4 CONTENTS CONTENTS 6 7 TITLE THEME Something good is well worth waiting for – in agricultural engineering there have always been good examples of this saying. From initial idea through to real practical application there quite often lie six to eight years. In this respect, the straw pellet harvester Premos 5000 officially previewed by Krone at Agritechnica 2015 where it won a DLG Gold Medal, lay right in time. First functional test model of a pelleting form was working by 2011. In July 2013 there followed a first mobile version of the technology and in 2015 the Premos achieved full functionality. However, the machine still isn’t in the showrooms. Here, XtraBlatt discusses current development and the next steps towards market introduction with Premos factory product manager Kai Lüpping who looks after construction and development, and with machinery specialist Dennis Göcke. XtraBlatt: Herr Lüpping, right from the start in 2015 Premos not only engendered enthusiasm but also a very large portion of concrete buying interest from many customers. But three years further on the Premos is still not in the price lists. Doesn’t this frustrate potential buyers? Kai Lüpping: Even during that first Agritechnica, the interest was very large and in such a concrete form that we could have sold numerous machines right then during the show. Meantime, the list of those signifying serious interest has grown to several hundred. Thus, the pressure to “at last” begin marketing has been substantial and continues to be so. But there’s no sign of disappointment or even frustration. At least, this is our impression following many discussions over the past three years. Our message is always that a thoroughly tested machine absolutely ready for serial production is the crucial aim before we step-up into large-scale regional marketing. Any other strategy would not be acceptable under our standards. After all, there’s a lot of responsibility behind a product such as the Premos. We’re actually dealing with a very complex machine with a price that will be in the range of at least a large forage harvester. During the 2016 field trials we also realised that there was technical fine-tuning still needed at a number of important points. PREMOS OUT ONTO THE FIELDS Presentation of the Premos pellet harvester at Agritechnica 2015 immediately brought Krone hundreds of customers from all over the world with concrete interest in buying. But before full production could start, there lay ahead an intensive trial and development phase. In 2019 the first machines should start work for customers out on the fields. XtraBlatt: For instance? Lüpping: The pelleting rollers are now 1,000 mm diameter instead of the former 800 mm. This enables increased throughput so that, in effect, we could produce a possible 5t/h instead of 3 t/h. The main drive has been substantially strengthened. The hydraulic block changed to load sensing. Additionally, machine control is no longer via individual function as it still was in 2015, but now over a management terminal. This makes things much easier for the driver. Dennis Göcke: Not to be forgotten is the tandem arrangement fitted instead of a single axle. The bigger rollers mean the machine is a little heavier and design was adjusted accordingly. XtraBlatt: Is the Premos as practical in mobile form as in stationary application? Lüpping: Yes. In principle, nothing is changed except a fundamental redesign of intake technology for stationary application to handle bales so that straw processing is optimised and material flow kept uniform. This, for instance, involves rollers for breaking down the bales. Just as important for us in this respect is safety, for persons in the danger zone around intake machinery or during removal of baler twine. We have not quite reached our target with such solutions and for this reason I reckon it will be 2020 before the intake table is market-ready. Product manager Kai Lüpping (r) and machinery specialist Dennis Göcke look forward to the Premos working with first customers in 2019. 18 19 INTERNATIONAL THE SMOLANA FAMILY, TRAHÜTTEN HIGH IN THE IDYLLIC ALPS Farmer Peter Smolana stands atop a great rock and scans the countryside in concentration. Where can his cows be? More important: where are the new-born calves? It’s quarter to six mid-July and we’re around 1,650 metres up on a Koralpe alm of summer grazings, the Koralpe being eastern spur of the Alps in Austria’s Western Styria state, edging along the border with Slovenia. We are already above the tree line. This farmer from the hamlet of Trahütten in Deutschlandsberg district tenants 120 ha up here where, from beginning of June through to September 10, his suckler herd grazes. “We brought up 34 head in spring and 16 of the cows have since calved.” Driving the stock up the mountain and back down again in autumn takes 4 hours each way with Peter and his two sons Felix (10) and Paul (8) herding, the two youngsters loving to lend a hand. Peter’s aunty Heidi also never misses a change of joining this special herding event. The Koralpe range southwest of Graz represents the most easterly foothills of the Alps. Pasture and forest characterise the landscape here – as they do on the Smolana family farm where alongside suckler cows, forestry and energy production, additional income comes from a guesthouse and a hotel. 30 31 AGRICULTURAL CONTRACTORS WORKING TOGETHER MORE XtraBlatt: The missing full utilisation possibly also explains the forage harvester tourism in the 2018 season. At least, the subjective impression was that contractors were travelling ever-further distances to their customers … Pentzlin: In individual cases that could well be the case. The tendency of some contractors to increase their working radius cannot be denied. There are, after all, less individual farms now. Naturally, this causes unrest and price competition. More of a problem in this respect, incidentally, are newcomers offering agricultural services without charging according to full cost calculations and who have the main strategy of undercutting the prices of established contractors. However, even this cannot, and must not, be prevented, belonging as it does to the market economy. XtraBlatt: Not bargaining on a price basis but instead attracting through performance is, however, not really the usual practice with many contractors … Pentzlin: I cannot completely deny this. In fact, I would go one better: Firstly, a contractor must sell services based on quality of work and performance. And in fact, the great majority do