Headland News Issue 35

Issue 35

Headland news

WHEN FARMING MEANS BUSINESS

Welcome to Issue 35 Being able to respond to change is a necessary part of any farmers’ skill set.

Weather, politics, consumer trends and the natural environment, all throw up challenges on a daily basis.

And this is what makes our industry a demanding but enjoyable place to work.

As a machinery manufacturer with a broad product offering our success is based upon understanding and responding to our customers’ needs. This 35th edition of Headland News explores the experiences of those who have invested in our products to help them respond to the everchanging world of farming, giving them the flexibility to deal with the many challenges they face.

We hope you are all keeping well and look forward to being able to meet up again in the not too distant future, when our industry is able to return to some level of normality.

Mid-mounted seed hopper for Optima TF Profi SX A drawbar-mounted seed hopper is now available on the Optima TF Profi SX high-speed precision drill. The pressurised, large capacity seed hopper compliments the SX seeding units to further improve output, making the most of the drill’s high-speed planting capability of up to 18km/h.

Currently available on the eightrow Optima TF Profi SX, the drawbar-mounted seed hopper boasts an 870-litre capacity – an increase of 390-litres over the eight, 60-litre hoppers traditionally used with each row.

One seed injector per row is located at the bottom of the

Photo competition winner announced

Joe Bell

Managing Director

Show Dates

Hydraulic folding for Enduro range

UK Dairy Day International Centre, Telford, Shropshire Sept 16 Scottish Ploughing Championships Monktonhill Farm, Prestwick Oct 23 & 24 The CropTec Show East of England Showground, Peterborough Nov 27 & 28

Toby Redshaw’s photograph of a five-furrow Kverneland plough with Packomat, is the winning shot that has earned him a Go Pro action camera.

The competition, which took place throughout last year to celebrate 140 years of Kverneland, was a search to find the best working image of Kverneland kit in the UK. Judges said image composition combined with contrast between crop and soil, marked this one out as a worthy winner. The calibre of images received was impressive, and we’d like to thank all those who took the trouble to enter.

2020

Tillage-Live Down Ampney, Gloucestershire Sept 23

hopper, with air flow used to transport seed to the sowing units at the back of the drill.

Seeds are then held in a 1.5-litre buffer area directly above each sowing heart, with airflow automatically started and stopped to maintain seed supply.

transport width of 2.85m.

The Enduro compact cultivator range has been extended with the addition of hydraulic folding models. Available in Enduro and Enduro Pro

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specifications, the new models offer 4m, 4.5m and 5m working widths, and are denoted by an ‘F’ suffix.

Hydraulic folding models can achieve an overall

Where the Enduro Pro is hydraulically adjustable, and includes a parallelogram linkage to maintain machine attitude when the depth is adjusted, the Enduro is manually adjusted. While the Enduro can operate from 5-30cm deep, the Enduro Pro can run deeper, to a maximum working depth of 35cm.

LO gains Max specification when in transport. A widesection, 420/55x17 swivel wheel replaces the previous twin-wheel assembly used on the LO. Road lights are now integrated, using a lightbar that attaches to the rear bodies when the plough is in its butterfly position. This assembly is simply unplugged and stowed on the side of the plough beam when in work.

To improve the plough’s hydraulic system longevity, a cartridgetype oil filter is now installed on the plough’s pressure line, to protect the valve block and plough cylinders from contamination.

The popular on-land, in-furrow LO plough is now available in Max specification with an enhanced build, that is packed with additional features and functionality.

Max specification brings a pivoting cross shaft to the plough’s headstock. This design is one that is capable of pivoting through 45-degrees, so the plough now follows like a trailer

Additional specification includes landside knives, skimmer extensions twin mouldboard stays, a 500mm (20in) rear disc and a frame strengthening kit.

This high-performance on-land,

New plough models now available For the mounted plough market, buyers can now choose from 2300S, 3300S and 3400S, while those looking to go larger can opt for the 6300S high-capacity semi-mounted model.

