LEMKEN LIVE – THE MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL ARABLE FARMING – ISSUE 8 – SEPTEMBER 2018LEMKEN LIVE – THE MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL ARABLE FARMING – ISSUE 8 – SEPTEMBER 2018

RUBIN 10 START FOR

THE NEW ALL-ROUNDER

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Rubin 10

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Table of contents

Editorial 2

Azurit DeltaRow 3 – 6

Energy efficiency 7 – 9

Crop Care – an interview with Iljan Schouten 10 – 11

Report from Ukraine 12 – 15

Report from California 16 – 17

Crop care technology 18–21

Spare parts 22 – 24

Protein crops 25– 26

agrirouter 27 – 29

AgroFarm 30 –31

Editorial

Dear readers,

A brief look back at the season shows that things were, yet again, very different from the previous year. This is especially true if we look at the weather, which varied widely between regions. As a result, it is likely that harvests will be rather average.

The pace of change in agriculture has accelerated even further, and consumers are demanding greater sustainability and responsibility. In crop care, there is demand for solutions that allow glyphosate and neonicotinoids to be superseded as active ingredients. And these solutions do exist! Many of these issues also form part of the thoughts and resulting developments of LEMKEN engineers.

What contribution can agriculture make to stopping the decline in insect populations? Flower strips on agricultural fields are becoming more common than ever, and more and more practitioners are talking about mechanical tillage, extended crop rotations and catch crops. A lot of expectations are raised by digitalisation, where the LEMKEN weather station is getting off to a good start. Large parts of the public believe that organic farming is the answer to many problems. This is why LEMKEN Live visited a large organic farm in France to have a look at how our French colleagues work. Modern precision farming tools, among them the new CCI 1200 terminal, are used with great success on a farm in Schleswig-Holstein.

LEMKEN has recruited more staff to strengthen its position in the increasingly service-oriented agricultural industry. We introduce our new employees further below in this issue. The World Ploughing Championship, which is held in Germany this year and which LEMKEN supports as principal sponsor, shows that tillage can be a true passion.

As you see, this issue of LEMKEN Live again covers a colourful mix of topics. We hope you will enjoy this read.

Yours, Yours,

Nicola Lemken Anthony van der Ley

Associate Managing Director innovative + informative with addi-

tional videos, images + text-to-speech

function

live.lemken.com

Table of contents

Editorial 2

Rubin 10 3 – 6

Head of Development Burkhard Sagemüller 7 – 8

Report from France 9–12

Precision farming 13 – 15

ISOBUS terminal CCI 1200 16 – 19

Weather station 20 – 22

Catch crops 23 – 25

Service 26– 29

Report from Japan 30 – 31

Competitive ploughing 32 –33

Wear parts 34– 37

LEMKEN France 38 – 39

Legal information

Published by: LEMKEN GmbH & Co. KG

Weseler Straße 5 • 46519 Alpen • Tel.: +49 2802 81-0 info@lemken.com • lemken.com

Person responsible under German media laws: Anthony van der Ley, Managing Director

Design: schoepfung GmbH

Editors: Friederike Krick and Matthias Wiedenau

LEMKEN live is protected by copyright. Contributions may only be used with the editor’s prior approval. While the contents of LEMKEN live are produced with great journalistic care, no liability can be accepted.

innovative + informative with additional videos,

images + text-to-speech function

live.lemken.com

RUBIN 10 – THE NEW COMPACT DISC HARROW GENERATIONWith all the benefits of its predecessor model, but now with-out side pull and with carbide discs for optimal directional stability and a longer service life.

Rubin 10 – the new benchmark The outstanding success of previous LEMKEN compact disc harrows has raised expectations regarding the new Rubin  10 compact disc harrow, and LEMKEN is committed to meeting these expectations. The new model, which supersedes the pop-ular Rubin 9 from August 2018 onwards, completes the LEMKEN

range of compact disc harrows, which comprises the Heliodor 9 and Rubin  12. “When we started the development process in 2014, our specifications were very extensive”, Georg Achten, Head of Design for compact disc harrows, remembers. He and his team essentially attempted to square a circle. After all, the new Rubin 10 was to embody as many of the proven features of

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Rubin 10

previous LEMKEN compact disc harrows as possible.

“Back in 2001, we were among the first manufacturers to offer compact disc harrows, and we have consistently aligned our products with farmers’ needs since”, Achten says. And what is it that farmers want? “They look for machines that they can use as univer-sally as possible and that deliver high acreage performance”, comments Jens Wiethoff, Product Manager for com-pact disc harrows. He is absolutely sure that the new Rubin 10 will meet these requirements.

At the core, it’s all about the discs. Says Wiethoff: “At 645 millimetres, the discs have a slightly larger diameter than in the predecessor, the Rubin 9. This allows a somewhat greater working depth and ensures that or-ganic matter is broken down and in-corporated more intensively. At the same time, we maintained a line dis-tance of 12.5  centimetres to allow the soil to be cultivated over the full surface even at relatively shallow working depths.” The generously

Heliodor 9

Rubin 10

Rubin 12

Achten arranged the concave discs in the Rubin  10 symmetrically. As a result, half of the discs on each beam move the soil to the left and the other half move it to the right – just like in the Rubin  12. LEMKEN has patented this technology. In other compact disc har-rows, where the discs on each beam are arranged in the same direc-tion, directional stability can only be achieved if the relative depth settings of the front and rear beams are adjusted. But that is not all. “The Rubin  10 also impresses with its proven disc adjustment mechanism and an automatic, pre-tensioned overload protection of the individually suspended discs. Also, because the discs are now made of particularly hard boron steel, their service life is 20 per cent longer”, adds Wiethoff.

Apart from many more details suggested by farmers and put into practice by design engineers, the two LEMKEN employees are espe-cially proud of the harrow combination, which is also patented. An impact harrow located behind the first row of concave discs mixes and crumbles the soil. A levelling harrow located behind the sec-ond row again crumbles the soil, but also spreads it and leaves a level surface.

At home in many terrainsGiven these many technical highlights, the Rubin  10 is a true all-rounder among compact disc harrows. “The machine is just as well suited for seedbed preparation for mulch tillage as it is for stubble cultivation, even with large volumes of straw”, ex-plains Wiethoff.

But there is more: “This implement is not only ideal for inten-sive crumbling and the blockage-free incorporation of green manure crops, but also for the intensive incorporation of maize straw in light to heavy soils.” Truly a machine for a wide range of applications. The Heliodor 9 is an excellent choice wherever seedbed preparation is the main focus, while the strengths of the Rubin 12 lie in deep work at depths of up to 20  centimetres. Depending on the intended use, buyers have a choice of a wide range of rollers already known from the cultivator segment.

