ISSUE 46 | WINTER FOCUS
WHEN FARMING MEANS BUSINESS
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WELCOME TO ISSUE 46 MEET THE NEW MD Dan Crowe (left) has taken over as managing director of the Kverneland Group UK, from retiring md Joe Bell.
Dan’s career spans 26 years with the company, and he takes over his new role after 21 years as a product manager, latterly responsible for all feeding and forage equipment. “I’m looking forward to taking the business forward, and building on what Joe has achieved in his time at the top,” said Dan. “After almost 40 years in the industry – and the last 20 as managing director of the Kverneland Group UK - Joe is taking a well-earned retirement.” Joe Bell started his agricultural career with Ferrag in 1984 as financial controller. That business was sold to Kverneland in 1998 and merged with Vicon to form Kverneland Group UK, based at its current location in St Helens, Merseyside. In that time, Joe has guided the UK operation and its dealer network through many changes including the subsequent take-over in 2012 by Kubota Holdings. Joe said: “It’s been a tremendous period of change and evolution, and I’m now able to enjoy spending much more time with my family and grandchildren.”
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Groundswell 26-27 June Lannock Manor Farm, Hertfordshire Royal Welsh 22–25 July
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KVERNELAND HEADLAND NEWS
PUDAMA delivers with lower inputs The PUDAMA principle uses spot placement of fertiliser with maize, rather than continuous fertiliser placement. And a series of trials carried out in the UK by Kverneland during the 2023 season have supported those of around 30 Europe-wide trials, which proved that spot placement can maintain yield with a reduction of input costs. “We used an 8-row trailed Optima TF profi equipped with PUDAMA, and compared the results at harvest to maize grown with conventional fertiliser placement,” explains product manager Graham Owen. “Results showed that maize grown using PUDAMA with a 25% reduction in starter fertiliser
compared to 100% continuous placement of fertiliser generated an almost identical yield.” “Dry matter yield produced 16,412kg/ha for conventionally grown maize, against PUDAMA’s 16,376kg/ha. That represents a reduction in fertiliser use for a difference of just 36kg of dry matter.” With a patented air-shot and brush mechanism that preserves fertiliser quality, PUDAMA is to become more widely available, as the folding frame Optima F model now gets PUDAMA capability.
ECOMAT GOES IN-FURROW The Ecomat shallow plough range is expanding, and alongside the eight and 10-furrow on-land version is a new model developed for in-furrow use. Available with plastic or steel bodies, furrow widths can be from 10-18in thanks to hydraulic vari-width, and working depths can be from 6-18cm to suit Eco-stubble, Ecotillage and Eco-ploughing processes.
Available in six, seven and eight-furrow builds, the Ecomat comes with auto-reset leg protection using six springs, with the option of a HD spring pack for tougher conditions. As an option, the Ecomat can be equipped with an integral Packomat press, and road transport can include the TTS trailer transport system.
TWINFILL SIMPLIFIES MULTI-TANK MANAGEMENT
PWM FOR IXTRACK
Technology continues to evolve with the introduction of Twin Fill software, to simplify multi-tank management for the iXter B with iXtra front tank. Twin Fill ensures that the correct volumes of liquid in the correct concentrations for each tank, are correctly mixed, split and transferred.
Kverneland iXtrack T4 and T6 trailed sprayers can now be equipped with iXflow-Pulse.
When induction is complete, Twin Fill then ensures both tanks are correctly topped-up to the desired volumes with clean water. It is a process that avoids having to measure out all pesticides twice, and in different amounts, to separately fill a twin tank set-up.
This innovative development brings Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), in combination with the heavy duty HSS 30-40m boom range, to deliver greater accuracy and precision through fine-tuning of droplet size, coverage and water volumes. Using Raven’s Hawkeye to underpin the system, Kverneland Group Mechatronics has integrated PWM control into existing iXspray software. As a PWM system, iXflow-Pulse manages the duty cycle for opening and closing times of individual nozzles, to maintain droplet size and pressure, without impacting on the desired application rate.
IXTRACK T4 GAINS TANK AND BOOM OPTIONS The iXtrack T4 series is now available with an increased tank capacity of 5,300-litres, to bridge the gap between the previous range-topping 4,600-litre T4 and the 6,400-litre entry-level T6 model. In addition, the T4 series is now available with Kverneland’s clever HC vertical folding boom, offering a working width of up to 30m. The HC boom offers single-side spraying, and asymmetric and symmetric
folding of three, four or five boom sections, suiting those with narrow headlands or no headland – for example with vegetable production. The vertical folding HC boom is available from 18-30m, and can be equipped with five, seven, nine or 11 sections, or in combination with iXflow-E boom line recirculation and individual electric nozzle control.
