fuel, XERION can actually save money by reducing the amount of labor needed to get the job done. “Labor’s a huge problem, because before when we were running at the peak, we were running nine tanks plus three pumps,” says Franklin, “and there’s no way you can get 12 decent operators. You just can’t. With getting bigger tanks, going to six 15,000-gallon tanks, that’s the same as having nine (10,000-gallon tanks), but you don’t need three more drivers.”
Stability and comfort on the road and in the field The XERION’s rigid four-wheel drive makes steering more stable for operators. “With the four-wheel steering, the XERION allows us to access tighter yards,” says Renaud. “In addition, we don’t need to drive into the opposite road lane to turn. We are able to maintain high speed on the road - that’s a big thing for us.” David Thiessen of Wiebe Brother’s Manuring Inc adds, “The tank will not play with your steering much versus an articulating machine. It’s a narrower tractor, a heavier unit, more stable on the road because we went away from articulation. We have more speed, which we find very good.” The XERION cab adds to the comfort and safety of the operators as well. That’s important during those long days. “The visibility is amazing and the cab comfort is impressive,” says Renaud. “When you spend 15 hours per day in the tractor cab, you appreciate the great cab comfort. We are less tired and we can work more hours per day.” Wiebe adds, “Cab suspension seat and handling is a lot less stressful and fatiguing on the body versus articulating on the road all day long. And our workers, our employees, they are really happy with the comfortability on these units, in the cab and on the ride. It’s doing phenomenally well.”
If you’re interested in seeing how much your cost per bale will be with CLAAS packaging, be sure to try our Bale Calculator at tinyurl.com/claas-bale-calc.
Whether you need net wrap, baling twine, stretch film, over-the-edge net wrap, or if you’re not sure which product would work best for your operation, contact your CLAAS dealer to learn about all your options.
Believe it or not, spring will be here soon. Make sure you’re ready to roll with all of your silage and bale packaging from CLAAS.
Spring Into Action With CLAAS Crop Packaging
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