Compact disc harrows – the success story of a tillage imple-mentThe launch of the Rubin 10 delivers yet another highlight in the success story that are LEMKEN compact disc harrows. “We have been working on compact disc harrows since 2000. At the time, we were looking for an implement that allows organic matter to be incorporated evenly into heavy soils at shallow depths, without blockages”, says Georg Achten. He initially experimented with four-beam versions and a 50-centimetre line distance. “But we couldn’t solve the problem of the soil banking up behind the last row of discs.”

Left to right: farmer Bernd Feldner, dealer Josef Lechner, employee Charly Sauber

“In April 2018, I was able to trial the Rubin 10 with 3 metres working width for tillage ahead of a maize crop. It incor-porated greening crop residue very well at a working depth of 7–10 centimetres and left a remarkably level seed bed – something I had only seen with machines with larger working widths before. For me, the symmetrical disc arrangement is the most outstanding feature. The machine runs perfectly, even in undulating terrain, and there is no side pull behind the tractor. The central hydraulic working depth adjustment is particularly comfortable. The Rubin 10 has the makings of a true all-rounder and will most likely be the machine to replace my trusted ten-year-old Rubin 9 when the time comes.”Bernd Feldner, farmer and contractor, Gerolfingen (Middle Franconia, Germany).

dimensioned underframe clearance and beam spacing support blockage-free work even with large volumes of organic matter or tall green manure crops. The compact disc harrow is available in working widths between 2.5 and 7 metres.

The difference lies in the detail.Side pull is often a nuisance when working with disc harrows. This is why designer Georg

The symmetrical disc arrangement provides precise directional stability with no side pull, even when driving on slopes.

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Head of Development Burkhard SagemüllerRubin 10

A two-beam design with 125 millimetres line distance was there-fore soon found to hold the answer.

First steps with the Rubin 9“We showed our first Rubin 9 off at the 2001 Agritechnica. At the time, we were one of the first manufacturers to have a compact disc harrow on offer.” The machine was subsequently refined further and further. “We were able to offer large working widths because we were able to use our Gigant carrier system. We also

HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT SAGEMÜLLER LIKES TO WORK HANDS-ON IN THE FIELD

Burkhard Sagemüller grew up on a farm. His parents ran a dairy farm near the German city of Gütersloh. Burkhard, the youngest of four children, always had an interest in anything mechanical, and so it only made sense for him to complete an apprenticeship as an agricultural machinery technician. He then studied mechanical engineering, specialising in agricultural machinery, at Cologne University of Applied Sciences.

In 1988, fresh out of university, he took up his first job with the compa-ny Niewöhner in Gütersloh. While the

“How’s it going?” “Orright” – “You?” constitutes a civilised conversation in his native region of East-ern Westphalia. But such a taciturn approach would not have got Burkhard Sagemüller far in his job. As LEMKEN’s new Head of Development, he forms part of an extensive network that thrives on communication. Recognising trends and de-veloping practical solutions as a team are im-portant aspects of his job. “We need to be work-ing on solutions today that farmers won’t even know tomorrow that they’ll need them the day after”, sums up his philosophy.

Jens Wiethoff has been working for LEMKEN since he wrote his graduation thesis in 2007, and he took over as Product Manager for compact disc harrows, cultivators and seedbed combinations in 2013. He is a mechanical engineer and funded his studies by working for an agricultural contractor.

Georg Achten is the “father” of LEMKEN compact disc harrows. A mechanical engineer, he started developing the first Rubin 9 compact disc harrow in 2000. He and his team have designed the successful Heliodor 9, Rubin 12 and most recently Rubin 10 models since.

Strengths of the LEMKEN compact disc harrows… … compared to conventional disc harrows

shorter design lower lifting force requirements and therefore ability to use with

smaller tractors

individually suspended discs with separate bearings rather than arrangement on a shaft working angles relative to the direction of travel and surface that

optimise the quality of work

better avoidance of obstacles protection against damage, optimal quality of work

less weight required for comparable depth of penetration lower draught, fuel savings

… compared to cultivators

better mixing effect rapid rotting, precise seed placement with mulch tillage

higher forward speeds greater acreage performance

lower tractive force requirement at identical working depths and forward speeds fuel savings

ability to incorporate large amounts of organic matter blockage-free work under all conditions

fine-tuned the disc angle, installed larger discs with a diameter of 620  millimetres and reinforced the disc attachments on the frame. This is how the Rubin 9 ar-rived at its current design”, explains Achten.

Seedbed preparation with the Heliodor In the early 2000s, farmers were quick to take to the compact disc harrow concept. And why also not use this technology for seedbed preparation? This is how Achten and his team came to develop the first Hel-iodor compact disc harrow in 2005. This machine had 465-millimetre discs and was combined with a seed drill instead of a rotary harrow – a combination that al-lows higher forward speeds and therefore greater acre-age performances. This combination is almost unbeat-able for mulch tillage. LEMKEN launched the Heliodor 8 in 2007. With its modified disc angle, this compact disc harrow can also be used as a solo implement for stubble cultivation in light and medium soils. Its lighter design compared to the Rubin  10 allows it to be attached to a three-point hydraulic system at working widths of up to 7  metres. The Heliodor  9 with up to 16  metres working width has been available for the LEMKEN Gigant System Trac since 2016. The discs in this machine have a diameter of 510 millimetres. It can be fitted with an optional hydrau-lically adjustable crossboard for levelling ploughed fields, for example. The crossboard can be mounted either in front of or behind the concave discs.

The Rubin 12 for heavy dutiesThe Rubin 12 has complemented the range of LEMKEN com-pact disc harrows since 2013. “With 736-millimetre discs and a very robust design, the machine can be used in heavy soils at depths of up to 20 centimetres and with large volumes of organic matter”, says Achten. This implement is very much at home in the USA and Canada, where farmers need to chop and incorporate long maize straw while performing basic tillage at the same time.

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Head of Development Burkhard Sagemüller

Jean-Francois Cortot, now 46, started working on his parents’ farm in 1998. At the time the farm comprised 300 ha of arable land around Asnieres en Montagne, a village in the rural re-gion of Bourgogne, and it was managed conventionally with a traditional crop rotation of rapeseed, wheat and barley. “Short, hot summers and long, cold winters with limited pre-cipitation of about 750 mm are typical of the region”, explains

WORKING WITH SOIL, NOT AGAINST ITFarmer Jean-Francois Cortot is all about quality and is even prepared to sacrifice a quintal of yields for it. He has been managing his farm organically since 2001 and not only sells his produce within France, but also exports it to neighbouring countries. For him, there is no contradiction between using innovative technology and drawing on natural processes.