Advantages include an extension of the working range of a single nozzle system, plus a greater ability to manage speed changes. These include curve compensation to manage the boom speed differential from one end of the boom to the other; starting and stopping on headlands; slowing down during turning; and managing forward speed changes when going up or downhill.
CTS IMPROVES PESTICIDE HANDLING A Closed Transfer System (CTS) has been developed for integration into the induction hopper of iXtrack trailed sprayers, to avoid the need to manually open containers and pour out the contents. With pesticide containers mounted on the CTS unit, products flow in a controlled and measured manner, even with part-can volumes. Using suction and pressure connections, empty containers can be cleaned and rinsed before removal from the CTS unit. Kverneland’s innovative design enables the remaining induction bowl assembly to provide operational flexibility for those needing to add powders or granules for the tank mix.
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Futureproofed combination At Pengwern Farm, Rhyl, Huw Jones (pictured) has long favoured the power harrow drill combination for its resilience to deteriorating weather conditions. His latest outfit - the very latest f-drill with 4m CB toolbar and NG-H 101 F30 power harrow supplied by Mona Tractors has raised the bar with output and convenience. Replacing a 3m s-drill pro, the new hydraulic folding outfit has boosted output considerably for the family farming business. “We geared up for autumn 2023, with this latest outfit,” explains Huw. “With the front hopper, there’s much better balance on the tractor than a rear hopper, and
I’ve a clear view down to the CX-II coulters, which are positioned for 12.5cm row spacings.” With 950 acres sown, comprising grass leys and cereal crops, he says output has risen from three acres/hour to almost five. “I can now comfortably plant 50 acres in 10 hours,” he says. “But more importantly, I can keep up with our two five-furrow Kverneland ploughs as they follow each other up and down the furrow.”
Wrapped around his John Deere 6215R Premium, Huw says fitting and removing the f-drill combination takes a matter of minutes. “The 1,600-litre front hopper with its central packer wheels, takes no more effort to fit and remove than my old 3m front press,” he says. “The seed pipe sits in a sliding clamp on the side of the cab, it’s easily released from the tractor and stowed on a hook in the shed. It’s so easy to do.”
“I can now comfortably plant 50 acres in 10 hours.”
He says that ISOBUS control has made the unit plug and play, and with RTK auto-steering, he reckons drilling has now become much more enjoyable, with time to observe what’s going on. “Calibration and emptying the hopper are so easy, because I can get to everything on the hopper,” he adds. “And with hydraulic depth control and easy adjustment of the clod boards on the power harrow, it’s very much an operator’s machine.”
SHALLOW SEEDING SUCCESS
Looking to improve establishment with upland reseeding projects for customers, David Hall, from Lanerton Farm, Brampton, Cumbria, has invested in a 3m Qualidisc Farmer complete with a-drill, supplied by CT Hayton.
David explains that carrying out a more intensive cultivation in areas where establishment needs to be more robust than that from his direct drill, provides his business with greater operational flexibility. “We can’t plough, there’s just too much stone beneath the surface, so the Qualidisc creates the tilth we need, along with thorough incorporation and mixing of any trash,” he says. “And because the a-drill broadcasts seed ahead of the levelling tines, what comes up is much more of a complete sward, compared to rows of grass 90mm apart if we used our direct drill.” Mr Hall says that reseeding after sheep have grazed stubble turnips is where the Qualidisc comes into its own. “It does a great job of lifting and
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rejuvenating the surface,” he says. “Two shallow passes can create a really good seedbed for establishing medium-term leys.” In addition to 700 ewes and 40 suckler cows he keeps on the 300-acres he farms, Mr Hall is also an agent for Sinclair McGill covering Cumbria and Northumberland, which sees him supplying grasses and premium seeds, including GS4 herb and legume mixes, under the Lima Grain brand. With 30 years’ experience under his belt, he has seen a steady shift from short term to medium term leys, to deflect establishment costs. “There’s now much more emphasis on getting a better seedbed, so we can get medium term leys off to a strong start, for
KVERNELAND HEADLAND NEWS
greater longevity,” he says. “And with electric seed metering, I’m no longer restricted to a fixed forward speed.”
travelling at 12-14kph, behind his
Working within a 20-mile radius of Lanerton Farm, he says output is around 6-7 acres/hour
become my preferred machine
150hp four-cylinder tractor. “The Qualidisc has now for establishing medium term leys,” he says.
