Issue 28
Headland news
WHEN FARMING MEANS BUSINESS
Grass kit gains precision
Welcome to Issue 28 Understanding our businesses is based upon access to accurate information and using this information to improve and optimise performance. Both livestock and commodity prices are at reasonable levels but input costs continue to pressure profit margins. Controlling costs will be key to future profitability. Investing in technology and machinery that provides the means to monitor and control costs whilst maximising output is the theme of our latest edition of Headland News. A key factor in achieving these benefits is a welltrained dealer network carrying the parts locally to support customers, our annual dealer service and parts awards are designed to recognise, motivate and reward our dealer network.
Joe Bell
Efficiency and innovation is at the heart of the Kverneland forage equipment line-up. And the latest to benefit from precision farming technology are mowers and rakes, as GEOMOW and GEORAKE make their appearance on highcapacity equipment. GEOMOW is the next level of precision operation for the 53100MT Vario butterfly mower, and unlocks the unit’s full potential. Linked to a GPS signal, GEOMOW manages the overlap between
front and rear mowing units, and manages automatic raise and lower via section control, leading to a 10% productivity gain. The 53100MT provides up to 10.2m of cutting width, but like all triple mower combinations, set-up is often erring on the side of caution to prevent uncut areas between the three mower units around corners or when working across slopes.
GEOMOW identifies the line that the tractor is taking and knows the position of the front mower. A change in mower position – either through steering or caused by terrain – is compensated by automatic adjustment of the rear mowing units through the
Kverneland Group Kerteminde business unit in Denmark, formerly known as the Taarup factory.
first forage harvester in 1957, with mowers following from 1968, and the swath belt being developed in 1984.
This once one-man operation formed in the village of Taarup has grown since 1877 into a globally respected and wellknown grass machinery portfolio within agriculture.
By 1993, the business was acquired by the Kverneland Group, and has evolved into the Group’s competence centre for forage. With manufacturing space exceeding 50,000 sq/m and over 420 employees, Kverneland Group Kerteminde’s innovations are plentiful and include a range of butterfly mowers and the impressive GEOMOW system.
Managing Director
2018 Show Dates Grassland UK, Shepton Mallet, Somerset - May 05 Royal Highland Show, Ingliston, Edinburgh - June 21-24
140 years of Kerteminde Heritage is something we should all be proud of, and for the last 140 years, farmers and contractors around the world have been operating with machines from the legendary
Royal Welsh Show, Llanelwedd, Builth Wells - July 23-26 UK Dairy Day, The International Centre, Telford, Shropshire - Sept 12 All Wales Ploughing Champs, Croesgoch, St Davids – Sept 22 Tillage Live Dunbar, East Lothian – Sept 26 Scottish Ploughing Champs, Bettyfield Farm, Kelso - Oct 27-28 AgriScot, Ingliston, Edinburgh - Nov 21 CropTec, East of England Showground – Nov 27-28
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From a single row cultivator, the Taarup operation produced its
GEOMOW automatically manages overlap and raise/lowers front and rear mowing units on the 53100MT butterfly, boosting productivity by up to 10%.
Vario telescopic arms. And if the corner is too tight for the units to compensate, the operator gets a warning through the control terminal. With section control, there is no longer a need to time lift and lower functions, as GEOMOW
manages the functions automatically. This innovative feature makes operating high capacity mowing systems much easier to operate, and can lead to greater productivity and less operator fatigue. GEORAKE capability is available with the four-rotor 97150C, thanks to its use of ISOBUS technology.
Through the IsoMatch Tellus dual screen terminal or the compact Tellus GO terminal, GEORAKE allows the operator to link the rake to a GPS signal, allowing the rake to learn its position in the field. This allows automated headland raise and lower sequences that result in a large machine being much easier to handle. This has the benefit of simplifying operation in smaller fields too. And the end result is a much neater, higher quality swath presentation, by eliminating overlaps. Manual over-ride is possible, using a simple but sophisticated control system. This enables the operator to alter the working sequence of lifting and lowering the front rotors to simplify headland management. Rotors can be lifted independently or rotors on each side can be lifted in pairs.
GEORAKE allows automated raise and lower of the 97150C rake’s four rotors. features elbow joints within its front rotor arms to allow continuous adjustment of its working width from 9.8-15m. With a generous range of lateral movement of the front rotors, this also helps with machine transport. Once fully raised, the rotors are folded backwards to achieve the transport position, producing an overall height of less than 4m without having to remove tine arms.
Equipped with maintenancefree heavy-duty ProLine rotor gearboxes, the 97150C GEORAKE
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not seen what we’re up to, simply visit Facebook and type Kverneland UK into the search box. You’ll find us easily, just look out for the green Kverneland arrow. Like our page and share our posts.