Left to right: Jean-Francois Cortot, Christophe Steiner (LEMKEN), Jerome Boucquemont, LEMKEN representative for the Bourgogne region and Piere Lallemant, son of the company’s co-owner, Herve Lallemant.

Cortot. The soils vary widely between deep and shallow and are quite rocky in some places. “Overall, we had very variable yields as a result”, he continues. “I don’t need to tell my col-leagues anything about prices for conventional agricultural produce.” Something that gave him a lot of food was: “We ran an agricultural business without really examining natural re-lationships.”

company closed down a long time ago, its “Wühlmaus” (vole) potato harvester re-mains unforgotten. As a young mechan-ical engineer with Niewöhner, Burkhard Sagemüller developed a harvester for breeding nurseries, among others. “That was a fascinating task that had a strong influence on me”, he fondly reminisces. He then transferred to Claas in the early 90s. At the time, during the Lexion era, the company was looking for competent engineers for developing combine har-vesters. Burkhard Sagemüller successfully supported the development of harvest-ing technology for Claas in a number of senior positions. “But then I thought, why not try something new again”, he says. “I obviously knew LEMKEN and quite a few of its employees, partly through my work for the VDMA agricultural technol-ogy industry association. Also, LEMKEN and Claas had worked on several joint projects. So there was an underlying af-finity with soil cultivation.”

When Gottfried Giesen went into retire-ment, a position became available within LEMKEN that was a perfect fit for Burkhard Sagemüller. “That opened up interesting professional challenges for me”, is how he explains his “blue-blooded” new start. “I transferred to Alpen in October 2017.

Burkhard Sagemüller has been LEMKEN’s new Head of Develop-ment since October 2017. But this mechanical engineer likes to get away from his desk. He loves exchanges with his employees, among them Matthias Hübers, Head of Testing. For him, functioning networks are essential for achieving convincing results.

I was supported by the outgoing Head of Development during my induction pe-riod and also attended the Agritechnica for LEMKEN – a perfect opportunity for meeting my new colleagues, customers, business partners and competitors. It was almost like a speed-dating event.”

Sagemüller networks intensively with research institutions and universities. Coming from Development, he values contacts with professors working in spe-cialised fields very highly. “But I always have one foot on the field. Feedback from farmers is essential for developing improvements and modifying imple-ments.” Internally, he prioritises discus-sions with employees. “These are techni-cal discussions, but also concern target agreements”, he explains. This is why he refers to these discussions as target-set-ting meetings. “It’s not that the journey is the goal. Goals are set so they can be met. I count on motivating employees by giving them responsibility and encourag-ing them to think freely.” While this may initially sound like an internal organisa-tional approach, the aim is to generate external impact. “Meeting binding goals is the basis for reliability and benefits our

Report from France

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customers.” And that is precisely Burk-hard Sagemüller’s commitment.

He describes the tasks that lie ahead of agriculture in general and LEMKEN in particular as enormous. The agricultural industry is in a period of upheaval. Ulti-mate efficacy is in demand, especially in Eastern Europe, precision farming is breaking new ground, the global market has highly differentiated requirements, and LEMKEN sets high internal quality standards – these are the challenges that drive Sagemüller in his new job.

“But despite plenty of technical innova-tion, we must not forget the mechanics of our work”, he points out. After all, he is a mechanical engineer. “Ploughs, tillage and mechanical weed control are all ex-periencing a renaissance. These are fields where LEMKEN has traditionally offered farmers a great deal. But we have not yet exploited this potential fully, not by a long shot. We need to look inside the soil, not only work on top of it. To do that, we need to pick it up, feel it and check it again and again.” And perhaps these are the moments when Sagemüller quietly asks himself: “How’s it going?”

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Report from France

Soils – a true challengeBut before the harvest comes sowing, and tillage even before that. The business has worked without ploughs since 1995. In the past, minimal tillage generally meant that businesses used glyphosate, but Cortot has developed alternative weed control methods. He harvests alfalfa earlier than usual and therefore prevents opportunist weeds from spreading seeds. “After three years of alfalfa, the fields are clean”, is his experience. He does not fertilise wheat at all with nitrogen, or only very minimally, because “nitrogen also supports weed growth”.

Harrows were once important implements, but these modern farmers rely on camera-guided hoes instead. “We have used a new hoe with 12 metres working width since 2014, and we use a LEMKEN Solitair with the same working width for sow-ing. The Solitair is the only seed drill that sows reliably with consistent row spacing”, is how the farmer describes his ex-perience. “That’s essential for mechanical weed control later on.” He has also had positive experiences with a LEMKEN Rubin compact disc harrow and a LEMKEN Gigant in previous years. Last year, he invested in a Karat 12 intensive cultivator. Cortot believes that this implement offers decisive advantages in or-ganic farming compared to disc harrows. “Disc harrows often slice through weeds and therefore encourage reproduction.

The Karat 12 during the first stubble cultivation pass

The implement features the ContourTrack option due to the particularities of the local terrain.

The quick-change system allows the depth of cultivation to be easily adjusted.

Also, our soils are often too hard, but the Karat 12 solves both problems.”

One implement for all purposesCortot uses the cultivator twice for stubble cultivation, once for shallow cultivation immediately after the harvest and then again about three weeks later for deeper cultivation to about 15  cm. He then does another two passes, once for seedbed preparation and a final pass for weed, snail and slug control prior to sowing. “Our entire chain, including the Solitair, is now set up for 12 metres working width. That’s very efficient, and I choose the optimal time for tillage in a targeted, very efficient manner.”

The Karat 12 features the ContourTrack system as an optional extra. “I’m very satisfied with this”, says Cortot. “The system en-sures an even tillage depth in our challenging soils in strongly undulating fields.” ContourTrack measures the pressure apply-ing to the depth control wheels. A hydraulic cylinder controls the position of the roller/concave disc unit to ensure that it follows the surface contours. As a result, the desired working depth is consistently maintained, even when driving over crests or through dips.

That was not enough for Cortot. Together with his parents, he decided to convert the farm to organic methods. This process was completed in 2001, when the farm was certified by the French organic farmers’ association, “Agriculture Biologique”. The business has grown throughout, more than doubling in size since 1998. When Cortot’s parents retired in 2003, his col-league Herve Lallement joined the business. Their farm operates under the name of “Gaec des Tours”, and they have diversified by establishing another business called “Kalifourrage”, a company selling high-quality feedstuffs.

