Kverneland Headland Issue 32

Issue 32

Headland news

Thank you for

years

WHEN FARMING MEANS BUSINESS

Welcome to Issue 32 UK farmers, as with UK business generally, had no choice other than to move on with their businesses and leave our politicians to resolve their differences and await the outcome.

Efficiency and productivity will be key to future profitability for all businesses and, as you will read in the articles in our latest edition of Headland News, customers continue to benefit from the reliability and performance of Kverneland machinery.

Together with the award winning precision farming technology we believe Kverneland offers unique value in complete farming systems allowing customers to make best use of their time and resources.

Don’t forget to enter the 140th birthday competition!

Joe Bell

Managing Director

2019 Show Dates

140 years of Kverneland history This year marks a significant milestone for the Kverneland Group – it will be 140 years since Ole Gabriel Kverneland started his engineering business with the production of scythes, sickles and knives.

Based in the village of Kvernaland, 25km from Stavanger, Norway, OG Kverneland Fabrik can be counted as one of those agri-businesses that has been capable of withstanding the test of time.

Today, the business is an internationally recognised company and brand, producing a wide range of arable and grassland machinery that also encompasses the very latest in precision farming technology.

Win a Go Pro action camera To mark the 140-year anniversary, we’re running a photo competition to find the best working images of Kverneland equipment in action - past or present - but it must still be earning its keep for UK agriculture.

The competition is open until 31 December 2019, and the

best image will be rewarded with a Go Pro action camera.

Send your entry by direct message through the Kverneland UK facebook page, or by email to info-uksales@ kvernelandgroup.com Don’t forget to include your contact details too, so we know who to contact. So, let’s see your Kv kit in action.

Sorry, but we can’t accept images from professional photographers.

Look after your most valuable asset

Royal Highland Show Ingliston, Edinburgh June 20-23

When it comes to crop establishment and production, soil is where it’s at.

Royal Welsh Show Llanelwedd, Builth Wells July 22-25

So, how do you know you’re making the most of it, and what can you do to effect and improve soil from adapting modern farming practices?

UK Dairy Day The International Centre, Telford, Shropshire Sept 11 AgriScot Ingliston, Edinburgh Nov 20

The first plough was developed in 1882, and the introduction of heavier equipment soon followed to suit larger farms equipped with horses.

Well, the Kverneland Soil brochure might be just what you’re looking for.

Intended to provide a basic

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understanding of soil structure composition, along with the positive and negative effects of current farming systems, the Soil brochure is available free for anyone looking to get the most from their most valuable asset.

Send your postal address by email to info-uksales@ kvernelandgroup.com and we’ll pop one in the post.

High capacity sowing with DG-II

u-drill evolves

Despite the sales success of the u-drill, development never stops. The forthcoming ‘01’ series brings simplified electronics and hydraulics, to improve functionality and productivity.

Models fitted with the front press wheel option benefit from having the middle three wheels pulled, rather than pushed, to improve ground following and consolidation.

A further refinement sees the clod board and tine arm options now fitted ahead of the rear press wheels instead of behind them. Its operation can then be linked to the second row of discs.

Those seeking high-output sowing can opt for the DG-II offering 9-12m working widths for CTF suitability. This secondgeneration seed drill affords improved folding and machine balance to maintain a positive drawbar weight; a 3m wide, 4m high transport width; 40kph road speed capability; and dual seed metering units to feed simplified distribution heads. A new ‘active on’ feature balances and

The addition of spring-loading to the following harrow also delivers a level of protection when reversing into corners.

Electric half-width shut-off now gets greater sophistication to maintain the correct seed rate.

maintains pressure, both laterally and longitudinally, across the full working width of the toolbar to improve seed placement depth, while delivering up to 80kg of coulter pressure.

Seed flow control to monitor blockages, LED work lights, dual track eradicators and ELDOS seed metering are also available for the DG-II, which also features a 6,000-litre seed hopper.

