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New Carrier XL Cultivator
New Tempo mounted maize drill
New Spirit 600C Combi-drill
This new family member of disc cultivators has larger discs ideal for thick layers of crop residue.
Tempo T is a tractor-mounted drill that works on the same principle as the acclaimed Tempo F.
Introducing the new Spirit 600C, equipped with new features and fan design.
June 2013
vision News from V채derstad
Combi-drilling with Spirit 600C
Six new machines in six years! After six years with Väderstad UK covering product support I have been privileged to witness the rapid expansion of the product range to suit every farm business and every soil type. During this time I have seen the introduction of Seed Hawk, Spirit Combi, Swift, Carrier X, Strip-Drill and most recently Tempo. With this growing machine range we have the constant challenges of maintaining our product knowledge and transferring this to our dealer network through training and day-to-day support. Constant communication between us, our farmer customers and the factory ensures that we continue to develop the strength, reliability and innovation for which Väderstad is globally renowned. Such is our confidence in our machines that we have recently committed to 2 year warranty on all new Väderstad machines. After the extreme wet of 2012, spring has finally arrived and the recent drier weather has helped everyone play catch up. It has also marked the start of a new season in the Väderstad calendar -maize drilling! From late April when the ground temperature had risen sufficiently the first Tempo precision planters went to work. With some 8 row folding machines planting over 2000 acres in a season barely longer than 3 weeks it is obvious why the speed and accuracy of Tempo are such key advantages. With Tempo already creating many questions regarding the precision drilling of other seed types and the introduction of our new Strip-Drill concept machine, there are some exciting and rewarding times ahead for us. Despite the uncertainties and concerns around climate change and sustainable food production I personally believe that there has never been a better, more interesting and innovative time to be involved in the agricultural industry! Mike Laughton Territory support manager midland/South.
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Väderstad is introducing its new Combi-drill Spirit 600C. The new machine comes with a 5000 litre hopper where the relative proportions of seed and fertiliser can be altered with a dividing wall, or the entire hopper volume can be used for seed. A sturdy platform on the side provides easy access to the hopper. An auger allows for large quantities of fertiliser to be metered out in the same way as on the existing large Rapid Combi seed drill. It can also be used to meter out seed if the whole hopper is required. Spirit 600C has the capacity for fertiliser application rates of up to 800kg/ha. The fertiliser is drilled in rows via coulters positioned in the System Disc toolbar, and is then covered by the flow of soil created by the discs. The soil is re-consolidated by carrying wheels and press wheels. Spirit 600C is equipped with load-sensing hydraulics so all hydraulic control takes place in the machine with only three hoses connected to the tractor. In practice, this makes it possible to programme the oil flow, and the order in which different cylinders should operate, e.g. during turning on headlands. Spirit 600C is equipped with the Fenix II metering system that is capable of drilling extremely low
Spirit’s new integrated fan seed rates – down to 1kg/ha – as well as different sizes of seed. A flap for shutting off the flow of seed and fertiliser to the metering system makes it easy to work on the seed drill even when the hopper is full. Being completely corrosion-proofed makes it suitable for fertiliser too. A new feature on the Spirit 600C is a fan that is now integrated into the hopper, which along with refining the design of the drill and the air passages in the machine, has helped to greatly reduce fan noise.
Tempo goes mounted
The Gilstring Seed Meter
Väderstad’s Tempo T is a tractormounted drill that works on the same principle as the acclaimed high speed precision maize drill Tempo F that was launched at Cereals last year. Tempo T is hydraulically carried on the three-point linkage and has a telescopic frame designed to help decrease the width of the machine during transport. The telescopic frame is hydraulically controlled from the tractor cab.
The seed enters the meter from the seed hopper. As the seed disc rotates a seed will be retained in a hole within the seed disc as a result of higher pressure inside the seed meter. The seed will follow the rotation of the disc.