so. But you also should have the courage to stick to your guns during bargaining and to accept the resultant loss of a price-conscious customer now and again. These people often realise in the end that cheaper very seldom means better. Therefore: From the customer point of view it is clearly best to ask questions about the quality and sustainability of work that such contractors carry out. More than ever, the quality of work is decisive for the farmer and to this belongs more than just work itself but above all the reliability of the contractor, the punctuality, the qualifications of the workforce and the advice given. Take as example the silage harvest: what is an extra 30€/ha or 5€/working hour when paying a good contractor, in relationship to a good store of feed with a value in terms of meat and milk produced in the hundreds of thousands of euros? In other words, many times the “savings” theoretically attainable through cutting back in contractor fees. INTERVIEW Changes in structure and technology bring new challenges into the farmer- contractor relationship whereby digitisation offers great opportunities for both sides, feels Klaus Pentzlin, president of the German Federal Association of Agricultural Contractors (BLU). XtraBlatt: Mr Pentzlin – the extraordinary year of 2018 draws to a close. How can it be summed up from the contractor’s point of view? Klaus Pentzlin: Compared with the wet and therefore extremely difficult summer and autumn 2017, the stresses for operators and machinery in the 2018 cereal and forage harvests can be seen as relatively limited. The harvest could be finished much earlier than in normal years and its progress could also be described in general as undramatic. However, these are the only positive aspects. The long-lasting and massive drought in some regions sometimes led to substantial penalties in harvest yields in grain, and especially with grass and forage maize. Consequently, our customers suffered earning losses, or faced high costs through having to buy in feed. We contractors were also affected because in many areas, for example, up to two grass cuts less than usual were harvested. And in combining, many colleagues didn’t achieve the hectare performance of other years. In total, painfully absent in 2018 were contracting orders, capacity utilisation and therefore hourly income. After all, our tendentially increasing personnel and machinery costs continued as usual. 44 45 INTERVIEW 25 YEARS BIG PACK THE WINNING THROW Following the 40-year celebration of Krone’s round balers in 2017, the company’s big balers this year (2018) mark their 25th anniversary. Reason enough for a review of BiG Pack developments since 1993, a time when it was much more than “just” another product in the forage and straw harvests for this manufacturer. But we can also take the opportunity to look forwards. Join us on a small journey through time accompanied by Dr Klaus Martensen (division manager, bales and self-loading wagons), Martin Amshove (product manager, BiG Pack) and Niklas Beindorf (product marketing, BiG Pack). XtraBlatt: 25 years BiG Pack – in this period there have been very many changes. What can you recall from the very beginning? XtraBlatt: What were important characteristics with which BiG Pack could set high standards, especially right at the beginning? Martin Amshove: These were the first big balers with tandem axles, for example. And the first of their kind with gear and shaft drive only, i.e. with no chain drive. Additionally, the baler had a clutch for the packer so that possible blockages could be handled quasi automatically in a matter of minutes. On top of this, a very important point was the substantially larger flywheel when compared with the competition. This meant a lower power demand which in turn allowed the first BiG Packs to be operated with tractors of around 100 HP – nowadays hardly credible! XtraBlatt: What happened next? Dr Martensen: Krone started in 1993 with the canal sizes 80 x 80 cm and 120 x 80 cm. In 1997 there came then the size which became widely distributed, particularly in Germany: 120 x 70 cm. This was quickly followed by the 90 cm size and also the 1.30 m with 4 x 4 ft. Amshove: Outstanding right from the first-generation machines was certainly also the first cutting system with solidly fixed blades in the packer canal, as well as the VFS forwarding system, which came onto the market in 1999. This allowed the baling material to be collected in equal portions resulting in production of very uniform bales. Dr Martensen: Not to be forgotten was the first active electronic bale density regulating system: this enabled rapid A quarter century of BiG Pack – this jubilee stands not only for a very important product segment within the Krone company, but also shows how the HDP generation in particular has set worldwide standards in performance and bale quality. Dr Klaus Martensen: I only joined Krone in 2001 so I cannot report the start, at least not from my own memory. However, from all the stories, two points have crystallised in my thoughts. Firstly, the decision to develop an own big rectangular baler was in those days a courageous one because this was something new for the company. Although Krone was market leader for round balers in Germany since 1992, big balers represented another league altogether in terms of construction, machine robustness and production. All the more important, therefore – and this is the second key point – was establishment from the beginning of numerous technical details for satisfying customers and dominating the competition. Reviewing 25 years of BiG Pack development in this article: (l to r) Dr Klaus Martensen, (division manager, bales and self-loading wagons), Martin Amshove (product manager, BiG Pack) and Niklas Beindorf (product marketing, BiG Pack). 