Tri-flex tines handle more pressure Turbo cultivators can now be equipped with a new tine – the Triflex 400. Developed to offer greater strength and rigidity than the Reflex 200 tine, the Triflex can withstand 400kg of pressure, resulting in less vibration. Held in place by the proven Kverneland aurto-reset leaf-spring system, the Triflex tine can be equipped with Knock-on points, in 50mm or 150mm working widths.

Power harrow updates Multirate boosts S-series power harrows have been given a raft of updates and like all other Kv power harrows, now come with the option of a three-year warranty for those that are serviced by the Kverneland dealer network on a yearly basis.

Featuring a lighter, yet stronger design, the S-series gets a revised trough profile to improve bearing support while also resisting

distortion. Improved metallurgy has seen weight drop by 15% too, making wider power harrows much easier to manage on lighter but more powerful tractors.

The models feature a bolton headstock design that incorporates Cat II/III couplings – changing between couplings requires the headstock to be rotated through 180-degrees.

fertiliser precision Advances in software have enabled the creation of variable rate fertiliser applications on both sides of Kverneland GEOSPREAD machines. Called Multirate, it affords higher resolution variable rate maps that can provide up to eight sections of variable rate capability across the chosen working width.

Multirate makes the most of spreading accuracy through tighter grid sampling and higher resolution maps, to deliver better distribution of fertiliser at the prescribed rate. Doing so moves fertiliser spreading performance even further away from a single rate, blanket application, boosting application precision.

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Premium finish with i-Plough With contract work on top of an 800-acre arable farming operation and an on-farm AD plant, Andrew Rennie of Gask Farm, Turriff, Aberdeenshire, is a keen advocate of the plough.

With an older five-furrow Kverneland reversible due for replacement, he considered all the options, before choosing the innovative i-Plough from local dealer HRN Tractors at Turriff.

He adds that the quality of furrows from a Kverneland plough was never in doubt, but the i-Plough’s in-cab adjustments have helped the business to create an even better finish.

“We plough around 1,000 acres/ year, which is a combination of autumn seedbed production with a press, and over-winter ploughing ahead of spring planting,” says Andrew (pictured, left, with operator Gary Clark).

“Plough transport is very safe ”

“It’s so easy to adjust the rear depth wheel and turn-over stops from the ISOBUS control screen,” he says. “And this makes it easier for us to deliver a much better finish with headlands, without having to leave the cab.”

“And we pride ourselves on leaving a tidy, level finish.

It improves the quality of subsequent passes.”

Get ready for next season

Andrew Rennie | Owner “Mounted ploughs have always been a challenge to transport, and as soon as I saw the i-Plough’s swivelling headstock, I knew it was the best solution for road transport,” he says. “It tows like a trailer, there is no tailswing and it is very stable at speed.”

With a wide variety of soil types encountered – and many fields with seams of running sand, clay and medium loams – he

says the GPS-guided Furrow Control feature really comes into its own.

“Adding technology to a plough has made the operator’s life easier,” says Andrew. “There’s no need to constantly adjust and tweak – or compromise on the finish in different soil types. This plough leaves a great finish, and arrow-straight furrows, in all conditions.

“Depending on the soil type and the following crop, we’ll plough from 14-20in furrow widths,” he says. “It’s a very impressive plough to see working.” The technology is extremely useful.

Ensure auto reset springs are correctly adjusted to 70cm

Check all wearing parts and renew if worn

Ensure front side rails are clean and greased

Check front linkage pins and renew if worn

Grease all bearings and pivot shafts

Ensure all skimmers are correctly set

Check vari width bushes and cones replace if worn

Check hydraulic hoses and connections. Replace if necessary

Be prepared for the coming season - by giving your Kverneland plough a health check and ensure that you have sufficient stocks of essential wearing parts.

Keep down time to a minimum by contacting your local Kverneland dealer and take advantage of the special out of season prices on Original Parts.

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Improved ploughing experience from simpler i-Plough For all its technology, the i-Plough remains a humble, but highly effective soil inversion tool. But opting for full GPSguided capability can be a step too far for some.