Organic changed everythingMuch has changed since 2001. The crop rotation has been expanded considerably and now includes entirely new crops. The farm has grown to 650  ha and currently rotates its crops between alfalfa, spring and winter wheat, field peas, rapeseed, sunflowers, barley and triticale. Cor-tot uses smaller fields for trialling new crops such as quinoa or chia. His wheat crop produces high-value bread-quality wheat. But alfalfa is at the core of his cultivation strategy. “This crop is incredibly versatile. It has important functions in terms of soil quality”, he says, “but it also produces a crop that I can market extremely well.”

Farm overview2 managers: Jean-Francois

Cortot and Herve Lallement

2 permanent employees

4 seasonal employees

2 of the managers’s sons will soon join the business

Available areas250 ha alfalfa

200 ha cereals (winter and spring wheat)

50 ha field peas

40 ha rapeseed and 20 ha sunflowers (food oils)

60 ha barley

30 ha triticale

Other: e.g. quinoa, chia, on trial

Alfalfa requires a very acute sensibility to the crop. “Its leaf structure and green colour – and with it major nutrients such as protein – must not be lost dur-ing preservation”, explains the organic farmer. This is why he harvests alfalfa eat 35% humidity and leaves the swath on the field for one night at the most. The damp alfalfa is then pressed into large square bales, which subsequently pass through a solar-operated drying plant at a gentle temperature of 40  ˚C. The business dries about 5,600 bales from four cuts per hectare every year. The managers are planning a sec-ond drying plant for increased throughput. “Careful drying of damp alfalfa ensures that the bales remain green inside, which is a clear sign of superior quality”, says Cortot, reaching deep inside one of the few bales still unsold from the previous year. Almost all of their 2017 crop has already been marketed via Kalifour-rage. Many of their customers are in Germany, Belgium or in the Netherlands. There is great interest from cashed-up horse owners, above all, and only 20% of the forage goes to organic farms.

The farm is AB-certified. AB is the official French label for organic farming produce awarded by the French Ministry of Agriculture.

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Crop rotationYears 1 to 3 Alfalfa

Year 4 Wheat (without fertilisation)

Year 5 Wheat (fertilisation, depending on soil, with purchased chicken manure)

Year 6 Winter or summer peas

Year 7 Winter rapeseed (post-harvest fertilisation with chicken manure)

Year 8 Wheat (fertilisation with chicken manure)

Year 9 Sunflowers, barley or triticale Sunflowers with alfalfa undersow crop, sown with fertiliser spreader.

Sugar factory residue is also used as fertiliser to some extent. Green manure crops include legumes and Egyptian clover.

Planned: Chicken farming business for more inde-pendence regarding organic fertiliser.

Jean-Francois Cortot has started a small tourism operation by building a holiday apartment. He uses organic materials such as straw in the construction.

Report from France

The bars are arranged at 90-80-90 cm distances to provide sufficient clearance for blockage-free operation even with

4 rows of tines and a line distance of 23.4 cm. The roller can be detached. This prevents the pre-sowing tillage

passes from consolidating the soil excessively. The quick-change system for the shares gives the Kar-

at even greater flexibility.

Plus the farm has a VariOpal 8 just in case. “But we only use the plough in difficult cases”, says Cortot, “if we need to bury seeds very deep in the ground.”

Jean-Francois Cortot is the first LEMKEN customer to purchase the Karat  12. He uses the cultivator on about 800  ha every year. “LEMKEN is delighted to see

The warehouse is almost empty: proof of the high demand for alfalfa.

Slow drying ensures that the alfalfa stays green – a sign of high quality.

this professional French farmer do pioneering work under very particular agricultural conditions, and to have him share his ex-periences”, commented Jerome Boucquemont, LEMKEN’s repre-sentative for the Bourgogne region.

Rethinking is essentialThe significance of customised cultivation methods will only increase in Europe, given the current debate about the total herbicide glyphosate. This will be particularly true for con-ventional farming businesses. It is not to be expected that the availability of active ingredients will improve in the long term, bringing products with comparable performance onto the market. This is why it is well worth looking at organic farms, which have years of valuable experience in controlling weeds and weed grasses without synthetic or chemical crop care products. Tillage forms an important component of a holistic approach in this regard.

INTERSECTION PRECISION FARMING Two seemingly very different people meet on a farm in Schleswig-Holstein: an experienced marketing expert and a passionate farmer. Their joint interest: precision farming. Where are things at the moment, what will the future bring, and what might be utopian?

The GPS has done a good job, taking Angelika Wesselkamp straight to the Dornhöh farm near Schleswig, a good 500 kilometres from the LEMKEN headquarters in Alpen. LEMKEN’s Head of Marketing has come to meet Philipp Dethleffsen-Jürgensen, a 27-year-old farmer who has devel-oped his keen interest in precision farming into a new line of business. This is where things come full circle, as LEMKEN has increasingly in-vested in digital products in recent years and will continue to do so in the future. What could therefore be better than to talk with a farmer to hear about his practical experiences and wish list for the future?

New machines – an investment for the future“My father Klaus and I got started with precision farming because we needed to replace a number of legacy machines”, explains the farmer, who first completed an agricultural apprenticeship after secondary school and is now studying at Kiel University of Applied Sciences. “First of all, we gathered a lot of information from various manufacturers at the Agritechnica agricultural technology fair, and we invested only after.” Over the past five

LEMKEN’s Head of Marketing Angelika Wesselkamp talking with farmer Philipp Dethleffsen-Jürgensen

The Dornhöh farm Highly variable sandy, loamy and boggy soils

Average January temperature: 1.1 ˚C; July: 16.5 ˚C

Average annual precipitation: 850 millimetres

200 hectares arable farmland

Average yields (tons/hectare): 11 t winter wheat, 10.5 t winter barley, 4.8 t winter rapeseed, 6 t field beans, grain maize (first crop)

1,800 pig fattening places

Contract work, including in precision farming

https://www.dornhoeh.de/

Precision farming

years, they have established a system where each el-ement engages smoothly with the next, starting with

a parallel tracking system and extending all the way to application maps for seeds, crop care and fertiliser,

Section Control, yield mapping and field databases, and even crop assessment using drones.