54 55 PARTNER frameworks for delivery of the desired service quality. That’s why these factors are now the standard in the farm machinery business rather than the exception”, adds Björn Briesemeister. He believes that a requirement for this is transparent agreements – such as is the case with Krone guarantee extensions. Johannes Vlach says these can be seen as a desirable standard, comparing well with what the competition offers. The price involved is, admittedly, not the lowest. But decisive is an unbureaucratic completion and wide-ranging support from the manufacturer. “The customers know and value this in the knowledge that if any machinery problems occur, solutions will be found as soon as possible, and so down-time kept to a minimum”, he explains. For this reason, the proverbial thumbs-up is also awarded by MAREP to the Krone standard of support from the dealer’s point of view. Thus, with its guarantee agreement the manufacturer repays the hourly workshop costs – for Johannes Vlach definitely a benchmark in the sector and absolutely decisive for the profitability of the service partner. Also the direct contact that exists with service experts in the factory and, when required, the immediate support available from there, is way above average. “This assistance motivates our employees enormously. Even difficult technical problems can together be solved very rapidly, just the way the customer wants. Breakdowns can occur with any brand, decisive however, is how these are dealt with”, Johannes Vlach is convinced. And, in fact, this year such dependability proved very fruitful, he went on. After the extremely difficult harvest of 2017, the harvester sales in the following winter developed better than in the previous seasons, not only with silage machines but also for balers. And because of the early fears of lack of feed through the long-lasting drought, markedly more straw than normal was harvested, with associated more short-notice demand for new balers. “Because we had ensured a good reserve order early-on with Krone we were able to exploit this marketing opportunity. But also the capacity utilisation of our workshops was very good, so that 2018 was in total a very positive year for us. Whether the new machinery business remains so positive in 2019 with the generally poor harvest yields this year, is questionable. However, I am confident that our service business will continue as best fundamental support”, concludes Johannes Vlach. « SERIES: “PREVENTION INSTEAD OF CURE” ENOUGH ROOM FOR ALL 1 The best possible availability of spare parts is a key factor of the service concept in all seven MAREP facilities. 2 Mobile customer service is a crucial factor for success in the farm machinery sector, finds Daniel Eichhorn (r. workshop master, Mühlengeez) and mechatronic Philipp Meyer. 3 Good service is always teamwork with MAREP, as here in the Mühlengeez premises. 1 3 2 Dairy cow health and performance depend greatly on optimum feed quality as well as correct feeding – but also on welfare-based management. In part three of our series, vet André Hüting explains what to watch out for in barn layout. To the most serious “problems” with cows belongs udder health. In turn, this has a lot to do with correct milking and udder care, but also with perfect hygiene. This applies not only in the milking parlour or milk robot stand but also, for example, directly after the milking, emphasises André Hüting, veterinary surgeon and managing partner in the vet practice “an der Güterstraße” in Hamminkeln on the Lower Rhein. “For instance, the aim should be that after milking the cow does not immediately lie down but instead remains standing for 20 to 30 minutes so that the teat canals can close and thus hamper any pathogen ingress. This is important 10 11 because during harvest he was able to slash bale field collection and transport time by around 2/3. THREE PLUS ONE But how does the system work? The BaleCollect trailer is attached behind the big square baler. The Hasse baler is a Krone HDP 1290 XC powered by a 360 HP tractor. “For road journeys, the collection trailer is decoupled from the baler and reattached via telescopic drawbar allowing the trailer to follow exactly the track of the baler”, explains the farm contractor. “This means even routes with lots of bends still represent no problem.” Because both baler and collection wagon come from the same manufacturer, road worthiness certification presents no problem. Dispatcher Jean Muschiol explains: “We had two representatives for road worthiness testing at our depot. The machines passed without any problem. We were anxious during the test because, normally, new vehicles are plated by the manufacturer before delivery. But because of the early start to the harvest this wasn’t the case with this equipment.” This early start meant the new baler and the collection trailer were out on the stubble by July. Jean Muschiol, who accompanies new machinery to customers too, found operating the equipment to be self-explanatory. “The trailer is operated via the tractor ISOBUS terminal. The baling procedure is as usual while the completed bales are laid onto the collection trailer. From there, the first bale is either Dirk Hasse (r.) and dispatcher Jean Muschiol are satisfied with the first season results from the BaleCollect system. TITLE THEME Every hour counts during the straw harvest. That’s why high capacity machinery is crucial. In this respect, the BaleCollect brought a quantum leap in efficiency for contractor Dirk Hasse because it allowed him to reduce time involved in bale logistics by 60 %. the contractor if he could coordinate its straw collection operations in the future and transport straw from farms to the cooperative. Raiffeisen buys straw from many farms in the region and sells it on as merchant. For instance, straw is pelleted for marketing as horse bedding or litter for household pets: a successful transfer from agricultural to industrial product with associated price adjustment. With this in mind, the contractor did not tarry long before accepting the job, especially because the cooperation offered increased security through a contract over several years as well as a good earning opportunity. A requirement on the cooperative’s part was, however, that the contractor invested in a new Krone HDP big square baler and Krone BaleCollect trailer system. The new kit was delivered in spring 2018 and, even after the first harvest season, Dirk Hasse described this investment as a real quantum leap FARM CONTRACTOR HASSE, HEESEN THE TIME MACHINE The sometimes months-long drought of 2018 caused real problems for many farmers. One result was substantial reductions in yields, not only in grain but also the associated straw. The only silver lining hereby: straw could be harvested from many more fields, quality was very good and, finally, the time window for baling and transport was relatively long. “In the three years before, we had to battle through conditions that were considerably worse. For this reason, high work capacity during straw harvest is a real must for us,” relates farm contractor Dirk Hasse from Heesen in Lower Saxony. After the experiences of the wet summer in 2017, he decided to invest in additional machinery for improving straw