Our Case IH product specialists based in the field tell me that a few of you have already begun to put seed in the ground this spring. This week’s initial USDA Crop Progress Report confirms that.
Many of you are still gearing up, or perhaps just impatiently waiting for the first crop insurance planting date: April 6 for corn in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio and April 11 for Iowa and Minnesota. So what’s top-of-mind for you during this critical window? (more…)
To Be Ready for the future, you need to utilize the most efficient and time-saving technology to maximize your investment. Case IH Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) precision technology has become a necessary component in many farming practices. (more…)
The results are in from the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab confirming Tier 4A Case IH tractors with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology have set new industry records for fuel-efficient power.
For example, the Steiger® 600 set the record for drawbar horsepower and fuel efficiency versus the competitions’ biggest tractor. Measured at maximum power in horsepower-hours-per-gallon, the Steiger 600 tested 8.4 percent more fuel efficient than the Deere 9630 at maximum drawbar pull, and 10.5 percent more fuel efficient at 75 percent drawbar pull maximum power. (more…)
As 2011 wraps up, we appreciate your patronage and interest in the Be Ready blog. We’re thankful that agriculture continues to thrive, largely due to dedicated, passionate farmers like you. Here’s a recap of some of our blogs this year – are there others that stick out in your mind? We welcome your comments on our previous blog posts and invite you to offer ideas for topics you’d like to see covered in 2012.
As harvest comes to an end, many producers are getting ready to put away the combine for the year. Taking small steps and making sure the combine is clean, well-maintained and adjusted can provide big benefits for next fall. Our guest blogger is Kevin Breneman, who leads our combine technical services group. Kevin has been with Case IH for 13 years. He and his team of 10 provide crop production, harvesting and precision farming support to dealers across the U.S. and Canada. He grew up north of Madison, Wis. and has always been drawn to equipment and agricultural engineering.
Is your combine ready for winter storage? Here is a checklist to ensure your combine is ready to go next fall.
As harvest comes to a close, we’re reminded once again of nature’s power. The drought in Texas that devastated crops and livestock. The excessive spring moisture that prevented 30 percent of Manitoba from even being seeded.
Yet something else also stands out in the 2011 harvest reports from throughout North America. And that is, thanks to continuous innovations in big iron, farmers are increasingly able to work around Mother Nature. Obviously we’ll never defeat her completely, but we’re definitely winning more battles.
Harvest season is over in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, says Ryan Braun, the Case IH combine product specialist who covers the area. Braun – no relation to the Milwaukee Brewers slugger/MVP candidate of the same name – has served as a combine specialist for about a year and a half. Before joining Case IH, he spent three years working on a Syngenta research farm, and another six years at MacDon industries in Winnipeg. Braun grew up on a small grains farm just outside of Winnipeg, which his family still operates. He says he’s a big fan of farm equipment in general, but that he’s always been fascinated with combines “because of the incredible job they do.”
Canola and wheat are all done – even the stragglers are off. There are a couple inches of snow on the ground now. Some guys had a wet spring so they seeded late. But even those guys are done, and harvest went well.
In western Canada, Mother Nature blessed farmers with a great growing season – but a seriously challenging harvest – says this week’s guest blogger, Louis Melanson. A Case IH combine product specialist since 1999, Melanson has been with the company for 35 years. He grew up on a farm in eastern Canada, and has always been drawn to big agricultural iron. He wound up working with combines because he was intrigued by the capability to use 30-foot plus headers at 5 mph to harvest canola, which is a very light seed. Melanson jokes that he became a combine specialist “by reading the manual.”
Canola and wheat account for the majority of crops in my area, along with some barley. We’re probably 90 percent done with canola. But it’s getting tougher to get that last 10 percent out, because the snow’s starting to fall. Customers can only combine a few hours a day.
This week’s guest blogger, Kevin Knapp, says harvest progress and yields are all over in his territory, depending on where on the map you’re located. Knapp is the Case IH combine product specialist serving northern Illinois, northern Indiana, northwest Ohio, nearly all of Wisconsin and Michigan. Prior to becoming the area’s combine specialist, Knapp spent six years as a combine test engineer for Case IH, travelling the world to test Case IH Axial-Flow combine technology in just about every imaginable crop and condition. Knapp grew up on a farm in Henry, Ill., and has been intrigued by combines for as long as he can remember. (“My mom could tell you stories,” he says.)
Harvest is progressing well in guest blogger Corwyn Lepp’s territory, which includes several states and a variety of crops. Lepp is the Case IH combine product specialist covering South Dakota, southeastern North Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Crops include corn, soybeans, winter and spring wheat and sunflowers – along with a little bit of milo, edible beans and popcorn. Lepp grew up on a farm and has spent his entire career working with combines. (They’re his favorite machines.) With 27 years of machinery experience and starting at International Harvester, Lepp spent 12 years as a territory service manager, and 13 years as a territory sales manager before jumping into his combine specialist role two years ago.
The predominant crops in my area are corn and soybeans, and we’ve had good weather for harvest – virtually two straight months of very nice weather with no rain delays. The corn and bean crops have been good, but very dry. I think weather may have impacted yields somewhat, because we had very little rainfall in July and August.