Photo: Dornhöh SkyTec

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Precision farming

Future trends in precision farming“In our Fieldtronic domain we count on products that are tailored to customers’ needs and are therefore de-veloped in close cooperation with customers. We are grateful for all suggestions and are happy to listen! What might seem utopian today can become reality tomorrow. LEMKEN collaborates intensively with other suppliers of agricultural technology to develop compatible products and offer them at competitive prices.” "Angelika Wesselkamp

huge progress. This allows us to establish even crops with ex-cellent juvenile development even on crests and in dips.” This is something his neighbours have noticed too. “More and more of them ask us to do the sowing for them, especially where condi-tions are difficult”, he adds with a grin.

Angelika Wesselkamp does not come from an agricultural back-ground, so she is, in a way, a similar novice like Dethleffsen-Jür-gensen’s neighbours, and she wants to know more about the benefits: “In all my jobs have always asked myself, what ad-vantage do customers gain if they buy one of my company’s products? I probably get a better sense of the benefits from discussions like this one rather than from talks with LEMKEN engineers, who explain all the technical background down to the last newton-metre and megabyte.”

Trust is good, control is better However, the young farmer approaches technology realistically as well as enthusiastically: “I check application maps carefully, especially before doing any work for my colleagues. Sometimes the information on the maps is inaccurate and needs to be corrected.” This is why he does not use a sensor for fertilising, which would control the fertiliser spreader directly from the tractor cab. “I prefer to use a drone for creating multi-spec-tral images, which I convert into fertiliser maps once I have checked them.”

What will the future bring?For this farmer, drones will play a central role in the fu-ture of agriculture: “I see huge potential in crop care. We can, for example, spot areas affected by fungal dis-ease much better and detect infections earlier than with the naked eye.” Given the fact that chemical crop care is subjected to ever tighter regulation in many countries, this is certainly an interesting approach. The new LEMKEN weather station now

allows Dethleffsen-Jürgensen to take a look right inside his crops. “This device transmits parameters such as temperature, humidity and, most recently, precipitation rates directly to a mobile phone. Software then calculates the risk of infection with various crop diseases”, explains Wesselkamp. This sounds very promising for the farmer, who does not have a weather station yet. However, he would be very interested in installing one, especially on more remote fields that he does not have in his sight all the time.

Shorter development cyclesWhile Dethleffsen-Jürgensen is certain that the new electronic tools on the market will never make farming expertise redun-dant, he believes that farmers’ tasks will change: “In the future, work will be more about controlling and monitoring processes. I can delegate jobs by sending a job request from my office to an on-board computer, and an operator then completes it.” LEM-KEN also has a solution for this workflow. The agrirouter data platform meets these requirements, and more. For Angelika Wesselkamp and her team, this confirms that LEMKEN is on the

For Angelika Wesselkamp and her colleagues, the intensive exchange with practitioners forms the basis for developing customised products.

Important supportOf course they sometimes also learned the hard way: “Not all dealers and suppliers have people who are as competent as LEMKEN is, and sometimes things were (and still are) not quite compatible. So far we have successfully dealt with any prob-lems by remote maintenance and regular software updates, but with some machines it took a full season to get there.” Angeli-ka Wesselkamp listens carefully and picks up on the last point: “Compatibility is really a basic requirement for user-friendly products. This is why LEMKEN has placed a great deal of value on cooperation for some time. Just one example is the new CCI 1200 terminal, which was jointly developed by several agricul-tural technology companies.” Dethleffsen-Jürgensen helped develop this terminal himself and provided valuable practical input, while Wesselkamp is only too familiar with the challenges these new products present for dealers and field staff: “We are in a period of radical change. While mechanical expertise was what counted in the past, it is more and more about electronics these days. We address this change by employing new staff and providing intensive training for our existing teams.”

Still time for friends after a long day’s workPrecision farming is not an end in itself for Dethleffsen-Jür-gensen. “Once you have spent your first full day sowing with a parallel tracking system, you don’t want to go back. You have so much more focus on controlling the process. And I even have the energy to go out for a beer with my friends after a long day’s work.” His digital tools deliver very concrete benefits. He is able to work very efficiently on his highly variable soils and tailors his processes to width sections. “This helps me save farm inputs to some extent, but I definitely apply them more effectively. I really enjoy optimising processes to get the maximum out of them”, is his motivation. This works particularly impressively with his Compact-Solitair 9. “Controlling seed flow via application maps that are based on soil samples and harvest yields has meant

“My reasons for getting into precision farming: I am fascinated by its precision and repeat-ability. It delivers superior quality of work. Farm inputs are used more efficiently. All this improves profitability. Products such as the CCI 1200 terminal are very easy and comfortable to use these days. It’s fun to work with them.” Philipp Dethleffsen-Jürgensen

right track and motivates them to keep developing this field. She does not believe in utopias: “We must not allow proven solutions to limit our thinking. What might seem utopian today could become reality within a mere few years, given the ever shorter development cycles.”

Both believe that the trend is towards digitalisation. But mar-keting expert Wesselkamp would like to see more exchange to learn more about practical requirements: “We are grateful for any suggestions and criticism, whether straight to our head-quarters, to our field staff or via Facebook.” Yet it is unlikely that all farm managers will switch to digitalisation to the same ex-tent as Dethleffsen-Jürgensen has done. “There is still quite a bit of resistance, especially among the older generation. Also, not all farmers are interested in engaging closely with touch screens and software. LEMKEN will continue to offer purely me-chanical agricultural implements in the future.”

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16 17

ISOBUS terminal CCI 1200

2. Multi-touchThe CCI 1200 is intuitive and quick to operate via the swipe ges-tures familiar from smartphones and tablets. There are no keys along the display edge to maximise space and make the layout as flexible as possible.

3. One terminal for two implements A single terminal is now sufficient, even if two ISOBUS imple-ments need to be controlled at the same time, e.g. a Solitair 25 for fertilising and an Azurit for single-seed drilling. The CCI 1200 simply displays both machines side by side. Plus the terminal provides additional space for miniature views, e.g. from a rear-view camera or GPS part width section control.

4. GPS precisionThe CCI 1200 now allows the precision of Section Control to be fully utilised, as it is capable of controlling up to 254 part width sections to apply farm inputs without overlap. The Tramline Control function switches tramlines automatically based on the position on the field. A parallel tracking assistance is also integrated.