High-flow TLX spreader lifts output For BW Upton, Hall Farm, near Ellerdine, Shropshire, the move to a Exacta TL with GEOSPREAD just two seasons ago has been viewed as a spreading revelation.

“When we first moved to GEOSPREAD, we couldn’t believe the accuracy we could get with fertiliser spreading,” explains Ed Upton. “It is a game-changer for anyone looking to reduce overlaps and improve application accuracy.”

The only drawback he found with the spreader was its output when applying very high dose rates.

“Productivity was fantastic on cereal crops, but anything needing a high rate saw forward speeds tumble,” he says. “We do a lot of contract spreading at up to 850kg/ha on carrots and up to 1,000kg/ ha on potatoes. At those rates, we were down to 4-5kph.”

says the farm can also spread potash at around 20-22kph.

“It’s unbelievably accurate, and our output has grown enormously,” he says. “We’ve used local firm SCS to tray test and check, but they have made no improvement to the spreader’s performance. They just confirmed it’s bang-on.”

That convenience includes a wide range of in-cab settings and adjustments, accessed directly through the Tellus GO terminal.

As a result, the i-Plough is now available as a ‘standard build’, complete with Tellus GO control terminal, but without the furrow control option. This enables operators to enjoy a better ploughing experience for little more than a comparable Kverneland reversible plough.

“The only settings an i-Plough operator needs to make outside the cab are skimmer depth and rear disc – everything else is done through the universal terminal,” he says. “The i-Plough also has the safest and most innovative transport system on the market – and once you’ve tried that, you’ll never go back to a plough that doesn’t follow like a trailer.”

“The i-Plough offers a huge amount of user-friendliness and operational simplicity for those who do not want to invest in furrow control capability with a licence key,” says Kverneland plough specialist Adam Burt.

“As such, it can still deliver a huge amount of comfort and convenience in its most basic form.”

In addition, the hugely popular 150B reversible plough is now available with a ‘drop-kit’ to lower the pick-up height of the cross-shaft. The drop-kit has been developed in response to customer demand for a plough with increased under-beam clearance, without compromising lift height on the ploughing tractor.

“GEOSPREAD’s accuracy is a game changer” Ed Upton | Owner / Supplied by Battlefield Machinery and used with a Tellus PRO dual screen universal terminal in one of the farm’s John Deere 6215R tractors, he says the spreader’s ISOBUS terminal offers scope to simultaneously show GPS guidance and spreader control.

The answer he sought came from the high-flow rates TLX GEOSPREAD – a machine specifically engineered to provide high flow rates.

“Information is right where you want it,” he says. “All fields are mapped and stored, which makes spreading easy – you just drive in and start the pto, and the spreader does the rest.”

On 24m tramlines applying high rates to root crops, Mr Upton has more than doubled his forward speed with the arrival of the TLX model. He

“I wouldn’t want to go fertiliser spreading without GEOSPREAD,” he adds. “It’s one of those rare machines that genuinely saves you money.”

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Herbs for wholesale Supplying wholesale markets with premium quality ethnic and traditional herbs, Shifnall-based, Shropshire grower JK Fresh is focussed on planting accuracy and seed placement to ensure consistent supply.

It is why the firm has opted for a three-bed Miniair Nova supplied

by Battlefield Machinery, to get its coriander, fenugreek,

spinach, kale, dill, parsley and mint, off to a good start.

hydraulic folding model that was due for replacement.

“We need accurate seed metering and placement, so each crop grows evenly,” explains farm manager Bill Preece. “We choose to plant little and often, splitting each crop into small blocks, and on different soil types. This lets us spread our harvesting dates so we can supply the markets for the maximum amount of time, once the crop matures.”

“This time, we’ve opted for a three-bed rigid machine with an end-tow kit,” he says. “Given that we have a lot of road travel to access many parcels of land that we farm, our folding model was having a tough time on the back of a 50kph tractor. We needed a stronger, and more accurate drill.”