Seed is drilled with the same precise row units as on Temp F. The centre of gravity has been placed close to the tractor, so it can be used on smaller tractors. The machine has the same responsive linkage and suspension as on the Tempo F. Tempo T is available in six or seven row units; the 6 row configuration can use a row spacing between 600800mm, while a 7 row can use a row spacing from 500-600mm. The machine can easily be rebuilt between six and seven row configurations. Since each Gilstring seed meter has a seed sensor it is possible to test the accuracy of each seed meter with different seed qualities before the season start To reduce vibrations at high speed each row unit is designed with trailing gauge wheels connected to a walking tandem.
To ensure a good seed to soil contact, the row unit is equipped with a press wheel directly after the seed tube. Tempo T can be used at high speed in conventional, reduced tillage and in no-till conditions. The pressurised seed meters ensure that the drill is insensitive to both slopes and vibrations. An electrical seed drive allows the row units to be shut-off individually, making calibrating a simple operation. Seed rate or distance between the seed can be altered from the control station and seed rates can be altered on the move.
A metal flap ensures that seeds removed by the singulator cannot fall down into the seed tube, thereby preventing doubles in the row. A wheel located in the lid of the seed meter will block the airflow through the hole of the disc and the seed will be shot down through the short seed tube. We call this technique Power Shoot.
Directly after leaving the seed meter the seeds pass a sensor which detects the distance between them. The driver receives all information on the ControlStation. The seed is shot into the soil at high speed, caused by the pressure difference between the inside of the seed meter and outside pressure. This together with the short distance in the seed tube ensures a high precision even at high speed.
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Are you investing in new machinery? Machinery costs are often one of the largest farm business overheads and sound investment decisions are needed in all successful farm businesses. Arable farms should be aiming to spend around £220-230 per hectare on their machinery costs (fuel, repairs, depreciation) across the whole farm. The Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) on plant and machinery reduced from £100,000 to £25,000 in April 2012, this reduction was reversed 8 months later with a £250,000 capital allowance introduced for 2 years with effect from January 1 2013. As the graph shows the highest number of registrations for new tractors has been in March each year suggesting a flurry of activity in order to maximise the use of capital allowances. Unfortunately some of these purchases are undertaken without fully understanding the cost implication of the purchase. The potential tax benefits must not be the driving force behind capital investment in machinery.
Figure 1 Tractor Registrations >50HP
Units registered >50hp
2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Source Andersons/AEA
All successful and effective businesses need to invest to ensure long term sustainability but purchases (whether expensive or not) must be carefully thought out. The first steps when thinking of investing are to ask some critical questions. How will the machinery benefit my business? What are the risks of investing? Is it the right piece of machinery for my farm system? Once these questions have been answered
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a comparison between the additional costs and savings associated with a change in machinery is essential. Before a clear business decision can be made all options must be considered. Buying machinery outright may not be the best decision for every farm. The benefits and downfalls of options such as finance arrangements, leasing, using contractors or shared ownership should be evaluated. The efficiency of the machinery will be important when deciding the right option; fuel usage, labour, emissions, work rate and cost of finance option must all be calculated (being realistic with the figures). When considering how to finance a machinery purchase it is important to look at all the options and the interest, costs and arrangement fees associated with each one, e.g. a loan, hire purchase finance or financing through an overdraft as sometimes this can make a difference to the cost of the investment. Although depreciation does not affect the business cashflow, it is still an important factor to consider. The capital cost of a machine is often the main figure considered in buying machinery, although the ‘life cost’ of the machine needs to consider efficiency, work-rate, reliability and longevity. For this reason, more expensive machinery often works out to be less expensive in the long run. For example, a machine that costs 25% more to purchase but lasts twice as long with fewer repairs or breakdowns will clearly work out less expensive in the long run. Farming is a long-tem business. These deliberations must also include what machinery is right for you and your farming operations. The value of reliability should not be underestimated, particularly with the UK’s unreliable weather! Emily is a consultant with the Andersons Centre. She can be contacted on eevans@theandersonscentre.co.uk or 01664 503 200.
A versatile drill The ability to work effectively in a wide range of soil types and conditions is the essential element a Dorset contractor looked for in his seed drill. Mike Hillyer admits he was nosey in his search for a replacement drill to increase the flexibility of the crop establishment operation offered by MJ Hillyer Agricultural Services, the contracting company he established eight years ago.