5. Help systemThe help system is mainly designed for beginners and users who do not work with the terminal on a regular basis. Videos, graphics and short texts explain everything there is to know about the job at hand during application. The help informa-tion already provided with LEMKEN ISOBUS implements is also displayed on the CCI 1200. Greater comfortThe properties of the CCI 1200 reduce operator strain and contribute to higher quality of work. Operators no longer need to jump from one menu level or function to the next, as is the case with other terminals. Everything there is to know is shown on the large display, acces-sible at a glance. “We place great value on a graphical user interface: clear graphics and images are often

LEMKEN employees have been extensively trained to ensure that user enquiries are answered by competent partners.

Important conceptsAgrirouter: This virtual hub co-developed by LEMKEN ensures the compatibility of data exchanged between senders and recipients. This includes the exchange of data between a crop care implement of supplier A and a field database of supplier B, for example.

CCI: The Competence Center Iso-Bus (a registered association es-tablished in 2009) has 21 member companies and organisations.

CCI 200: Predecessor of the CCI 1200 terminal; smaller, without multi-touch, flexible layout or innovative help function.

Multi-touch: Touch-sensitive screen surface for operating the device and entering data by means of gestures.

Tramline Control: Automatic tramline mechanism with GPS support.

Section Control: GPS-controlled part width section control for crop care and seed drills, among others; prevents overlap.

One for allTeamwork can work well, even among competitors, as

has been proven by the cooperation between LEMKEN, Grimme, Kuhn, Krone and Rauch in developing the new

ISOBUS terminal CCI 1200. The companies pooled their competences and financial resources because this task

would have been too big for a single medium-sized enter-prise. The goal was to develop a single terminal for all the dif-

ferent requirements from sowing through to harvesting. “The outcome is a product that is at the cutting edge of technolog-

ical development among a range of competitors”, says Marco van dem Boom, LEMKEN’s Head of Electronic Development.

CCI 1200 – SMART, INTUITIVE, UNIVERSAL, COMPATIBLE

Controlling agricultural machinery should be just as intuitive, comfortable and flexible as it is to operate a smartphone or tablet.

“While all popular ISOBUS terminals comply with a minimum standard, the CCI 1200 offers a number of additional features developed in close cooperation with our test farmers”, explains Electronic Product Manager Hendrik Vennemann. Both LEMKEN experts believe that the strengths of the new terminal lie in the following five criteria, above all:

1. Flexible layout and crisp contrast The 12.1” display allows several applications to be shown at the same time. It can be used in landscape or portrait format inside the cab, depending on the space available. The display is brilliant-ly clear with crisp contrast in both bright sunshine and darkness.

Four years of development, 60 employees from five different companies, 800 meetings, many thousands of working hours – these numbers are a clear indication of how much effort went into taking the CCI 1200 from the initial idea through to series production. Over 100 test

farmers in several countries were involved in trialling the terminal to make sure that theory worked hand in hand with practice.

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XXXXXXXXXXXXX ISOBUS terminal CCI 1200

“The CCI 1200 terminal is as easy to oper-ate as a smartphone. The display allows me to view two applications at the same time, for example the settings for my Sirius 10 and the nozzle control in Section Control. The display of joystick functions and the rear-view camera is also very helpful. Everything is there at a glance!”Yves Pluchet manages an arable farming business in Saussaye la Campagne (Normandy, France).

Kingdom and Germany have confirmed that the terminal is straightforward and easy to use. This is true for farmers who are used to working with the CCI 200 as well as for operators who use this sort of technology for the first time. Marco van dem Boom is proud to report that “all test users wanted to keep the terminal.” The test users were able to familiarise themselves quickly with the terminal, thanks to its intuitive, straightforward controls. The convenient help function provides unrivalled sup-port in case of any uncertainty. “If you want to find out more about the CCI 1200, talk to our LEMKEN field staff, attend a webi-nar or watch a tutorial on our YouTube channel”, adds Roeingh. These options should answer most questions.

Always up to dateJobs can be transferred from the field database via a USB stick. A WLAN module has been available since the summer of 2018. Wherever there is a smartphone hotspot, the terminal can then use it to connect to the agrirouter to facilitate the mobile ex-change of data. Regular updates ensure that the terminals and apps are always up to date. A CCI working group is currently working on a remote maintenance system, which will operate similar to a team viewer on a computer: “This will allow us to offer our customers the ultimate in service”, enthuses product manager Vennemann.

CCI 1200 – from the idea through to series production2012–2013 February 2014 December 2014 May 2015 June 2015 October 2015 January 2017 January 2018 February 2018

Preliminary studies on designing a new terminal user interface conducted in cooperation with a research institute

Launch of the CCI 1200 development project

Collation of the five mem-ber companies’ require-ments

Decision for independent software development

Final display selection Completion of the detailed software specifications and intensification of software development

Delivery of first prototypes to LEMKEN for initial labo-ratory tests

Delivery of 50 pilot devices to LEMKEN Tests with selected end customers and LEMKEN seed drills, ploughs, single-seed drills and crop care sprayers

Comprehensive training of international LEMKEN customer service staff by AgroTraining

Start-up of LEMKEN series production

more informative than a thousand words”, explains Hendrik Vennemann.

He also emphasises another strength of this terminal, namely that it can be installed in a range of ISOBUS implements and tractors. According to Moritz Roeingh from the Competence Center Isobus (CCI), “the CCI 1200 can be used universally; mean-ing that only a single terminal is needed for all machines. The Section Control license migrates from one tractor to the next to-

gether with the terminal and only needs to be purchased once”, enthuses van dem Boom. “Also, the CCI 1200 provides very high reliability of use with very low susceptibility to failure because it has been developed for a wide range of uses by experts from a number of companies.”

Easy and intuitive for beginners and people switching from other products Over 100 test farmers in the Netherlands, France, the United

Electronics Product Manager Hendrik Vennemann (left) and farmer Tillmann Vetter have thoroughly tested the new terminal.

“I use four terminals by different manufacturers on my farm. I have

used the CCI 1200 combined with a Solitair 9 since the autumn of

2017. Having completed my first 200 hectares with the terminal, I

must say that I like it best among all of the terminals I have. I particularly

like the fact that I can use it to control two ISOBUS implements and that it

displays several windows, for example showing tramlines, Section Control

and the camera view. The well thought-out help function makes the transition

easier, even if I haven’t worked with the terminal for months. Another great fea-

ture is that the display is really brilliant, even in bright sunshine or at night.”

Tillmann Vetter runs an arable farming and pig fat-tening business in Lemgo (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany).

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20 21

Weather station

Potato growers are only too familiar with this scenario: The last Phytophthora treat-ment was done a week ago, and the weather conditions are again ideal for this dangerous fungus. When is the op-timal time for a follow-up treatment? Or an example from cereal growing: At what time in the morning can a fungicide be applied after a dewy night? After all, the spray fluid needs to stick to the leaves rather than drain off, and the application must be completed before the afternoon heat.