These new models benefit from features introduced on the i-Plough, including the aero profile leg, central adjustment for both skimmers, and a revised leafspring design for auto-reset models. New models also benefit from the i-Plough-

a five-to-eight furrow plough, derived pivoting cross shaft, allowing ploughs to be towed available with 100cm or 115cm like a trailer, during transport. interbody clearance. It gets a Cat III/IV compatible cross The three-to-five furrow 2300S shaft and a larger diameter is a newer version of the EG depth/transport wheel, which plough, which carried the 200 can be hydraulically steered. headstock, while four-toAll new plough models can six furrow 3300S is a newer be specified with manual version of the 300 series or hydraulically adjustable within the EG range. Above it vari-width from 30-55cm, with sits the 3400S in five, six and auto correction automatically seven-furrow builds, for both applied to the front furrow on-land and in-furrow use, and line of draft.

Moving into the semimounted series, the 6300S is

in-furrow plough comes in five, six and seven-furrow builds with hydraulic furrow width adjustment from 30-50cm (1220in). Underbeam clearance is 80cm, while interbody clearance can be 85cm or 100cm.

Want to plough deeper?

Choose the No.38 body with its taller mouldboard and shin piece, allowing 710 tractor tyres to sit in the furrow at working depths of around 35cm. The No.38 body also delivers the same performance as the No.28, when operating at shallow depths.

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DF1 controls costs for Denhay Farms

Renewing DD rings

each day, and that’s essential given the many different grass varieties we grow, in addition to sowing cereals,” he says.

Operator Dave Wilson says that changing seed varieties and recalibrating – which can be several times each day – is straightforward.

With the focus on producing high quality forage for its 1,200-cow dairy operation, Denhay Farms has looked at many areas where the cost of production can be reduced. It is a process that has seen the farm invest in a Kverneland DF1 power-harrow drill combination, to handle cereal and forage crop production.

“Our contractor costs had been gradually increasing, while our own resources were not being fully utilised,” explains farm manager Ben Hughes. “So we took control of cultivations and drilling and bought a 4m folding DF1 from local dealer GCS Agricentre.”

Located at Bridport, Dorset, the 2,500-acre farm already had a 5m

power harrow, and figured that the flexibility of the DF1 system would allow the drill to be removed, creating 9m of power harrow capability.

“The DF1 has given us a versatile and weather-proof crop establishment system” Ben Hughes | Farm Manager “We grow 700 acres of maize, and it’s all power harrowed ahead of drilling,” he says. “And without the extra weight of the drill components, the power harrow can be used on any of our tractors.”

“We can easily drill 50-60 acres

“There’s nothing complex about the power harrow drill combination,” says Dave. “The drill works through ISOBUS, and connects into my New Holland T7.260’s in-cab screen, and we drill using CentrePoint GPS.” “Seed is always placed into moisture, and we get good establishment through the CX coulters,” he adds. “With a focus on milk from forage, every crop has to be spot-on.”

Opting for a mounted combination with front tank also helps with stability on steeper banks.

“Having the front tank lets us split weight on the tractor,” he says.

“And the front press wheels that sit beneath the seed hopper are water-ballasted too – this helps to offset an empty seed hopper when travelling on the road.”

For Nick Playford, farm manager at RH Lamyman’s Wilsford Heath Farm near Ancaster, Lincs, the ability to source original replacement DD rings for Simba Great Plains implements through the Kverneland dealer network is viewed as good news.

“We have a 12-year old SL500, which covers around 500 acres of cultivation work each season as a one-pass solution ahead of the drill,” he says. “The DD rings do an excellent job of consolidating and breaking clods, yet it leaves the surface capable of allowing good drainage – but they’ve done a lot of work.”

His machine is currently undergoing DD ring replacement at local dealer Sharmans, to bring it back up to spec. And DD ring availability means the farm can also keep its Simba Double Press and Flatliner with DD press in working condition.

“Obsolete implements can still work perfectly, if you can guarantee parts supply to keep them going,” says Nick.

A new generation of power harrows An all-new range of Kverneland rigid power harrows has been revealed. Called M series, H series and S series, the models span working widths from 2.5m to 4.5m, and feature a host of developments introduced by the R&D department at Kverneland Group Soest, Germany, where the new range is manufactured.

Now with a self-supporting trough, engineers have increased strength while reducing weight, and all models can be equipped with standard tines or the new XHD tungsten-carbide version, all with the proven Quick-Fit system (see page seven for details).