collection. Starting shot was an enquiry from the Raiffeisen Landbund cooperative organisation asking 34 35 INFORMATION PRACTICAL TIPS FOR MACHINERY ADJUSTMENT EVER READY After attachment of mower to tractor we come to the first adjustment that can influence cutting results: height of the lower link arms. This must be exactly the same so that the mower headstock remains parallel to the ground. Only then can the mower work evenly, optimally following field surface contours. This is especially important when cutting on side slopes. Do you want to alter the cutting height from the standard of around 7 cm? This can be done relatively easily by adjustment of the top link. The shorter the top link is set, the more “aggressive” is the cutting action, i. e. the cutting height is reduced. So far, so good. But how can I know the cutting height to begin with? To measure distance between field surface and mower disc, use a ruler and always measure from the very front of the blade downwards, and at several points across the working width. There are another few things to check. Most important of these is the so-called ground pressure, hydraulically regulated or via springs. To assess the present setting, take hold of the mounted mower at the frame and pull lightly upwards. If no movement is possible, the ground pressure might be too high, or the springs set too tightly. But this should be no problem because modern mowers usually allow ground pressure adjustment without tools through simply adjusting spring attachment by bolts in a hole plate. To do this, lift the mower into headland position and reinsert the spring tension bolts. Drop the mower and again lift the mower frame. If this is then possible without too much effort, the setting is correct. A good general ground pressure is approx. 70 kg per metre working width. However, this can vary with the working speed you choose, as well as the location-specific situation, e.g. ground conditions and mowing requirements. Some mowers feature integrated conditioners that can be adjusted to give the required intensity of conditioning. Here, the space between fingers and baffle plate can be adjusted. The smaller the space, the higher the intensity of conditioning. Try it out. Additionally, intensity of conditioning can be regulated via conditioner rpm: the higher the revolution speed, the greater the intensity. Now, it’s time to start mowing. After a few metres, always stop and check work quality. Don’t forget to check the cut sward to see if cutting height is right. SERVICING Does cut grass tend to appear torn and ragged rather than showing the desired clean cut? It could be that blades need replacing. And with that, we come to the second part of our practical tips: servicing the machine. “Out of the nettle bed and right into mowing work” is, unfortunately, a common forage harvesting situation on some farms. Whereby, all that’s needed to ensure a smoothly working mower are a few simple steps. Correct servicing ensures a high degree of operational reliability and avoids expensive downtime during harvest. One point to start off with: when there’s the possibility of keeping your mower under cover and dry over the winter, then you should always do so. Another tip: pressure washing the machine beforehand is always good. A clean mower is easier to check-over than one covered in dust and dirt. For cleaning, the mower is best on its stand. As soon as it’s dry, it should be well greased at all required points, an action that also gets rid of any condensation moisture that may have collected inside bearings. Getting Good feed quality starts with mowing. The fundamental requirement for reliable machinery application is setting-up the implement correctly and then servicing it regularly. Here, we show you the right steps to take using the disc mower as example. Liegen die Parallelogramm-Lenker waagerecht, stimmt die Einstellung der Unterlenkerhöhe. 48 49 THE DREHER FAMILY, OFTERDINGEN DIRECT SUPPLY explains farmer Karl Martin Dreher who runs Oberwiesachhof with wife Christel, son Michael and an employee. Production chains are indeed short here: pastures radiate just a few hundred metres around the farmstead. This saves time, is practical and efficient and isn’t coincidental. Some years ago, farmer Dreher swapped land with a neighbour. “The fields were more or less scattered before. Now, I have a compact block, and so has my neighbour. Soil quality and size of fields were something the same, letting us swap 1:1.” Relationship with the neighbour is good: Karl Martin Dreher harvests forage next door on a contracting basis when this is required. “The Krone EasyCut is in action with us anyway, and when labour is a bit tight on the next farm we’re happy to help out.” Despite high temperatures and the related lighter forage yields this year, this farmer hasn’t had to buy-in more feed than usual. “Most of our feed is home-grown, although protein and mineral feed come from the agricultural merchant.” Cropped are clover/ grass swards, lucerne, winter barley and forage maize. “Since we’ve fed clover/ grass and lucerne the milk production has increased markedly. Currently, we are managing lactations of a good 8000 kg and soon we could be achieving 9000 kg. For Fleckvieh that’s not bad at all”, smiles this farmer proudly. Milkers and dry cows get a ration of silage daily. The youngstock are fed grass silage and enjoy the occasional helping of salad leaves. Once older, beef bull calves get extra rations. With around 200 head of cattle, the Drehers have 70 dairy cows and 20 feeding bulls, all of them Fleckvieh. “This is the usual breed in this region with only a few farms grazing other types.” The farm produces 600,000 kg milk annually at 4% fat and 3.6% protein. No cows are bought-in. Instead, the trend is to sell dairy stock most years. FEXIBLE WORK SHARING The farm covers 105 ha arable and 100 ha pasture land, 170 ha of this tenanted. “With us, there are seldom formal rental contracts. We’ve been farming the land for many years”, explains Karl Martin Dreher. On extensive pastures such as traditional meadows with scattered fruit trees growing on them, two cuts can be expected. With more intensively farmed fields as many as five cuts are harvested. “So far this year we’ve managed three cuts, although the third yielded around half the usual tonnage”, reports farmer Dreher, who graduated as agricultural master craftsman last year. Mowing features a Krone EasyCut. A 4-rotor Swadro 1400 is used on most areas. But where fields are too small the farm’s Krone The farm of Oberwiesachhof in Ofterdingen, Baden-Württemberg is an excellent example of home-produced direct supply: feed for the farm’s 200 head of cattle grows just a few metres from the cow barn and the milk sells straight to the consumer via vending machine on the other side of the yard. In other words: from field, through cow to consumer. A production chain where selling couldn’t be more direct! It is an impressive outlook over Oberwiesachhof’s farmstead and fields. From a hillock can be viewed the farmyard, the calf house, cow barn, biogas plant, farm shop, the house and a fair acreage of verdant pasture. 