MJ Hillyer Agricultural Services’ Väderstad Rapid 400 in action; one of the drill’s major attributes is its consistency of seed placement depth. Cultivations and drilling is an important part of the business, which offers arable and livestock customers a wide range of services, including umbilical slurry application, manure spreading, mowing and raking, and big square baling and wrapping, from its base at Coombe Farm, Sherborne. “I was looking for a versatile drill that would work effectively on ploughed land, in a minimal tillage system or as a direct drill on the wide variation in soil types in the area – it ranges from boys land to heavy ground – and suits the range of operations my customers require,” Mike explains.
“A colleague ran a Väderstad Rapid and I was nosey; I’d looked over the hedge and seen some of the seedbeds he had drilled into. They weren’t ideal and I was impressed by the consistency of establishment and germination. I also thought the Rapid was well built, with a low maintenance requirement.” That assessment led him to replace MJ Hillyer’s tine drill with a Väderstad Rapid 400 with Systems Discs, supplied by Drews of Dinton. The 4m model was chosen due to the wide variation in field size and contours in the area he covers, Mike says. It is now into its third year on the fleet and covers 2000 – 2500 acres/season drilling a range of crops: winter cereals (wheat, barley and oats), oilseed rape, beans, linseed and kale.
“The Väderstad Rapid 400 has more than fulfilled my requirement for a versatile drill that works effectively on ploughed land, in a minimal tillage system or as a direct drill on the wide variation in soil types in the area,” says Mike Hillyer. “It’s mainly into cultivated ground and we can drill into seedbeds that are not quite ready. The System Disc, levelling board layout creates a good seedbed in front
of the seed coulter discs,” Mike says. “Although it’s primarily into prepared land, importantly, we also use the Rapid to drill grass after maize and as a direct drill for grass into permanent pasture and for stubble turnips.” “In ideal conditions we cultivate with a tine-disc combination, spray off the stale seedbed and go straight in with the drill but if needed we press in front of the drill. Output is up to 100 acres a day and we use the Rapid behind a 200hp Fendt 720 or a 220hp Fendt 722, as you need a good forward speed, 12 to 16kph, to get the soil moving and levelled.” In addition to its versatility Mike says the Rapid scores significantly in its consistency of seed placement. “You set the drill to the depth you want and there is uniform placement across the whole working width, which results in even establishment and germination,” he says. “We use the Trimble autosteer system for further accuracy in drilling and customer feedback has been that the Rapid produces a neat, tidy job.” In addition to its performance in the field, Mike considers a high resale value a major attribute of the Rapid 400. But when Mike changes the drill the likelihood is that he will stay with Väderstad. “We might go for a Spirit; it’s lighter so could enable us to go out to 6m,” he says. “But when I first saw the Rapid working I thought ‘it’s that drill for me and that drill only’ and it’s still the case.”