A new headstock design – common to all models – reflects the added versatility now on offer.

This design incorporates Cat II/III couplings, and changing between them requires the bolt-on

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headstock to be rotated through 180-degrees.

The headstock allows easy integration of a seed drill combination, while a euroconnection suits rapid attachment or removal of a coulter bar.

With four rotors per metre and helical tine positioning, there has been a reduction in peak loads on the driveline, resulting in smoother running and lower fuel consumption.

As part of the development process, the range has been subjected to the most aggressive scenarios including deep working when turning, in combination with drills and toolbars, and with random stress tests in a quarry, to guarantee proven Kverneland quality. As a result, all new M, H and S series power harrows now carry a three-year warranty.

Qualidisc adds versatility to cultivations strategy

Minimum disturbance disc for u-drill A new design of cultivation disc is being introduced for the u-drill, to suit those looking to minimise soil disturbance.

This minimum disturbance disc takes the place of the u-drill’s short disc harrow. Previously known as the Great Plains Turbo Coulter, the disc design is one that has the ability to work as part of a conservation tillage system, or within a conventional crop establishment process.

The 430mm diameter straight disc has a fluted profile around

its circumference, which assists with removing surface trash, while lightly preparing soil in a 30-50mm seeding strip. Each disc also aligns perfectly with the u-drill’s CD double-disc seed coulters, creating a narrow seedbed in a strip of soil, and delivering a row spacing of 16.67cm.

Each low disturbance disc is individually mounted using the proven 3D auto-reset rubbermounting system, allowing it to follow ground contours, but also to deflect on-contact with any in-field obstructions.

West Midlands contractor Dave Marshall faces many different soil types around his base at Albrighton. With a wide variety of cultivations required for autumn and spring-sown cereal crops, plus bed forming for local potato growers, the business keeps its options open when it comes to equipment choices.

versatility on a wide range of soil types and stubbles,” he says. “I had it on demo and used it myself, and it worked pretty much anywhere, and on anything.”

One of its better choices, is a 5m trailed Qualidisc, bought from Battlefield Machinery.

“It’s rare to find a bit of kit that will handle so much variety,” he adds. “It’ll work equally as well on ploughing as well as stubbles, and working deep or shallow. And the rear packer roller will smash down clods.”

“We bought the Qualidisc four years ago, to replace another 5m machine, and give us more

“Importantly, the 5m working width is a good match to our 200hp tractors,” says Dave.

Meet Kverneland’s plough and drill specialists When it comes to ploughs, cultivators, drills and spreaders, little gets past the extensive knowledge of Kverneland product managers Graham Owen (left) and Adam Burt (right).

specialist know-how has become a secure link between factories and farmers, and extends across seed drills, power harrows, fertiliser spreaders and iM Farming technology.

has been a Kverneland product manager since 1998. “And it has become beneficial to apply some engineering knowledge to find the right solution for our customers.”

Graham has gained a wealth of knowledge and a depth of experience, honed during his 37 years within the business. His

“For me, it’s all about the correct selection, and application of equipment, to improve a farm’s efficiency,” explains Graham, who

“Getting the best from technology also requires a much more integrated approach with operators too, which ultimately adds value to a customer’s business,” he says. “And that’s down to team-work and knowledge transfer with our dealers too.”

“Getting the best from implement technology requires an integrated approach with farmers and operators ” Graham Owen | Product Manager Adam Burt has been with Kverneland since 2004, initially as a product support engineer and area manager, before taking on the role of product manager in 2012.

And being in direct contact with

the Group’s plough and cultivator factories to support dealers and customers, has been a pivotal part of an evolving partnership.

“Having a direct connection with the factories does help our customers in many different ways,” he says. “Firstly, we can fine-tune plough and cultivator specifications to suit the UK market, and secondly, we can help our dealers to find the best solutions for a customer’s seedbed requirements.”

He says that by identifying what growers want to achieve with primary and secondary cultivations, the product manager’s role can have a positive impact on their businesses.

“Correct machine set-up is essential if customers are to get the very best out of their investment in Kverneland machines,” says Adam. “And by identifying changes in practice with growers, we can also help to define future product developments too.”

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Are you working your soils correctly?