2018’s drought seems to have made a detour around this region; the grass grows strongly, busy insects bumble … But the impression of ample moisture supply is not quite correct: “We’ve managed our usual number of cuts this year, but a few of them gave only half the yield”, The Dreher family in front of the farm shop. Here, unpasteurised milk from the herd is sold, but also e. g. potatoes, eggs and flour. ON-FARM 58 59 INNOV-AGRI 2018 IN WORLD CHAMPION LOOK INTERNATIONAL In that France this year managed to win a second star as football world champion, it was fitting that the BiG Pack 1290 HDP XC appeared at Innov-Agri 2018 in Outarville in the country’s national colours. Dealers and contractors had the opportunity of looking over the machine one day before kick-off. In the foreground of the specialist Innov-Agri event, Krone organised an exclusive occasion at its Krone France SAS HQ in Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines – some 50 km from the show’s Outarville location in northern France. Alongside BiG Pack 1290 HDP XC in world champion look, the around 500 fascinated visitors admired the latest Premos pellet harvester. HIGHLIGHTS ON KRONE STAND Innov-Agri is especially important for agricultural contractors and arable farmers. Since 1989 it has been held annually, alternating between northern and southern France. Over three days in Outarville, more than 400 firms presented innovations to around 80,000 visitors on a 160 ha exhibition site. Among the machinery presented by Krone this year was the maize forage harvesting chain from chopping to carting off, with special focus on the OptiMaize. Another definite highlight: the BiG X 780 with LiftCab. Further programme points featured the lucerne harvest with Krone demonstrating its capabilities here from mowing over tedding through to baling. In this context, Krone thematised the 25th jubilee of its BiG Pack series. The fieldwork demonstrations, held three times daily lasted about an hour. “The practical demonstrations were very well appreciated by contractors and farmers – above all while the weather during the exhibition remained mostly dry”, reported product marketing manager Julien Claudon. FARMING IN FRANCE Much as in Germany, France had also to battle this year with a very long drought period which resulted in early ripening of maize and brought only two cuts from grass. “At the event we mainly presented our products for agricultural contractors and large farming businesses because in the current difficult situation for these customers it is crucial that they can work efficiently”, said Julien Claudon. Suffering particularly this year was eastern France, where yield penalties were up to 50 % with storm-caused crop lodging adding to the damage. “However, even this didn’t detract from the interest shown by customers in our products. We could have immediately sold the BiG Pack 1290 HDP XC at Innov-Agri after showing it painted in the French national colours”, he reported happily. « 1 A focal point of the machinery demonstrations was the lucerne harvest. 2 The visitors showed great interest in the machinery from Krone. 2 1 22 23 their share of excitement and labour-peaks during the summer season, just the same as the farm does. “In reality, I run four businesses”, smiles Peter Smolana. He’s not only a farmer. With around 100 ha forest he’s got plenty to do with his trees. Each year around 1000 m3 solid timber is felled and sold, depending on quality and strength, to regional sawmills, papermills or as wood fuel, some of the latter landing in the furnace of the farm’s own central heating plant. He’s also a bio-energy producer with two small water-driven turbines, a photovoltaic system and the above-mentioned heating plant. Annual production: around 330,000 kW electricity, with about a quarter used in his own businesses. No less important are Peter Smolana’s catering enterprises, his fourth income source, with hotel and holiday accommodation. “Without my wife Eva, my mother Ella and our fully committed team, all of this would be too much to handle, especially as my own work focusses on field and forest. But working smoothly together means everything succeeds very well.” « a special ecological status and this stipulates a single cut only. This leads us straight onto the machinery used during the hay and silage harvests: an ActiveMow 320, KW 6.02/6 turner and a Swadro 46 SW tedder. The farmer sees the advantages of these implements as a good balance between construction quality and lightness which is of great importance especially in mountainside farming. He is also appreciative of the respective implements’ capability of rapid adjustment for road travel and of his Krone dealership, Hochkofler. Up until now, Peter Smolana uses another make for baling, although on the day this report was researched a Fortima V 1500 from Krone was in action on his land as demonstration. Bale wrapping is done separately, undertaken by a neighbouring farmer with his own machine. STYRIA BEEF Apropos ecology: Since 1995 the farm has been organically managed. The year before the changeover, Peter Smolana, at just 16 years of age, took over with his mother Ella his grandparents’ farm. During his time at agricultural college he calculated with the help of his farm management lecturer different business options. In view of the then approaching EU accession of Austria, the way towards organic farming seemed a most sensible one. And looking back, this has proved correct. Peter Smolana is a member of the Styrian quality meat organisation Styria Beef. However, he markets most of his production directly, mainly to restaurants in a diameter of 50 km around Trahütten. Because organic food is generally greatly valued in Austria – continuing, according to Peter Smolana, to attract a steadily growing market – the meat price is a third more than that for conventional ware. And through direct marketing to a fixed