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Precision maize drill is key to anaerobic digester operation When Severn Trent Greenpower invested £15m in the construction of an anaerobic digester at its Stoke Bardolph site in Nottingham– a digester which would provide sufficient electricity to power 4500 homes – it was decided from the onset to use maize silage as its principal source of fuel. To maintain the required output, the digester has an annual consumption of over 37,000 tonnes of maize which is ensiled in five enormous silage clamps and fed in to the system at a rate of over100 tonnes/day. The crop is grown on 700ha of land owned by Severn Trent Water and also on land rented from neighbouring farms so that the total area grown is about 800ha (2000 acres). On-going trials have resulted in varieties being selected which have performed well in anaerobic digesters. Maize production then is a major part of the whole energy production system and it is one which clearly needs to be a wellplanned, efficient operation which ensures the large acreage involved is sown on time and produces maximum yield and quality. John Jackson, Severn Trent Water’s farms and energy crop manager, considers that,
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as with the growing of all crops, it is the sowing and the germination of seed which is so important – without plants even the best husbandry will count for nothing. “It is essential we achieve the optimum plant population when sowing our maize,” he says. “A shortfall of silage could have grave consequences for the operation of the digester.” For this year’s sowing season, Mr Jackson purchased a new drill to plant the maize – a Väderstad Tempo F8 which
“It allows accuratesowing at speeds I would never have considered possible.” was operated by contractor George Kay based at nearby Lowdham, Notts. A trailed eight-row precision planter, it is the latest development from Väderstad which has, as its key feature, the company’s new seed metering unit. Called the Gilstring seed meter, it is a patented system which uses air pressure,
rather than suction, to allow individual seeds to be held in the seed wheel. This means that when the seed is released it is powered down the short seed tube by air pressure to provide a positive feed of seed to the soil – its course unaffected by gradients or vibrations as a gravity based system may be. According to Mr Kay, who has been sowing maize for a number of years, the new metering system is a major development. “It allows accurate sowing at speeds I would never have considered possible,” he says. “I normally worked at about 8kph with the old drill but I have been up to 16kph with this new drill – with no change in accuracy. A steady day will see over 150 acres being drilled.” To prevent skips or doubles the meter has three small wheels on the circumference of the seed wheel, the position of which can be fine-tuned to ensure each of the retaining holes in the seed wheel contains a single seed. Seed is held in individual hoppers which have sufficient capacity for up to 40 acres between fills and the drill has also been fitted with a 1700kg granular fertiliser
New System Coulter for TopDown BioDrill hopper which uses air to convey metered amounts to the drill rows and place it about 5cm to one side of the seed. “The soil to seed placement is really good,” comments Mr Kay. “The press and closing wheels ensure the seed is covered firmly and, as a result, the germination has been very even across the fields.” While Väderstad has produced the equipment to plant seed precisely and quickly, it is also important that the operator is provided with the means to monitor its performance. And for this, the Tempo’s control, calibrating and monitoring system must count as one of the best in the business. “It really is a comprehensive system which not only monitors the speed and performance of each seed meter,” he says. “It’s screen also provides me with an overview of the whole drill’s status with bars showing the precision on individual rows – and, if selected, the number of skips, double and coefficient of variation.” Mr Kay uses his 175hp MF 7618 tractor to operate the drill. A Trimble-based autosteer system relieves him of steering duties and allows him to keep a close watch on the performance of the drill. The system also provides an auto-cut off of seed at the headland.
Built in the UK as a farmer-inspired attachment, the System Coulter develops the highly successful TopDown/BioDrill combination to give more accurate and more consistent seed placement than the broadcasting method. Using an array of existing Väderstad componentry with bespoke floating frames, the System Coulter sits neatly behind the packer roller of the TopDown and beneath the hopper of the BioDrill.
has shown significant benefits in terms of yield and consistency with oilseed rape establishment in conditions politely described as “varied and challenging”. Starting at £11,770 for the 4m version fitted with Marathon coulter points as standard, the System Coulter will be available in limited numbers for the 2013 establishment season.
Suitable for all folding models of TopDown (4m, 5m, 6m, 7m), the attachment has coulters spaced generously over three rows to give wide clearances and an effective row spacing of 25cm. Following harrows from the Rapid drill complete the combination and ensure effective seed coverage. Aimed specifically at oilseed rape establishment, the System Coulter delivers consistent seed to soil contact when working in trashy conditions and aids germination through placing the seed at a consistent depth into moist ground. Farmer experience with evaluation units over the last 4 seasons
“Overall, I think that in the Tempo, Väderstad has produced a first rate drill which has the ability to plant maize and other seeds accurately at high speeds and provide the output required when large acreages are involved,” he concludes.