You can be involved too - if you have any interesting photos or videos of your Kverneland kit in action and you’d like us to share or post on your bealf, send us a message and we’ll spread the word. You could even find yourself featured in the next issue of Headland News.
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Loader wagon boosts forage quality Switching to a forage wagon system has improved timeliness, led to higher forage quality and reduced compaction for Somerset-based organic milk producer Richard Reed.
“230-cow organic dairy herd is producing 8,400 litres from a mix of clover, lucerne and whole crop forage” Richard Reed | Owner The catalyst for change came in the spring of 2017, when the Reed family based at Lily Farm, Shepton Montague, was looking to start an early first cut of grass on 100 acres of new leys. “I was concerned about getting our contractor to come in so early in the season, on fresh leys with super single tyres,” explains Richard Reed. “We’re
entirely organic, so compaction is something we are keen to manage, to improve grassland aeration, regrowth and water infiltration.” “While visiting my local dealer, Read Agri Services, I noticed a Kverneland forage wagon and its wide tyres caught my eye,” he says. “My son George had mentioned forage wagons in the past, but this one looked ideal on its ultra-wide tyres, with a rear following axle.”
contracted in from a nearby organic milk producer – the Reeds embarked on a new silage making system, clearing its 100 acre first cut in record time. The deal was done on a 10055R, and they haven’t looked back.
“I figured we would barely mark the ground – and so it has proved.”
“Two wagons do deliver an impressive output, and it’s more than a match for a self-propelled forager system,” he says. “We can also send a wagon to clear the next headland to help the rake. Compared to running trailers with a forager, there’s just no downtime. They are always harvesting.”
With a demonstration organised – and a second forage wagon
The Reeds runs a 230-cow herd plus followers, producing 8,400
New 11m Mounted Tedder With an 11.2m working width, the new 85112 tedder is the largest three-point linkage mounted model in the Kverneland range. It uses 10 rotors, each carrying six tine arms, to deliver high performance. An all-new folding mechanism ensures even weight distribution when folding for transport, delivering a low overall height of 3.79m and a transport width of only 2.95m. With the exception of the pto shaft, the Kverneland HexaLink finger clutch system enables the 85112 to remain maintenance free.
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litres/cow, with grazing and silage provided from the 650acre enterprise. White clover leys are sown for grazing, while red clover and lucerne provide grass silage content. In addition, the farm grows winter wheat, plus an 80/20 peas/barley mix for whole crop. “Our dry matter is around 32%, and the peas deliver excellent protein for the herd.” “We took seven cuts during 2017, accounting for 1,050 acres,” he says. “We’re much more efficient, and it has worked out at around 50% less cost than bringing in a contractor to chop grass.”
An eye for detail data is publicly available.”
“We operate highly instrumented farm experiments that allow us to monitor everything that goes out, in addition to everything that comes in” Bruce Griffith | Manager The North Wyke farm platform in Devon is looking at ways of improving grassland livestock systems through research, data capture and monitoring. Operational since 2012, the platform gathers data across three separate grassland farming systems totaling 67ha within a 350ha working farm at the North Wyke site of Rothamsted Research. These small farms, known as farmlets, are managed using alternative approaches to livestock production from grassland. Measurements of water, air, soil, forage quality and livestock productivity are also recorded on each farmlet. “We operate highly instrumented farm experiments that allow us to monitor everything that goes out, in addition to everything that comes in,” explains Bruce Griffith, operations manager of the farm platform. “And all our
One farmlet is used as a ‘control’ based on permanent pasture with crop improvements derived from inorganic fertilisers. The second farmlet has traded permanent pasture for grass and clover swards, replacing nitrogen fertilisers for biological fixation through legumes. The third farmlet operates under a planned reseeding programme to introduce innovative grassland genetics with high sugar grass varieties. “Each farmlet is based on approximately 21ha of land and each operates in conjunction with its own livestock quota, comprising 30-head of cattle and 75 ewes with lambs,” explains Bruce. “This lets us monitor the impact of these three grassland systems on how they influence liveweight gain, meat quality and shelf-life of the end product, entirely though grass and silage quality.” To provide data on nutrient loss to water, fields within each farmlet are equipped with a catchment drainage system, enabling water chemistry data to be collected in real-time and relayed to the office via fibreoptic cabling. “With isolated catchment systems that contain a myriad of sensors in the field drains, including water quality sensors, we can monitor nitrate run-off, phosphates, ammonium and
soil loss,” Bruce says. “And we’re building data layers about our soils too, and the effects of the three different farming systems that we operate.” Currently, the farmlets at North Wyke make blanket fertiliser applications, using a ‘little and often’ approach. “Nitrogen application rates are typically 40kg/ha every month for five months,” he says. “But we wanted a very precise application system, with zero overlap and no variation in the spreading accuracy. And this is why we chose a Kverneland Exacta TL with GEOSPREAD.” Operator Duncan Stephen has nothing but praise for the accuracy of the spreader. “It doesn’t matter what width I follow using an in-cab lightbar, the spreader adjusts to suit, so we don’t get any overlap,” says Duncan. “It is unbelievably accurate, and very simple to use too.”