customer base, the gross margin for this farmer is even friendlier. The cattle are slaughtered as yearlings. For this reason, Fleckvieh cows are put to Limousin bulls. “The meat from the resultant animals at one year is so well marbled that it attracts an excellent market through its very special quality and taste”, he explains. Mainly, slaughtering is on-farm thus avoiding long journeys to the slaughterhouse, which are stressful for the animals and reduce the quality of the end product. And naturally the home-grown high-quality meat stars on the menus in the gastronomy enterprises of the farmer and his wife Eva. Both a guesthouse and a hotel represent a further important income source and supply Thanks to the above-average rainfall in 2018, Peter Smolana harvested around 25 % more hay and silage than usual. INTERNATIONAL PRESS CONFERENCE A WORLD- WIDE GUEST LIST The invitation to the Krone autumn press conference near Berlin in September 2018 brought over 100 journalists from 26 countries to the event. During two days Krone presented its business objectives and latest machinery. 14 15 an equestrian centre including restaurant, holiday accommodation with 110 beds for kindergarten kids, school children and other guests, as well as managing the firm TW Biogas Betreuungs GmbH, which constructs and then manages biogas plants. On top of this come diverse smaller firms complementing the business group. Nevertheless, Timo Wessels still speaks of a family farm. “My parents remain active in different areas of the business; my girlfriend works in our equestrian centre and my four children are always ready to help out too.” He comes to our appointment in downto-earth work shoes, jeans, polo shirt and hoody. What he says is convincing. And he has lots to say: self-confident and proud of achievements, but miles away from any arrogance. 500 DAIRY COWS Of course, the enterprise as a whole is the type of business that could well be pounced on by critics of modern agriculture: as big as possible, as much as possible, squeezing out the highest profits regardless. But you’d be in for a surprise! For instance, part of this agricultural business, including the milk production, is managed under organic farming regulations. The 500 milk cows are housed in roomy cubicle barns, the followers are straw bedded, all animals have access to pasture. “We milk three times daily and still do so through a double 10 herringbone parlour. Our staff members work in three 8-hour shifts which allows really intensive care of the animals. The result can be seen in the health of the lactating cows as well as in calf mortality which lies at 3 and 4 %. The average in our Brandenburg State is around 9 %,” reports Timo Wessels. What’s more, the farm business regularly wins awards for milking performance as well as the production lifetimes of our cows. “Our oldest cow is 17 years old,” he says, not without pride. Digitisation remains so far unknown in the Damsdorf dairy barns. “With us, every cow still has a name and a collar with number. Every staff member must know each cow.” The conversion to organic production cost the farm some 750,000 €. Why did he take this route? “Somehow, I had the feeling that this was the way to go. The consumers demanded it, and I also support it.” Marketing is through the farm’s own retail point, selling unpasteurised milk for 2 € per litre with the remainder sold conventionally to a processing dairy. On top of this, cheese from the farm milk is sold through automatic vending machines, as are sausages from farm-slaughtered cattle. All this forces the question: why not establish more processing and market everything from the farm? Certainly, this looks like the logical consequence for Timo Wessels. He says with a twinkle: “We’ve already thought about that.” ALL ON ONE CARD To understand how the entrepreneur Wessels ticks, how things could have come so far, and from where he draws his self-confidence, it pays to look back into his childhood and to the beginnings in the new homeland. Timo Wessels grew up on a 90 ha tenanted farm in Butjadingen, Lower Saxony, with a 70-cow dairy enterprise. As it became foreseeable that the son would carry on the family tradition and be a farmer too, his parents put everything on a single card back in 1997, took on a load of debt and purchased the former LPG farm at Damsdorf, Brandenburg in what was East Germany. The burden was a big one. Two years later his parents separated and the just 20-year-old Timo Wessels took over his mother’s share of the business and, with that, responsibility for the farm bookkeeping. It quickly became clear that without a new, larger, cow barn the farm could not be economically viable. Capital was needed. “In my early 20s I stood in my confirmation suit and with a black briefcase belonging to my aunt in front of the chairman of the Bremen WESSELS COMPANY GROUP, TIMO WESSELS “AT HEART I AM A FARMER.” 39 years old, 9 companies, 100 employees, approx. 14 m € annual turnover – impressive business data. We’re speaking of farmer Timo Wessels from Damsdorf, who has in the last 21 years developed a former LPG (agricultural production cooperative) into an innovative and economically successful agribusiness group. What kind of personality lies behind such achievements? ON-FARM When speaking of Timo Wessels from Damsdorf, the question tends to be about what this man does not do, rather than what he’s already achieved. After all, the foundations of the company group represent a farmed area of 1,230 ha with production supplying crops for biogas as well as feeding a 500-cow dairy herd plus followers. This entrepreneur also runs an agricultural contracting business, three biogas plants, 26 27 THE DEHLWES FAMILY, LILIENTHAL THE LOCAL VILLAGE DAIRY Since the beginning of the 1980s, the married couple Gerhard (67) and Elke (63) Dehlwes manage farm and dairy with support from daughter Mareike Dehlwes (28) who brings her expertise as certified dairy master craftswomen and son-in-law Thomas Dehlwes (27) a certified master craftsman of agriculture. The farm and dairy employ a further 50 people in cropping, milking and processing, a demonstration dairy, farm shop, other services, workshop and farm office. ORGANIC VARIETY A total 10 million litres milk is processed annually, around 30,000 l per day. In the farm shop customers can buy a whole range of products including fresh milk, different yoghurts, cream, creme fraîche, sour cream, butter, cottage cheese and slicing cheeses as well as quark. “Right now, we have introduced some more