Keeping application rates and costs lowFarmers are confronted with these and similar questions all the time. They want to apply active ingredients optimally to keep application volumes and costs low. At the same time, they need to work on their image, as non-farmers in many countries are more and more critical of crop care. “The more, the better” is what many believe farmers’ motto to be. As a logical consequence, legal re-strictions regarding approvals and

application are tightened ever further.

This is why we need ideas and solutions for the highly efficient use of crop care products. One such solution is the new LEMKEN weather station. This product collects actual values from crops and provides farmers with valuable guidance – not only in crop care: When has the soil reached the right temperature for sow-ing maize? Is the soil frozen sufficiently solid for driving on it? By supplying relevant data, the station’s sensors additionally support sowing, tillage, fertilisation and harvesting processes.

Benefits of the LEMKEN weather station Precise weather data from crops

Historical and current data at a glance

Particularly useful for fields located far from the farmyard

Guidance for arable farming measures

Disease pressure forecast for five days ahead

Basis for determining optimal crop care application times and rates

Support in placing the weather station correctly

The weather station maps the micro-climateThe weather station was developed in cooperation with the company AppsforAgri, which already operates over 250 simi-lar stations in the Netherlands. It consists of a plastic tube of 1.46 metres length that is inserted into the ground to a depth of about 40 centimetres. Sensors detect the temperature at 5 and 20 centimetres depth in the soil. Additional sensors record the air temperature and humidity at 25 and 75 centimetres above the ground, that is inside and just above the crop. The data is transmitted to the cloud via the SigFox low-frequency network and can be called up by users via a smartphone or tablet.

The outstanding strength of this mobile weather station lies in the precise data it delivers straight from the crop. Each crop has its own micro-climate. The temperature on the leaves may differ from the ambient temperature by 5–10 ˚C, while humidity may vary by 20–30 per cent. This has a powerful effect on disease development. As a result, data measured by a thermometer and hygrometer on the farmyard or even sourced from an official weather station 20 kilometres away is not very useful.

Guidance plus expertiseFarmers receive current and historical data clearly presented on the display of their mobile devices. Temperature and humidity data is aggregated to calculate the dew point, while meteoro-logical services supply data on wind speed and direction, global radiation and precipitation forecasts. Crop care and other meas-ures can then be optimally deployed based on this information.However, actual data from inside crops open up a host of addi-tional opportunities. LEMKEN offers, among others, a module

HELLO CROP, TALK TO ME! ALL IN A DAY’S WORK FOR THE LEMKEN WEATHER STATIONIn the future, we will need to protect our crops even more efficiently against harmful organisms. However, farmers need data to do so, including highly precise weather data collected right from the crop and in-tegrated with sophisticated forecast models. That’s exactly what the new LEMKEN weather station does.

AIR MEASUREMENTTemperature & humidity

Crop measurement Temperature & humidity

SOIL MEASUREMENTTemperature at 5 cm and 20 cm depth

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Weather station

HOW TO GROW CATCH CROPS BESTIn recent years, the cultivation of catch crops has increased strongly across Europe due to subsidy policies. Catch crops support the “green” goals of cultivation, i.e. greater biodiversity, less nitrate in groundwa-ter and improved resistance to erosion due to mulch tillage. Michaela Schlathölter, Head of Breeding/Development with P. H. Petersen Saatzucht Lundsgaard, shares valuable tips.

that simulates the disease pressure for five days ahead – for 100 different dis-

eases in 40 crops. This is achieved by com-bining the precise data from the crop with

weather forecasts. The result is presented as a table showing days with low, medium, high

and extreme disease pressure.

The models have been selected and adapted by the renowned Dutch agricultural meteorol-

ogists Erno Bouma and Joost Nieveen. They are based on existing, successful models from several

countries developed by universities and research institutes, among them Wageningen University in

the Netherlands, Cornell University in the USA and the Rural Services Centre in Germany. Yet, even the

most sophisticated of technologies cannot substitute supplementary field checks and farm managers’ crop

care expertise.

The weather station and crop care mod-ule have been available from the LEMKEN online shop (shop.lemken.com) since April 2018, following their successful launch at the 2017 Agritechnica. But there’s more: LEMKEN continues to work on precision. Experience has shown that actual precipitation values frequently differ from the values determined by the rain radar. A rain sensor will therefore be included in the weather station in the near future to make it even better.

The operating instructions and the information in the smart - phone app make it easy to set up the LEMKEN weather station

within 15 minutes.

Unboxing the LEMKEN weather station“The delivery service rings the doorbell to deliver a long box – my new LEMKEN weather station. So far I have always measured my weather data on the farmyard, using a thermometer, rain beaker and barometer. All analogue technology. That’s why I’m rather excited about the LEMKEN weather station, which promises to deliver all key micro-climate data from the crop straight to my mobile phone. Will this technology work the way I want it to? I open the box. Inside, I find a white plastic tube and, most importantly, an instruction manual. Everything is explained briefly in five easy-to-understand steps. I first set up the weather station in winter wheat near the farmyard to try it out. I even find the Smart-Farm app for my Android mobile phone in-stantly in the Play Store, even though I’m an-ything but a smartphone expert, but I need two attempts at installing it. I then follow the instructions provided by the app, enter a few data, and the sensors start measur-ing. All in all, the whole process has taken me no more than a quarter of an hour. The next morning, the station sends its first data, which is continually updated every 30 minutes. Everything is clearly displayed in the app on my mobile. I am surprised to find out that the temperature dropped as low as 2 ˚C overnight. When scrolling through the page, I notice the free trial version for disease pressure in winter wheat right underneath the weather data. According to the app, the conditions make my crop highly susceptible to brown rust over the coming days. Since the protection provided by the most recent fungicide has expired, I now plan the next application. The weather station and I are on track to becoming the best of friends.” Matthias Wiedenau, Farmer in Düren, Germany

Which catch crops work best?The cultivation of catch crops must not impair the health, yield or quality of the subsequent main crop and should ideally have a beneficial effect on the entire crop rotation.

Time of sowingThe various catch crops are suited for a range of sowing times, from early to late. While legumes generally respond to early sowing with healthy growth, yellow mustard and greening rye are particularly suited to late sowing times.