FARM’S NEW ERA WITH NARROW TINE Equipped with narrow tines, a new ts-drill has made a successful first impression on a Nottinghamshire farm. Eakring Field Farm is a 138ha arable enterprise on clay loams with soils varying within fields. The focus is mainly on autumn sown crops – first and second wheats, winter barley and oilseed rape. “Once our soil gets wet, it takes a long time to dry out, so the more we can get done in the autumn, the better,” comments Adrian Cartwright, pictured with his son, Simon. The farm has recently worked closely with its agronomist to plan a regime that moves away from the plough, as Simon Cartwright explains. “We were ploughing, power harrowing and then combi drilling, and it was a slow, costly process,” says Simon. “As the weather deteriorated, the combi drill would block up, and as we have moved to chopping straw, it was hard to get residues to flow through.”
“We had a demo in chopped straw and we could see how the trash flowed through more easily.”
Having pared back cultivations to a subsoiler and discs, the next step was to find a more versatile drill that could handle a range of conditions, with the option of direct drilling into stubbles. Local dealer Farmstar suggested the ts-drill would be a contender, and equipped with the new low disturbance tine - a 15mm point set at 16.7cm spacings – this meant more stagger and clearance from five rows of tines.
straw hadn’t broken down even after cultivations, so it was a good test.” Bought for the 2023 season, the new drill brings plenty of innovation to Eakring Field Farm.
“Modern metering systems are a new experience – calibration is simply achieved using the IsoMatch Tellus GO+ terminal and a measuring bag under the hopper, so it takes five minutes rather than half an hour. And the “We had a demo in chopped screen even tells you which straw and we could see how the cartridge to choose when trash flowed through more easily,” changing crops,” explains Simon. recalls Adrian. “The dry autumn in 2022 meant that some of the The extremely wet autumn has
meant the 6m drill has covered little work so far, with the pair pointing out they were able to get back in the field sooner than with a combi drill. “We planned the hybrid barley for early September but then it came too wet,” he recalls. “Previously we would have had to open up the soil with the power harrow to dry it out before we could go, but we were able to get on with the ts, as soon as it stopped raining. It will also be useful in the spring, as the low disturbance tines will keep the moisture in and prevent soil from drying out too much,” adds Simon.
TS-DRILL GAINS LOW DISTURBANCE CAPABILITY While the ts-drill has developed an enviable reputation for working in far from ideal conditions, it can now add low disturbance to its repertoire.
regular ts-drill. Combined with an all-new leg design, the low disturbance tine gains 50kg more spring pressure, making it better suited to working in uncultivated ground.
This is a result of a narrow tine being developed for use with the drill, allowing the ts to be used as a one-pass drill working direct into stubbles.
In its standard guise, the ts-drill uses five rows of tines that can be spaced for 12.5cm or 15cm row widths. As a low disturbance drill, those same five rows are re-arranged to create a wider row spacing of 16.7cm, increasing its under-frame clearance for working in trashier conditions.
The narrow tine version uses a 15mm point compared to the 45mm assembly used on the
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TAKING AN EFFICIENT APPROACH
For the John Heaver Farming Partnership, machinery choices provide an efficient approach to crop establishment across the 1,500-acres it farms around Chichester in West Sussex. Cropping includes winter wheat, winter barley, winter and spring beans, and oilseed rape. And any stubbles destined for spring-sown crops play host to cover crops, with the Partnership focussed on improving soil health and biodiversity across its varied soil types.