JK Fresh’s Miniair Nova has been bought to replace a 15-year old,

And according to Bill Preece, the new drill’s planting accuracy does not disappoint. “There’s no

misses and down-the-row seed spacing is much better, allowing us to make the most of our beds to maximise our yields.”

“We are getting our fenugreek seeds precisely spaced at 2cm intervals.”

“Planting accuracy and seed placement ensures a consistent supply of produce ” Bill Preece | Farm Manager

Powering into seedbed production hydraulic top link which we choose for every tractor, and is a must for our business when you’re dealing with changes in soil type.”

“With this system, we can lift the rear roller, bury the harrow and move soil as required. Then we can fold up and go.”

Faced with a wide variety of soil types, Northants contracting firm P&R Burbage makes the most of an NG-H power harrow.

“There’s nothing quite like it when preparing seedbeds for grass and maize,” explains Pete Burbage, who runs the business with his brother, Rich. “They are so versatile, and can remove wheelings, fill in as needed, and give you a great tilth.”

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Their power harrow of choice is an NG-H 601 F30 model packing a 6m working width, and was supplied by local Kv dealer Sharmans along with a sixfurrow vari-width plough.

“Bigger kit does buy you time, and going to a 6m folding power harrow to replace a 4m model with end-tow was a no-brainer,” he says. “It has hydraulic depth control, and compliments a

Foreman Andy Russell (pictured) says the power harrow doesn’t leave ridges thanks to heavy duty spring-loaded sidedeflectors, and the toothed packer roller provides a good firm finish in almost any soil type encountered.

“We’ve had the Kverneland power harrow for three seasons, and it’s never missed a beat,” says Andy. “It covers around 900 acres each spring, and will probably handle 5-600 acres every autumn.”

“The pto shaft to the central gearbox can be tricky to grease, but other than that, it’s a very simple and robust machine, that does exactly what we want. We’d certainly have another.”

“With quick-fit tines, it is easy to swap wearing metal when needed” Andy Russell | Foreman

Pressing on In search of more output, Norfolk farming firm JW Coe & Company moved to on-land ploughing, from in-furrow. And in doing so, took the opportunity to add more power and more furrows along with a double packer, supplied by local dealer TNS at Sculthorpe.

The 4,500-acre business, based at Church Farm, Fring, is a keen advocate of ploughing, particularly with land recently taken over.

While min-till remains a key focus for the 1,800-acre Upton Suffolk Farms at Red Lodge, near Newmarket, the plough still plays an important role – not just for rotational grass weed control, but also for maize and sugar beet seedbeds.

But with light sandy loam over chalk, consolidation is key.

And the Velcourt-managed farm chooses to run a press alongside its six-furrow Kverneland LO85 vari-width plough for the establishment of the sugar beet seedbeds.

“We had been using a conventional ringed press, but the switch to this turnaround packer system has been a revelation,” says farm manager Nick Sheppard (above left). “We’re now in a position to save a pass, because the combination of ring press and crumbler roller does such a great job in providing additional consolidation.”

“And that means we can now drill straight in behind the plough and press, to get our sugar beet and maize, off to a great start.”

Supplied by local dealer TNS,

the outfit is handled by a Case-IH Optum 300, operating on-land with GPS steering guidance.

Operator Terry Allen (above right) had resisted the move to GPS-guidance, but identifies its role for on-land ploughing.

“There’s never a problem matching up or linking the plough on every pass” Nick Sheppard | Farm Manager “You just need plenty of weight, to ballast the tractor so it sits firmly on top. And I can pull the plough and press on any surface at 8kph, at a working depth of around 8-10in.”

Mr Allen runs the plough at its full width of 20in furrows, to make the most of the turnaround packer’s width.

“We’re addressing historical compaction and pan issues by deep ploughing and pressing, to hit the reset button,” explains operator Kevin Williamson (pictured right). “And with our recent change of plough and press, the output and quality of finish has improved considerably.”