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New Carrier XL has larger adjustable discs This new family member of disc cultivators was created to satisfy the demand from customers mainly in maize growing regions. The larger disc is better at penetrating the often thick layers of crop residues left after maize harvesting. It can also be used in all other heavy residue conditions, or for example when working in large amounts of manure. The discs are 61cm in diameter and can be adjusted individually so as to optimise the angle from 10 to18 degrees depending on the type of work. This allows the same precision to be achieved from shallow cultivation down to 15cm. It takes around half an hour to adjust all the discs. It is a worthy candidate for both stubble cultivation and secondary cultivation. This makes the Carrier XL a true multi-talent, working from shallow depth down to 15cm with the same precision. It is a worthy candidate for both stubble cultivation and secondary cultivation. The discs are positioned in an X-shape, which neutralises the side forces and ensures that the machine runs straight. The major benefit of this is obtained in hilly conditions and when using RTK guidance systems, where it reduces the overlap capacity and thus saves
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money. Another new feature is the sharpened cut-outs of the disc. This not only ensures exceptional cutting ability, but also keeps the original disc shape even when worn. As with the normal Carrier, the disc is conically shaped, which means that the work angle can be maintained irrespective of wear or
working depth. The shape also crumbles the soil very well. The machine is available with the V채derstad aggressive steel packer, which consolidates effectively to maximum depth and leaves a smooth surface behind. The working depth can be easily changed to optimise the work according to the
Cultivating Quality Get 2 years finance, interest free or pay nothing until January 2014. 10-18째
conditions and the machine has few greasing spots. To maintain a long life, all tools working in the soil are mounted with rebounding suspension. The Carrier XL completes the product range for row crops, adding to the existing families of Tempo, NZA and TopDown.
Cut the cost of establishing your autumn crops and overcome the pressures on cash flow with these special finance offers. Valid until the end of June 2013. Terms and conditions apply.
Visit www.vaderstad.com/uk for further information
Carrier XL is available in widths 9.25 and 12.25m.
Fre Mara e set of thon poi with every nts mach ine T he o
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One cultivator to fit all situations, the ideal contractor tool The versatility of Väderstad’s 4m TopDown and Biodrill for establishing oilseed rape plus using it as a main shallow and deep cultivator for cereals has saved a Hampshire contractor significant servicing costs, given greater management flexibility, improved establishment and boosted output. Matt Culley set up Bourne Valley Contract Farming in 2009 as a partner company to the 178ha family cereal and fruit farming operation in order to run his own business and to define a clearer line on costs so that he could invest more readily in new machinery. The contracting business now operates across 650ha. His first experience with a minimum tillage system was back in 2001 when the farming business replaced the plough with a Horsch drill. He bought the TopDown in 2004 and it has effectively transformed his soils. A 4m Rapid arrived in 2007/2008 and is used to establish all the cereals.
“Rape establishment is now a one man operation so we can be drilling rape at the same time as combining.” “We had to change our establishment system because on our chalk soils, deep cultivations – six inches or more – simply brought up chalk and on our clay soils it would bring up lumps that would then need a power harrow operation to knock them into a reasonable seedbed. Since switching, soil structure has improved on both soil types,” says Mr Culley. “After we bought the TopDown we kept the Horsch drill as we didn’t know much about Väderstad at the time and we really needed to get our money out of the Horsch before replacing it.”
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Mr Culley chops and incorporates all the straw in order to raise the organic status of the soils. “The ability to do this operation well is largely down to the TopDown,” he says. “To use it as a subsoiler with thin points or as a shallow cultivator with wider points
or as a Carrier just using the front discs, makes it a very versatile tool. As a contractor, having one machine that can do many jobs means that we are only servicing one machine rather than potentially three. Our Rapid drill is the icing on the cake.”
Tempo sets a new record in planting The business no longer uses the farm’s seven leg Shakerator subsoiler, which has been banished to the nettles. Previously he would subsoil out all the tramlines and compacted areas, then go in with a 3m Lemken Terradisc to level off the soils over several passes. This was pulled by a John Deere 930 or 6506. “Rape establishment is now a one man operation so we can be drilling rape at the same time as combining,” he says. “The TopDown and Biodrill can cover about 40ha a day. The purchase of the Biodrill in 2008 revolutionised crop establishment in my business because minimal soil disturbance from the TopDown means seed is being placed into fresh moist soils. Retaining moisture gives us the flexibility to choose the drilling date and therefore be more cost-effective too.” He adds that yields have also been going up since switching from a conventional plough based system, although he cannot put this down just to the Biodrill. But, establishment costs across the board have fallen by around £70/ha without compromising yields, which the TopDown and Biodrill have had a major impact on. Oilseed rape establishment costs are now only between £40-£45/ha plus £10/ha for rolling, including the cost of diesel. “Despite significant rises in fuel costs, metal and rubber, the fact that we have become more costeffective means we have not had to increase our contracting rates,” says Mr Culley. “We have absorbed these extra costs rather than us having to pass them on to our customers.”