Through local dealer C&O Tractors, the Partnership uses a 5m Qualidisc cultivator and 6m ts drill for establishment, with an Exacta TL GEOSPREAD and iXtrack T3 trailed sprayer delivering on crop care. The majority of the farm is now subsoiled ahead of one or two passes with the Qualidisc, followed by drilling, and rolling. And a six-furrow LB plough offers a full reset when timing and chemistry become less effective against grass weed control. Having equipment choices allows the Partnership to remain sympathetic to the soil’s needs and its structure, which includes minimising and alleviating compaction. According to the Partnership, the ts drill is proving a great all-rounder. It works across a
variety of seedbed conditions, and with most seed types. At speeds of around 16kph, output is a comfortable 80 acres per day, With ISOBUS connectivity and auto start-stop on the drill, plus section control on the sprayer and fertiliser spreader, inputs are managed with precision. Soils have been sampled and the whole farm is now mapped. The
Partnership is also using variable rate maps for seeding and spreading, in a bid to even-up the poorer areas in each field. As soils improve, the Partnership has the ability to vary its processes through the versatility of its equipment, to make the most of any additional yield potential as it seeks higher gross margins.
HIGH-FLOW PRECISION
In addition to the 400ha it farms at Bawdsey, Suffolk, Mann Farms carries out contract fertiliser applications on a wide variety of crop types. “When you apply fertiliser for customers, it puts the emphasis on the best accuracy and traceability,” explains Chris Mann.
“This is now my third Kv
His spreader of choice is an Exacta TLX GEOSPREAD iDC supplied by TNS, complete with hydraulic disc drive in place of the pto shaft.
auto section control is superb. My
spreader,” he says. “And they’re brilliant. I’ve had GEOSPREAD with every model bought, and the first spreader was swapped as soon as the high-flow TLX version arrived and I’ve recently changed again for the high-flow TLX with
“This is now my third KV spreader and it’s brilliant.”
iDC, for its simpler, safer driveline.” Working at 24m in a wide variety of crop types including onions, potatoes, lettuce, turf, sugar beet, maize and cereals, he says application rates vary from 50kg up to 1,250kg/ha. “Some of the different base fertilisers are applied at up to 1,250kg/ha, so moving to a TLX model saw my forward speed increase from 5kph to 7kph when spreading at the highest rates,” he says. Spreading with two Fendt tractors for their varied wheel and tyre combinations has been simplified with ISOBUS connectivity, which puts the spreader’s information directly onto the tractor terminal and avoids using multiple screens in the cab.
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KVERNELAND HEADLAND NEWS
Chris has also been keen to eliminate the pto shaft, to avoid the challenges posed by different shaft lengths and the potential for corrosion to seize the tubes together. “It doesn’t matter how good you are at cleaning, a pto shaft has always been an area for concern,” he says. “Now I don’t have to worry about it with iDC. It’s safer, and with just hydraulic pipes, it’s also much easier to connect.” He says that the high-tech spreader is also steering the farm towards harnessing variable rate applications for next season. “This level of accuracy is essential with fertiliser, as I’m spreading around 900 tonnes each year, for me and my customers,” he says. “And with variable rate, I’ll be looking to make even better use of fertilisers.”
A gentle touch To preserve as much leaf as possible with lucerne, WH Gittins & Sons near Ruyton XI Towns, Shropshire, has recently added a 53100MT triple mower to its fleet, complete with BX swath groupers. The BX swath groupers let the outfit put three into one, which avoids rehandling the delicate crop. WH Gittins has been growing around 200 acres of lucerne for the past few years, adding it to the farm’s rotation which includes wheat, oilseed rape, triticale, energy beet, rye and maize.
the ISOBUS-ready mower is plug-and-play on one of the farm’s JD 6R 215 tractors. With CommandPro, Sam Dutton has total flexibility over controls and functionality. The front mower is run through the CommandPro joystick, with the butterfly rear assigned to the secondary joystick.
It identified an opportunity to produce dried, baled lucerne for high-end dairy customers, with any surplus baled and wrapped for re-sale, or ensiled for its AD plant.
“I can lift and lower the rear mowers together, or individually,” says Sam. “And the 3332FT front mower is equipped with optional hydraulic folding outer guards, which is a neat touch.”
Cuts are taken in quantities that suit the farm’s on-floor drying capacity, which can often see blocks of crop mown on a weekly basis.
Another neat touch he likes, is the auto stop and start of the grouper belts, when the mower is raised or lowered.
“After a 24-hour wilt, we harvest the crop by forage wagon, and tip directly onto our drying floors,” explains AD plant and drying floor manager Sam Dutton, pictured. “With this much wider mower, we’re filling the forage wagon more efficiently, collecting three swaths instead of two.” Supplied by Battlefield Machinery,
“With this much wider mower, we’re filling the forage wagon more efficiently, collecting three swaths instead of two.” “We have the resources to dry crops,” says Sam. “But what we lacked was the ability to make full use of those facilities. Now we can mow on demand, and I can comfortably drop our weekly acreage in about 90 minutes.”