Kverneland cultivator tines have been designed to suit various soil types, working depths, soil movement and residue management, in both primary and secondary cultivations.

According to David Holmes, Kverneland’s commercial product manager for arable systems, the ability to work as deep as necessary, and also vary the depth of operation, is vital to managing residue while repairing and restructuring soil profile during cultivations.

“It’s why we offer Triflex and Reflex tines with a choice of 10 shares, allowing maximum flexibility with soil disturbance at depths from 3-20cm,” says David.

Triflex has five share options

from a 25cm wing for shallow operation, to an aggressive 6.5cm wing for deeper loosening. The Reflex tine includes Knock-on points from 24cm wide, narrowing to a 5cm share, again for deeper operation.

Where the Reflex 200 tine suits light to medium soils with its 200kg penetration force and high frequency vibration to aid shattering, the more rigid Triflex 400 and 700 models can withstand greater force in heavier soils – typically, 400 and 700kg respectively.

Triflex tines also feature a dual working angle, for controlled soil movement.

This combines deep loosening and shallow mixing in one operation.

DTX encourages move towards min-till For Robert Hadley, traditional farming practices have long suited the family farming operation based at Chesterton Fields Farm near Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

While the 1,400-acre farm still relies on its plough for the lion’s share of cultivations, a recent shift in rotation combined with challenging weather patterns has created an opportunity to adopt an element of min-till.

“We chose a Kverneland DTX 300 for its ability to loosen, cultivate

and consolidate, all in one pass,” explains Robert Hadley. “We’ve had past experience of a DD roller with old Simba kit, and it produces a fantastic finish. Now we can get the required finish while loosening to a depth of 8-10in and also incorporating residues.”

The introduction of maize into the rotation - this year’s crop is an impressive 450-acres for grain – has put the emphasis on soil remediation and restoration, and the DTX has become the tool of

choice. Maize has replaced oilseed rape in the rotation, and joins winter wheat, winter barley, peas and beans, alongside grassland for the farm’s Knightcote herd of pedigree south Devon cows and calves.

“Combining maize in late autumn can see a few ruts here and there, and the plough won’t do as good a job lifting and aerating our land,” he says. “The DTX will.

And it leaves a great finish that is both weather-proof and ready for

drilling. And that’s important when dealing with surface trash and stalks post-harvest.”

Supplied by Murleys at Warwick, Robert says the DTX has been used with its legs at different depths, and has been used for stale seedbed management too.

“We’ve used the cultivator on top of ploughing, with legs almost out of the ground, and we’ve doublepassed on stubbles too – it’s very easy to get a great finish.”

“The DTX leaves a great finish that is both weather-proof and ready for drilling” Robert Hadley | Owner Soils at Chesterton Fields Farm range from medium loams to heavy blue clays, and in all circumstances, the DTX has delivered.

“As a one-pass tool, it’s ideal, and we’ve not needed to find extra horsepower – our Kubota M7 tractors can handle it with ease.”

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Easy seedbeds with plough and Packomat Looking to improve seedbed quality and reduce passes when ploughing, Timothy Hamilton has recently purchased a five-furrow Kverneland plough with integrated Packomat.

“I really liked the clever integration of the Packomat, which rides with the plough,” he says. “It has made ploughing and pressing a simple, oneman operation, and saved a pass.”

From Killunpha Farm, Port Logan near Stranraer on the West coast of Scotland, good weather windows are few and far between. And the plough holds the key to

cultivations, if the 500-acre mixed farm is to make the most of its 250 acres of arable cropping.

“I like the clean seedbed that ploughing creates,” he says. “But before buying the plough and Packomat, we needed to use a roller with shatterboards to set up the seedbed for our cultivator drill.”

“Now, we can drill behind the plough, because the Packomat cultivates and consolidates the furrows. It’s as good as making another pass with a cultivator,” says Timothy.

The five-furrow ES250 with integrated press and No.28 bodies was supplied through J&S Montgomery, and is comfortably handled by Mr Hamilton’s Valtra T174 tractor on 650 tyres.

“The plough and Packomat has removed a pass from our cultivations process” Timothy Hamilton | Owner “We stepped up to five furrows too, and it’s not a heavy outfit,” he says.