On April 25th in a 24 hours race a Tempo F8 planted 212 hectares of corn at an average speed of 18kph. A 42% increase in capacity per row unit compared to the official world record carried out with a 24 row planter. “The race demonstrates Tempo’s ability to perform with great precision at high speed”, says Lars Thylén product marketing manager. Each row unit planted 26.5 hectares during the race which is a 42% increase in capacity per row unit compared to the official world record carried out with a 24 row planter in year 2012. The record attempt started at 10:50 on April 24th and finished 24 hours
later. Three drivers managed to plant 212 hectares of corn at an average speed of 18kph in two fields close to Kiev, in the area of fertile black soils. The planting was monitored and controlled by a committee from the Ukrainian Institute for Certification of Agricultural Machinery. The fields were planted with a seed rate of 85,000 seeds per hectare, seeded about 5.2cm deep, and fertiliser was applied with the rate of 130 kg/ha. “I feel very proud of the team of professionals who made this record happen and the people behind the machine”, says Vitaliy Filatov.
Last year Mr Culley desiccated 45ha of spring wheat (AC Barrie) and established oilseed rape straight behind the combine. The crop established well in an open season and by November it was at five true leaves. Had it not been for the cold weather in the autumn he was considering going in with a growth regulator.
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PARTS NEWS
Parts trip to Sweden
‘Where are they now’ campaign As part of our on-going commitment to our Aftermarket service a simple reply card campaign “Where are they now”, was launched and sent to all known customers with machines. This allowed us to update our customer and machinery database, whilst improving our customer contact methods. Please correct any mistakes in the trading name & address
Trading Name
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50
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years
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Farmer
Contractor
1962 – 2012
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Please use a tick for machines still owned and a cross for machines no longer owned
In February a group including 41 dealer parts personnel went on a very successful educational visit to Väderstad. The visit was planned around the recent opening of the new Parts centre, which offers state of the art facilities in its 2,280 sq. m stand-alone premises. In his walk round, Warehouse & Logistics manager Michael Sköldestig talked about the many benefits the new premises would be able to offer with the ever increasing demands on efficiency and service levels within the industry. The visit included product workshops on Tempo, Spirit Combi, RDA Combi and CR 1225 at the Väderstad Training Centre. The visit also included a talk from Company MD Christina Stark, tours of the production and testing facilities in the main factory and a trip to the Companies disc manufacturing premises SPH.
Do you own any Vaderstad machines not listed above? If so please enter model and serial number:
Where are they now? Win £100*of Väderstad vouchers
We have received a large response of reply cards and our database has now been updated with the information received. We very much hope this will help us improve the Aftermarket service we are able to give you! Thank you for your replies. The prize draw for the “Where are they now” 2013 campaign has now been drawn and we can confirm the 3 winners who will receive a £100 voucher to be redeemed at the collection shop are: R H Hunt & Sons, Moreton in Marsh Moundsmere Farming Co, Basingstoke P H & G H Shucksmith, Louth The 10 runners-up who will receive a hip flask are: Addis Farms Ltd, Droitwich Bithia Ltd, Thetford Eastburn Farms, Driffield F G Leigh, Chester J G Henderson, Arbroath D May Farms Ltd, Tonbridge J F McLaren, Chelmsford F Pickering & Sons, Gainsborough D Robertson, Alnwick F & J Whyte Farms, Inverurie
Unit one, Ellesmere Business Park, Grantham, Lincolnshire. NG31 7XT Tel. 01476 581 900 Fax. 01476 581 901
www.vaderstad.com