plus methane emissions from livestock too. Soil moisture probes, rain gauges and crop yields add to the collective resources, with access to findings available by visiting http://resources.rothamsted. ac.uk/farmplatform “All our field trials are based on what UK grassland farmers are likely to follow,” adds Bruce Griffith. “And we’ll be adding further data this year with NIR (Near InfraRed) sensing on the forager to record dry matter yield and forage quality.” “The plan is to start using this information to target fertiliser applications more precisely, which is where the variable rate capabilities of the Kverneland spreader will be advantageous.”
“And where there are plots in our fields, the spreader can automatically adjust itself according to the treatment map, to apply a different rate for the plots.” As part of its data gathering protocol, the North Wyke farm platform also monitors greenhouse gasses with infrared gas analysers, and can take spot and landscape measurements of nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide,
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Triple mower boosts silage making efficiency
Fast crop drying with 9m tedder West Sussex milk producer PJ Blanch & Sons based at St Andrews farm, Adversane, has added an eight-rotor Kverneland 8590 tedder to its silage kit line-up. Supplied by local dealer C&O Tractors at Funtington, it offers twice the working width of the farm’s previous tedder, and has shortened grass drying times considerably. “We produce a mix of clamp silage and baled silage for our 150 cow Guernsey herd, plus followers,” explains Phil Blanch. “And for us, it’s all about speed and quality with high dry matter forage.”
AG Ludwell & Son of East Ash Farm, Bradworthy, Devon, has boosted mowing efficiency by trading up to a Kverneland 5087MN butterfly mower conditioner bought from local dealer Andrew Symons. Boasting an 8.7m working width, it replaces a front/ rear combination that used a Kverneland 4232CT centre pivot mower. “I wanted a better-balanced outfit, and that meant putting two mowers on the back of the tractor,” explains Jim Ludwell. “It’s so much more stable on our sloping ground, and it’s not a heavy mower – so our overall weight means less damage on grass stubbles when making headland turns.” As the business has grown and herd numbers have risen to around 500, plus followers and sheep, the farm’s silage workload has expanded too. “We’re cutting around 1,200-acres each season in four cuts, and the butterfly now means we can drop 200 acres/day using a 200hp tractor,” he says. “In heavy first cut, my forward speed is down to around 5-6mph, but it also means we’re kind on kit and not racing around.” With field sizes ranging from three to 25 acres, he says machine manoeuvrability is good.
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“The butterfly folds up tightly on the back of the tractor, yet it offers generous performance – I’ve mown a 22-acre field in an hour and 10 minutes.”
Taking four cuts off around 80 acres each year, Phil Blanch says the wide tedder helps the farm to make the most of catchy weather conditions.
“This size of mower has been much easier to use than I expected, it improves our timeliness and having a triple mower means that each mower now does less work than using two to cut the same acreage – so they should last longer.”
“Weather opportunities are getting fewer and fewer, so when we mow, we really want to dry our grass in as short a time as possible,” he says. “And moving up to a 9m mounted tedder has provided a big improvement. I’ve more than doubled my output.”
“And that’s better on the blades too, though Kverneland mower blades are superb. They don’t bend or break like other makes – and they can withstand a few stones too.” Mr Ludwell chooses to leave a reasonable stubble height to promote faster regrowth, and it lets the team ted and rake the crop without getting too near the ground and risking crop contamination. “I really like the full width spreading hoods. They leave a carpet of grass over the whole mowing width and I reckon our grass dries faster, as a result,” he says. “It’s a really good outfit.”
“Kverneland mower blades are superb. They don’t bend or break like other makes” Jim Ludwell | Owner
“I can easily ted around 20 acres/ hour, travelling at a steady – and comfortable – forward speed, and using very little diesel,” he adds. “And moving the grass quickly does make the most of available drying time.” Phil’s son Ali is herdsman at St Andrews farm, and he has seen a difference in silage quality since using the wider tedder.
“We are making much drier, better quality forage as a result of faster, better tedding” Phil Blanch | Owner Depending on the crop and conditions, the farm will use the 8590 tedder to move heavier crops twice, before raking into a swath and either chopping or baling. “The tedder is a sturdy yet very simple machine,” says Phil. “I can change the angle of the Super C tines to suit different crop conditions, and this is a machine that needs very little maintenance too.”
