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Award-winning Stalkbuster.
Forage maize remains the crop most favoured for feeding cattle in Europe, but over the last 15 years, particularly in Germany, the maize worm or corn borer has become a major pest.
Ostrinia nubilalis feeds on leaves and tassels before moving onto stalks and ears, hindering yield and quality.
The main method of control is mechanical: ploughing to a depth of 40cm to kill larvae, and also mulching maize stubble immediately after harvest to remove debris which gives the pest a home to overwinter.
Unfortunately, about 30% of stubble is flattened by the tyres of self-propelled foragers and haulage equipment, so in many cases mulching quality can leave a lot to be desired.
Recently showcased by Kemper in the run-up to Agritechnica, the Stalkbuster has won a gold medal for innovation at the event.
Mounted immediately behind the header of a SPFH, the wear-resistant spinning flails chop and crush stubble to eliminate the borer habitat, before the harvester wheels pass over them. The technique has less risk of fusarium occurring, which in turn reduces the need for post-harvest chemical application.
An eight-row unit weighs about 500kg and requires 35hp to operate. It is mounted so as to achieve optimal ground following by way of a floating gearbox and an additional pneumatic pressure control system to track changing contours.
Kemper, owned by John Deere, claims the Stalkbuster, which makes for easier post-harvest cultivation, can also save farmers Euro 84/ha versus conventional mulching.
Also awarded an Agritechnica silver medal is John Deere’s EZ Ballast Wheel System, designed to make the task of ballasting for task specific operations much easier. Front and rear wheel weight packs are said to be fitted or removed in under five minutes by one person.
The sculpted packages are lifted with a forkhoist or telehandler onto the wheel centre and locked with a unique toggle system; they allow an extra 250kg at each front wheel and up to 500kg at each rear unit (2 x 250kg), giving a total ballast capability of 1500kg.
While tractors combines and machinery for agriculture and construction is still its key business, John Deere appears to be taking opportunities in the hightech sector via acquisition, with the recent purchase of Sentera, a Minnesota-based company that specialises in equipment for capturing and interpreting aerial images.
John Deere have recently announced upgrades to its round baler offerings, with all models of this latest generation equipped with advanced ISOBUS capabilities, allowing them to be fully integrated into the John Deere Operations Center.
With agriculture in New Zealand coming out of the doldrums over the last few months and the recent announcement of a 20% tax write-off for capital purchases, it likely that farmers will be spending on tractors.
Recent results from its 2024 financial year has seen global farm machinery player John Deere record a significant slump in the profits of its agricultural division over the last year, with a 64% drop in the last quarter of the year, compared to that of 2023.
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