“It’s a very easy mower to set-up and use, and being ISOBUS, I can tailor the controls to my own preferences,” he says. “Contour following is superb, the bed suspension works very well, and I have three preset bed pressures in the control box.”
Sam says typical yield is around 10 tonnes/acre, but yield variation makes it challenging to determine exactly how much of an area to mow, to fill available floor space. Too much crop creates too deep a layer that hinders the drying process; and too little crop wastes resources.
The Farm gears its production around available space on its five drying floors.
“We aim for 15-20 loads per week with the forage wagon,” he says. “Sometimes it would fill the floor
space, sometimes not. By taking control of mowing, we have the ability to just go and cut a little bit more with the triple mower, should we need an extra two or three forage wagon loads to maximise drying floor space and efficiency.” “Knowing how adjustable the conditioner is, we weren’t overly worried about using a steel tine conditioner for lucerne – it had other uses for grass and whole crop rye, and will probably cut around 1,000 acres/year,” says Sam. “The conditioner hoods are fully opened in lucerne, so the tines are used only to transport crop onto the swath belts.”
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Faster, better feeding
Baltier Farm is a milk producer on a mission. With 800 cows passing through a 50-point rotary parlour on a daily basis, the emphasis is on feeding high quality forage as quickly and efficiently as possible.
It is why the family-run dairy farm on the south-western tip of Dumfries and Galloway has invested in a 32-cube Kverneland Siloking System 1000+ selfpropelled feeder, which was supplied by J&S Montgomery. “Before we changed to a self-propelled, feeding was tedious with a trailed machine, and it required much more kit to get the job done,” explains Scott Forsyth, pictured, who runs the farm with his father, Douglas.
“It takes just 10 minutes to load and mix what I need for each 10-tonne ration.”
“Now, I sit in one comfortable and quiet cab with full access to rations, and precisely weigh everything I need through the milling head, before emptying the mix at the feed barriers.” “Every ration has the same consistency, and the cows have a stable diet every day, which helps them to produce milk with settled tummies,” he adds. “I’m also mixing much more quickly now, preserving feed quality. It means our cows get the best quality grub they could wish for.” He says that a total of 10 ingredients go into the mixes required for high- and lowyielding cows, with the daily feeding regime completed in around 90 minutes. “It takes just 10 minutes to load and mix what I need for each 10-tonne ration,” says Scott. “And our clamp face is so much neater, with no secondary fermentation. And with wireless data transfer, I have full traceability and easy access to feeding records that are shared between the office and the machine.”
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The 286hp System 1000+ is a triple axle, triple auger machine, available in 25, 27, 29 and 32 cubic metre capacities. It also has two steering axles, creating a level of manoeuvrability that could embarrass a machine half its size. “It turns on a sixpence,” he says. “We have one area of the yard where our trailed feeder simply couldn’t get around – this thing just glides around the corners.” “There’s five cameras around the feeder, so I have a good view of what’s happening,” he says. “It has made feeding a more enjoyable task, and the quicker process has bought us more time.” The Forsyth’s 1,000-acre farm is self-sufficient when it comes to forage. Growing mostly grass silage, harvested over three cuts, Scott and his father Douglas have recently added maize into the mix, with the arrival of an eight-row trailed Optima precision drill. “We’ve turned to maize as a replacement for whole crop, and
with a demo of the Optima in 2022, we planted just 150 acres of maize to see how it would fare in our climate,” explains Scott. “Suffice to say, we kept the drill and pushed the maize area up to 250 acres.” He says the result was impressive, with a yield of 17 tonnes/acre at 40% dry matter. “We’re really pleased with the way it’s gone, and it’s proving a more beneficial feedstock for our cows, and our AD plant.” He says that maize is not grown under plastic, but careful varietal choices make the most of the climate in Wigtownshire. In addition to starter fertiliser, maize seedbeds also get a generous application of digestate from the farm’s AD plant. “We’re constantly refining and improving what we do across all aspects of the farm,” says Scott. “With the AD plant, we can utilise heat and electricity on the farm, while selling any surplus energy back to the grid.”
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HEADLAND NEWS JANUARY 2024 Headland News is published by Kverneland Group UK Ltd. 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.