Electric feeder makes UK tour
The innovative Kverneland Siloking eTruck is coming to the UK and will be making its appearance on the Kverneland show stand at several shows and events this summer. The eTruck feeder is 100% electrically powered for traction and mixing. This zero emissions, almost noiseless feeder relies on electrical power for its single and twin auger mixing, plus driving
functions. Power comes from an 80-volt DC battery system, with the feeder’s powertrain drawing on components and experience gained from within the industrial vehicle electrification industry as favoured by the fork lift truck sector. As a result, a single battery charge is said to be sufficient to complete three mixes, enabling herds of up to 100 cows to be fed. With a predictable work pattern, where feeding takes place at the same time every day, there is
Staying sharp High quality forage starts with a clean cut. And that begins with original blades for your Kverneland disc mower. And that’s because a mower with sharp blades also takes less power to operate. What should you be looking for? The ‘K’ of course. Kverneland mower blades are manufactured to the same high standards and specifications as you’d expect from all Kverneland machines. Kverneland mower knives are not ground to create their leading edge, but feature a precision rolled cutting edge. And because no steel is removed when knives are sharpened, you get a higher density of material right where you need it – along the working edge.
ample opportunity to recharge the batteries. A larger battery pack option can be specified, as can a fast charger. The e.0 eTruck series comprises three models. There are two single auger units offering eight and 10 cubic metres capacity, and a larger twin auger, 14 cubic metre capacity model. An example from the eTruck range can be seen on the Kverneland stand at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh from
June 21-24, then at the Royal Welsh Show at Builth Wells from July 23-26, and finally at the UK Dairy Day in Telford, on Sept 12. The eTruck is said to be suited to low buildings with narrow access, and it measures from 2.25m high and 2.28m wide, and has an overall length of 6.35m. Elsewhere in the Siloking line-up, the SelfLine 4.0 range offers a host of updates, with around 70% of the vertical mixer series being new. Central to the changes are an all-new cab and a revised powertrain.
This results in strong knives that stay sharp, and knives that have a higher resistance to stone damage compared to edges that have been ground. When it’s time to mow, make sure your mower is in peak condition. And one way to ensure this is to take advantage of Kverneland service kits that are pre-assembled with original parts to suit different models from the extensive Kverneland disc mower range. Depending on the model, you can expect to find essential components such as blades, knife bolt kits, bed oil, pto clutch friction disc, conditioner drive belt and wear plates. Pre-season services and health checks are also available from your local Kverneland dealer to ensure you get the best performance from your mower throughout the grass season.
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Kverneland dealer excellence awards Several Kverneland dealers have been recognised for their efforts and achievements in the key areas of parts and service, at the 2018 Kverneland dealer conferences. This follows the roll-out of two excellence awards last year, to reward those dealers who have put considerable effort into increasing their original parts sales, and responding to on-time machine servicing, repairs and inspections, for their customers.
“To win the parts excellence awards, we considered many key areas, including pre-season orders, display of parts marketing materials, communication with customers, on-farm visits, and parts promotions to customers,” says Mr Bennett. Awards have been dealerdepot specific, and categorised by region, with the following personnel being identified from within the Kverneland dealer network for 2018’s parts excellence award: North west region - Meyrick Pope, Battlefield Machinery, Shrewsbury. Scotland and the north – Grant Quigley, Johnston Tractors, Dumfries. Eastern region – Brian Hornsey, Farmstar, Market Weighton. South west region – Phil Kendall, JE Rees, Llandysul.
“We’ve seen a significant increase in dealer performance across the network and it’s only right that we recognise the efforts made, by presenting those who have gone ‘above the beyond’ with a prestigious award and £1,000-worth of vouchers,” explains Richard Bennett, parts marketing manager for Kverneland Group UK. It is the first time such awards have been introduced, and the response from dealer staff has been over-whelming. Dealer depots have been individually scored on a wide variety of criteria, to qualify for the award.
A similar award has also been presented to recognise efforts made by many dealer service and warranty personnel from within the Kverneland network, as service manager Ged Baldwin explains.
the best possible service for our customers, and these awards are due recognition,” he adds. The following recipients had been identified for 2018’s service excellence award: North west region – Alun Owen, Battlefield Machinery, Shrewsbury. Scotland and the north – Grant McLean, Netherton tractors, Forfar. Eastern region – Phil Goss, TNS, Attleborough. South west region – Kris Webb, R Hunt, Chilbolton. The Kverneland dealer excellence awards are accessible to all dealers in the Kverneland dealer network, and will be presented in spring 2019, to those who show the most progress through the calendar year. Is your Kverneland dealer worthy of recognition? Let us know at info-uksales@ kvernelandgroup.com
“Among the many different criteria, we also looked for new machine warranty registrations within seven days; speed of repairs; modifications being completed on time; attendance at service training courses; service vehicles and signage and the adoption of the correct service tools at dealer depots,” he says. “And I am pleased to report that many of our dealers have really embraced this scheme and come on-board with this new incentive. We want our dealers to give
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