“We’re easily on top of the job, and can now cover over 30 acres/day.”

Depending on soil type and following crop, the farm typically ploughs from 6-9in deep, and using furrow widths from 16-20in.

“Auto-reset is essential in the stonier fields, so having plenty of adjustment lets us tweak the plough to suit anything from sand to clay soils,” he adds. “I’m very pleased with the decision to buy the plough and Packomat.”

Original Parts now with XHD treatment A new and extended range of tungsten carbide-tipped parts has been developed by Kverneland for use on its ploughs and power harrows.

Called XHD Carbide, these extra heavy-duty components incorporate a new design of tungsten carbide tile, that wraps around the leading edge of the part. This corner tile design prevents the hard-wearing elements from being damaged or knocked off

by hidden obstructions, when leading edges are put to work.

Corner tiles compliment the existing straight tile design, which is now used on flat-faces for extra protection, leaving the advanced corner tile design for use on highpressure leading edges.

For ploughs, the extended range of carbide-tipped components now joins the plough point and share, and includes short and long landsides,

shins and skimmer shares. For power harrows, extra protection comes from wrapping the leading edge of the tine with a tungsten carbide tile.

“We’re extremely excited about this new range of XHD original parts,” says Richard Bennett, Kverneland parts marketing manager. “And to coincide with the launch of the XHD carbide range, these new components are available at a special introductory price, until the end of August 2020.”

The base metal on all XHD parts receive the same heat-treatment and toughness processes as Kverneland original parts, but with the addition of tungsten carbide tiles.

“XHD is the beginning of a new era in wearing metal for Kverneland customers” Richard Bennett Parts Marketing manager

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Outstanding accuracy from GEOSPREAD With awkward shaped fields and overlaps highlighting the need for greater accuracy with fertiliser spreading, Kerr Howatson, manager of Bruce Farms knew there were improvements to be made.

“Overlaps were obvious in spring barley,” he explains. “And I had to find a way of improving our application accuracy, while running in 30m tramlines.”

He attended a Kverneland KnowHow event at his local dealer, Netherton Tractors, and was impressed with what he saw.

“Half-width shut-off would have been an improvement, but by the time I’d finished the evening, I knew that auto start/stop and 1m section control across the full working width was where we needed to be,” he says. “And the Exacta TL GEOSPREAD gives that and more.”

Bought in March this year, he says the farm has achieved a level of application accuracy previously unseen – being just 5kg light over the entire 750-acre spring barley crop.

“It’s an absolutely outstanding fertiliser spreader, and the accuracy is incredible,” says Kerr. “It is

probably the best spreader on the market right now. And while it’s quite an expensive machine to buy, I expect to recover its cost in just three-to-four years.”

“Kverneland GEOSPREAD is probably the best spreader on the market right now ” Kerr Howatson | Farm Manager The 2,000-acre farming business based at Balmyle, Meigle in Perthshire, has spring barley as its only cereal crop among a rotation that includes peas, beans, potatoes and grass – the latter for a pedigree Charolais herd.

“All our fertiliser is applied through the spreader,” he says. “We opted for ISOBUS, so we could make the most of plug-and-play capability with our John Deere tractors and existing in-cab terminals.”

“Attending that Know-How evening was well-worth it in many ways,” he says. “And we’ve had great customer service during the spreader’s installation along with effective training too, which has proved invaluable for crop assurance schemes.”

Kverneland kit now on Farming Simulator Kverneland has teamed up with Giants Software to create an exclusive collection of implements for the virtual world, which are available for use on the popular computer game Farming Simulator 2019.

drill combination, 24-row Monopill and 12-row Optima RS precision drills.

Through the add-on pack, gamers can experience a host of Kverneland arable machinery including the i-Plough, 12m DG-II seed drill, 8m Turbo and 5m Enduro Pro cultivators, DF-2 power harrow

Farming Simulator gives players the most complete farming experience, and the development of the Kverneland equipment pack extends its appeal across PC, Mac, PS4 and Xbox One platforms.

Grassland kit is also included, and extends to mowers, tedders and bale wrappers.

Your Nearest Dealer: Headland News is published by Kverneland Group UK Limited. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced, stored in a data retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means electronic, photographic, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.

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