new yoghurts in our range”, reports Thomas Dehlwes happily, adding: “Soon cocoa milk will be added.” Alongside the dairy building is sited the cheese making plant. A speciality: it features a “glass wall” through which visitors in the farm shop can directly view the production under management of Mareike Dehlwes. “We want to create transparency for the consumers”, says she. On average, about 300,000 kg milk flows into the cheese making per year, representing some 3 % of total processed milk. “This figure could be easily doubled”, reports Thomas Dehlwes. “We’re really just beginning here. We produce five sorts of organic slicing cheeses flavoured by various herbs.” In the mid-nineties, Gerhard Dehlwes was encouraged by a crisis in the milk market caused by reports of E-Coli in unpasteurised milk to attend a seminar on conversion to organic milk production. He decided to change over. “Organic milk became popular and our business took a big step forward”, relates Thomas Dehlwes. “By the 2000s, demand for our milk was so great that we had to start buying-in from other farms. Our 180 cows weren’t enough.” Through active promotion of organic farming, Gerhard Dehlwes encouraged other farms to take the organic route. About every 18 months, the family dairy welcomed a further supplier from the region. FORAGE HARVESTING As well as Bioland-certified concentrate feed; the regulations of this organic farming organisation require at least 50 % of the ration to be forage, management that means pasturing of the herd or zero grazing with freshly cut clover/grass brought into the barn. With a cutting height of 8–9 cm, the clover/grass swards deliver five to seven cuts a year from beginning of May. ON-FARM After the organic boom comes regionality: consumers want the chance of buying locally produced food in supermarkets. The Dehlwes family’s Bioland-certified village dairy in Lilienthal meets all requirements in this respect. DThis family farm dairy has a long tradition. The farming aspect was already established by the end of the 18th century under the name Therkorn. By the 1950s, the family farm had already established itself as milk collection point for the hamlet Trupe, Lilienthal. Even nowadays, the steading still features the traditional small coolhouse where the local milk was offloaded. Nowadays, the Dehlwes family markets milk and milk products from eleven suppliers. Rapid growth means that the farm herd expanded to 280 cows in 2009. Bit by bit, land was rented so that currently 280 ha is farmed, comprising some 100 ha arable, 100 ha intensive grassland and 80 ha of support-eligible, extensive greenland where hay is cut and youngstock plus dry cows are grazed. Nearly 10 m l milk is annually processed: about 30,000 l every day of the year. 38 39 FARMER GEORGES CHEVALIER, RUDELLE CHEESE EN GROS S ince 1992, Georges Chevalier has produced goat cheese from the family enterprise with main customers the French wholesalers Rungis Express and Odeon. Some of the production is sold directly over the counter of his farm shop. But this is the exception: “We’ve always made all our milk into cheese, plus another 2 to 5 t milk bought-in per year according to demand”, he explains. His herd of white Saanen goats, a breed with proven performance for both milk and meat, produces 200,000 l annually, each goat averaging about 3 l milk daily. With his 220 goats, Georges Chevalier has an average-size herd for southern France. “In this area there are certainly 50 further cheese producers. Herd size can be up to 500 head”, he reports. His cheese sales earn an annual 450,000 €. His most expensive cheese brings him a calculated 2.75 € for every litre of goat milk that goes into it. But this is just one of seven different cheese types he produces, some driven to customers in a Sprinter van he had fitted-out especially. “My cheeses are mainly exported to Belgium and the Netherlands.” Alongside good genetics, this farmer says quality feed plays a crucial role in production. ”Above all, I put my trust in high quality forage harvesting machinery, which includes equipment from Krone. For the cheeses we produce, we are legally bound to use feed that is at least 80% home-produced”, stresses farmer Chevalier. The forage making machinery is also well looked after here and kept under cover. “In fact, my baler has never even been rained on!” MORE LUCERNE HAY Up until 2003, farmer Chevalier grew 12 ha lucerne. Since the great drought in that year, he’s increased the area to 25 ha. There’s also 20 ha of cereals, mainly wheat and barley. “The drought made us rethink our policy. Now, we sell some of our lucerne so that even this year’s poor harvest didn’t affect us much. We were able to harvest 10 to 12t/ha lucerne. With wheat, though, we only managed 5t/ha. With our chalk-rich clay soil, lucerne yield is acceptable.” In good years up to five cuts of forage are possible. Forage harvesting is conducted by the farmer himself with his own EC F 320 CR and EC R 320 CR mowers plus turner and tedder, AX 280 GL self-loading forage wagon and a BiG Pack BP 1270 MultiBale baler, all from Krone. Since 2006, he also works with these machines as a contractor for other farmers. On the other hand, he himself uses a contractor for combine work. He swaps some of his cereal crop for maize grain and this goes into his goat rations. Organisation in this respect is through Cuma: a national federation of agricultural material purchasing cooperatives. Georges Chevalier keeps his wheat straw because the goats like to eat this. “We once bought-in extra wheat straw, but the quality was a catastrophe”, he recalls. MAIZE NOT AN ALTERNATIVE The goats are fed fully automatically in the very roomy loose housing accommodation. A hydraulic grab lifts the lucerne hay into the feeding passage while the remaining components are evenly distributed via feed dispenser. A mix of pellets, cereal grain, maize grain and lucerne hay make up the milkers’ ration. The hay is dried if required and aerated via photovoltaic system and fans. Per animal and day, calculated ration is 1 kg concentrate feed and 2 kg lucerne hay. “We have no maize silage because we think the quality is not good enough. We take a lot of care with the feed and this results INTERNATIONAL Georges Chevalier from Rudelle in the south of France discloses the factors for success in his dairy goat enterprise that has expanded from 80 to 220 animals, now producing milk for around 720,000 cheeses per annum. Georges Chevalier makes and markets seven different types of cheese, mainly via wholesalers. 