Running on-land has removed tractor weight from the furrow bottom, and with a Fendt MT943 Vario replacing a Fendt 936, Mr Williamson says an extra furrow and double packer are easily handled. With around 1,200-acres ploughed annually, the business is focused on spreading its operating costs and working more efficiently, while seeking yield improvement.

“With the plough set at 18in furrow widths to match the double press, and working from 9-12in deep, the MT943 runs easily at 9kph.

“It’s quite a fuel efficient cultivations system” Kevin Williamson | Operator While the lion’s share of soil across the farm is a sandy silt that can blow and also pack tightly, there are pockets of heavy land, where the extra power comes in handy.

“Output is around 45-50 acres/day with the seven-furrow LO plough and double press, and we’ve found the extra tractor power to be a welcome boost on the hillier parts of the farm,” says Mr Williamson.

“We’re now getting a really clean, firm finish, that lets us go straight in with the drill on our lighter soils.

Heavier ground sometimes needs a pass with a cultivator.”

“I’m really pleased with the improvements we’ve made to ploughing and pressing,” says Terry. “The outfit is also easy enough to move – the packer linkage folds away, and the unit can be transported on the threepoint linkage to save using a trailer. It’s a convenient and effective system.”

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Making the most of timing For West Midlands contractor Dave Marshall, the growth of his business has enabled the firm to manage seasonal demand.

with auto steering guidance, I have more time to watch what’s going on behind.”

“With dual 4600 screens in the cab, I can put guidance on one screen and drill control on the other,” he says. “And then I skip alternate passes and make gentle headland turns, then fill in the missed bouts on the way back as I work towards the gate.”

“We get very few quiet times now, and the progression of our general contracting business over the last 10 years has helped to spread our workload to a point where there’s now something to do all yearround,” says Dave (pictured, with operators Richard Harris, left, and Liam Ansell, right).

Based at Parkside Farm, Albrighton, David Marshall Agricultural Contracting handles a wide variety of work. One of the busier times for the firm is the spring period, which sees cultivations and drilling work dovetail with destoning and bed forming for local potato growers.

In addition, the business handles around 600 acres of maize planting too, and is also involved in forage harvesting and baling.

“The maize planting has always been a slow, steady job, and with pressure on us for potato work and silage, the timing is always a challenge,” he says. “It’s one of those jobs that always needed a little more output, but without sacrificing accuracy.”

To make the most of timings, he has invested in a Kverneland Optima TF profi maize drill equipped with high-speed SX seeding units, supplied by local

Both see the extra speed from the Optima SX as an opportunity to grow the business. dealer Battlefield Machinery.

“I thought that we could make our maize planting faster, more accurate and more efficient by choosing the Optima SX,” he says. “And if we could drill the crop quicker, but without compromising on accuracy, it would buy us time and ease the pressure with other tasks.”

“We’ve gone all-in – more speed, more output and much more accuracy,” he says, referring to the precision seeder’s electric seed metering drive and auto start/ stop capability. “We have to trust the technology, and I knew that when we changed our old drill, we had to future-proof the job.”

“Where we were previously sowing maize at 7-7.2kph, we’re now working at a comfortable speed of 12kph – it is a huge improvement,” says Dave. “Most of our maize customers prepare

their own ground, and where they were chasing us to come drilling, we’re now waiting for them.”

He says the drill is so much more accurate when it comes to seed rates, and by reducing overlaps on headlands, he is confident that the crop will be easier to push through the forager, perhaps smoothing out performance.

“With the extra output, we can easily handle more maize drilling” Dave Marshall | Contractor

“There’s no point investing in bigger, more productive kit then over-lapping and wasting effort with inputs,” he says. It is a point that operator Liam Ansell confirms.

“I’m impressed with the drill’s ability to deal with any shape and size of field, without over-lapping,” says Liam. “To watch the drill work, and see how the individual row control automatically starts and stops seeding based on the drill’s position, is just incredible. And

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