52 53 PARTNER On the entry road to the premises of MAREP GmbH in Mühlengeez near Güstrow in Mecklenburg there’s a sign showing the way with the slogan: “MAREP…they can do it!” A self-confidence, it turns out, that’s not at all misplaced. It especially applies to the service offered by this dealership that runs like a golden thread through the nowadays 28-yearold firm’s history. Grounded in 1990 by Eckhard Vlach as “Machinery and Repair” with the focus on blacksmith work and keeping machinery in working order, the technical service had from the start the highest priority, as emphasised nowadays by Johannes Vlach who, together with his father Eckhard, manages the business with its seven locations and around 180 employees. SERVICE AS MAIN PILLAR The foundations were built on the “double” of truck and farm machinery departments, because it’s felt that this supplies a better capacity utilisation of the workshops while also adding to overall service quality. This is because the commercial vehicle sector is usually first with innovations that generally come later in the farm implement side. Some examples: service and maintenance contracts, 24-hour service, workshops tooled for a range of models. This quality of work soon won the company a good name in the region and service established itself as the main financial pillar. “Even early-on with trucks, the tendency to fleet arrangements between freight firms and manufacturers meant there was not much to be made in actual sales. MORE SEVICE CONTRACTS The aspect competence is more important than ever, as Björn Briesemeister points out. He is sales manager for the northern region of the MAREP marketing area and has observed long-term a definite structure change with customers. This concerns farm size, but also the decision-making process. Many farms in the size range around 1,000 ha have, he says, sold up in the past three to four years: sometimes to finance investors, leading to much larger units. “Through this, the importance of the emotional factor is reduced, for instance for a particular brand, or concerning nurturing of business relationships. “Decisions nowadays are based more on rationality, greater demands on manufacturer and dealership and, above all, pure farm business management concepts”, he says, describing the situation in Germany’s northeast. However, he adds that this is not necessarily a disadvantage because to optimise machinery costs, guarantee extensions and service contracts should, for example, be available. “They allow the customer to reliably calculate, and the dealer to establish the necessary financial MAREP THE SERVICE SAYS IT ALL A customer-oriented service concept and a team with highest qualifications have been for many years the most important success factors for MAREP. Happy after a successful 2018 business year: Johannes Vlach with wife Anika. And when our main supplier gave up its dealership contracts in 2003, all that was left for us was to focus on service. But this worked out well because we were good at that”, remembers Johannes Vlach. “We then applied the same concept to farm machinery with similar intensity and commitment.” From these times came the slogan at the entrance promising competitive excellence with best-possible service and technical competence. Johannes Vlach continues: “With this in mind we annually invest well over the average in our workshops, in their technical equipment, in schooling and training courses and, with that, the competence of our employees in all areas of the company. Not to be forgotten is appropriate and performance-oriented staff payment in that here in this region we are challenged by very intensive competition for personnel, especially from industry. Competing against this is generally difficult for the specialist farm machinery branch. However, the outstanding performance of the team and great motivation are primarily decisive in winning customer approval and, with that, business success – especially in agriculture”, he proudly says. “Turning the argument around, this doesn’t mean that in the new machinery business the brands we represent are of secondary importance for us. Here too, we concentrate on top products, a good product range and an exclusive, long-term, cooperation with manufacturers where possible. Only in this way can nowadays a future-oriented competitive specialist firm supply the competence in advice and service that is rightly expected by customers.”
IMPRINT 3 Editorial 6 Premos: Out onto the fields 10 Farm contractor Hasse, Heeßen: The time machine 14 Wessels company group, Timo Wessels: “At heart I am a farmer” 18 The Smolana farm, Trahütten: High in the idyllic Alps 23 Press conference: A worldwide guest list 26 The Dehlwes farm, Lilienthal: The local village dairy 30 Agricultural contractors: Working together more 34 Practical tips for machinery adjustment: Ever ready 37 Krone calendar: All four seasons 38 Farmer Georges Chevalier, Rudelle: Cheese en gros 42 News Ticker 44 25 years BiG Pack: The winning throw 48 The Dreher family, Ofterdingen: Direct supply 52 MAREP: The service says it all Publisher: Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG Heinrich-Krone-Straße 10 D-48480 Spelle Tel.: +49(0)5977/935-0 info.ldm@krone.de www.krone.de Responsible according to Press Law: Heinrich Wingels Editorial staff: Beckmann Verlag GmbH & Co. KG Rudolf-Petzold-Ring 9 31275 Lehrte www.beckmann-verlag.de Layout: Beckmann Verlag GmbH & Co. KG Rudolf-Petzold-Ring 9 D-31275 Lehrte www.beckmann-verlag.de Print: Bonifatius Druckerei Karl-Schurz-Straße 26 33100 Paderborn Photographic material: Unless specified differently: Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG and editorial staff respectively Page 26/27: Dehlwes Page 55–57: Hüting (4) Print run: 38,000 copies XtraBlatt appears biannually for Krone customers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Reprints only allowed with permission of publisher. This also applies to copying into electronic databanks and reproduction on CD-ROM. If you no longer wish to receive e-mails from us after receiving the Krone XtraBlatt, please let us know by e-mail info.ldm@krone.de. We will immediately take you off the distribution list. All data we receive from you is treated confidentially. It is only used for processing your requests and feedback. We do not communicate any data to third parties. 55 Series “Prevention instead of cure”: Enough room for all 58 Innov-Agri 2018: In world championship look 5
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