Water supplyWinter-killed catch crops generally do not impact negatively on the water bal-ance in subsequent crops. Increased precipitation during winter usually bal-ances the water supply by the time the main crop is planted. Catch crop seedling development and the shade it provides protect the soil against unwanted evap-

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Catch crops

Phot

os: P

. H. P

ETER

SEN

SAA

TZU

CHT

LUN

DSG

AARD

Gm

bH

Catch crops

Combination and adaptation for individual farmsEach farmer will therefore need to select the catch crops that are best suited for their individual farms, their regions, crop rotations and working environments:

For cattle farms producing large vol-umes of liquid manure, nitrogen-con-suming catch crops such as oil radish, forage rape and turnip rape are best, as their main goal will be to preserve nutri-ents in the upper soil layers. For farms with very dry conditions in

late summer, mixtures with many differ-

Sowing technology requirements for selected catch crops for strong development

Seedbed preparation drilling technology

Broadcast spreader with trailing unit

Broadcast spreader on tilled soil (plough/cultivator)

Large-seed legumesSunflowersBristle oat

PhaceliaEgyptian cloverOil radishFlax

Mustard

increasingly extensive cultivation

increasing reconsolidation requirements

ent components will work best, which should always include legumes. This helps establish an adequate ground cover and supports catch crop mixtures in providing their own nutrients. If there is insufficient water for mixtures, alter-native greening measures such as cul-tivating grain legumes or using fallow land can also be considered.

If catch crops are mainly cultivated to minimise erosion, sparse, but high-mass crops are sufficient. Late sowing times are possible in this case. If catch crops are cultivated to reduce

crop rotation diseases, the rotation components need to be selected very carefully. Different EU countries have different regulations regarding the mix-tures that can be used for environmen-tal priority areas. Farmers who achieve good harvests

and acceptable producer prices are of-ten keen to invest in their soils and to maintain soil fertility. They frequently cultivate catch crops in a manner that is comparable to main crops. However, when farmers are exposed to price pres-sure and low producer prices, they tend to use inexpensive catch crops at lower seeding rates and expend less efforts on sowing.

Catch crops establish root systems in the soil and improve soil vitality

Mixtures with fewer constituents deliver benefits in terms of crop rotation hygiene (SortenGreening PRATEX)

Main crop Avoid as catch crop Catch crop with beneficial effect

Potatoes Persian clover, turnip rape Oil radish, bristle oat, oilseed flaxVetches, legumes

Phacelia, yellow mustard

Sugar beets Buckwheat Nematode-resistant oil radish, nematode-resistant yellow mustard, bristle oat, phacelia, Egyptian clover

Tillage radish (TR),yellow mustard, oil radish, cress, rapeseed, turnip rape,

Persian clover

Rapeseed Mustard, rapeseed, turnip rape, camelina

Phacelia, bristle oat, Egyptian clover, peas, field beans

Seedbed preparation should promote the even, rapid emergence of catch crops

Rapid establishment of ground cover and shade is an important goal of cultivation 2524

Goal of catch crop cultivation

past present future

Supply food and feedstuffs ++ + +

Control diseases through integrated crop cultivation

+ ++ ++

Maintain and improve soil fertility ++ ++ ++

Cover nutrient needs, increase efficiency of fertilisation

++ + ++

Adapt to climate change + + +

Promote biodiversity of landscapes under cultivation ++ ++

Increase agricultural competitiveness + + +

Enhance rural communities ++ +

oration and promote soil tilth. Over time, the additional organic biomass increases humus contents and water retention, while crop roots create canals along which rain water is absorbed by the soil rather than causing erosion damage on the surface.

Nitrogen availabilityCatch crops can be used in a targeted manner to preserve residual nitrogen for the subsequent crop once the catch crop has been harvested, or to make ad-ditional nitrogen from the air available to plants during the catch crop cultivation period. Oil radish, turnip rape and mus-tard have high nitrogen needs, whereas legumes need only little.

Sowing technologyCatch crops have different needs in terms of seedbed preparation and drilling technology. As the aim with catch crops is always to quickly establish a dense cover to suppress unwanted weeds and volunteer cereals, they should be sowed as carefully as possible, given the availa-ble technology and time frames. If catch crops are cultivated in the same manner as main crops, there is often no need for primary tillage before sowing the subse-quent crop. Mulch tillage with maize and sugar beets uses the soil tilth created by the catch crop, and the main crop ben-efits from the mulch cover produced by the catch crop in its early weeks of devel-opment.

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Service

soon tends to hit an organisational wall. That’s why we need a customer service delivery chain that grows together with the business and ensures that the service segment performs well.”

Providing structure to customer service is precisely what Marco Franz does. Arguing against dear old habits forms part of the job. The main challenge consists of integrating end customers, dealers, on-site customer service and the company headquar-ters into a new system. People may say “I know somebody at LEMKEN, I’ll call him, he’ll help me out straight away”, but for Marco Franz this does not constitute a sustainable approach for a globally active company. “There’s a reason why LEMKEN now has regional service managers for each country”, he explains. At the LEMKEN headquarters, service experts look after the various product groups, i.e. ploughs, seed drills, crop care, stubble culti-vation and system technology.

“Identify problems, gain an overview and develop targeted im-provements, that’s how we do it”, Franz says. Representatives

An organised guyMarco Franz’ job is to organise the ser-vice segment within LEMKEN. Since No-vember 2017, his main task has been to optimise this area even further. Franz,

SERVICE, SERVICE AND EVEN MORE SERVICEPerformance and reliability are two terms that are invariably asso-ciated with LEMKEN. This also applies to the entire service segment, where it pays off that LEMKEN has invested considerably in expertise and specialist competence.

who originally comes from the German federal state of Hesse, says that “it’s all about guiding the flow of information usefully”. He draws on his qualification as a mechanical engineer and his extensive professional experience with major agricultural technolo-gy manufacturers in his job.

For him, customer service is an essential element of any successful company. The fact that he has an agricultural background from running his own farming business for some time gives him special insights. “Expanding companies need to organise them-selves to ensure that their customer service grows at the same rate as their sales de-partment – all over the world”, says Franz. This requires that clear responsibilities are defined first. Franz puts this more casually: “Customers have always received service in one way or another. But when it is provided on a personal, extraordinary basis, it

27

from Development, Quality Assurance, Manufacturing, Product Management and Purchasing regularly meet in Product Life-time Management roundtable discussions. “These meetings are highly efficient and often provide the basis for significant improvements.” And LEMKEN always keeps local dealers’ needs in mind. After all, they are the pivot points around which the service strategy revolves. “Dealers are the main points of con-tact for us as well as for local farmers.” Support and complaints must be handled via dealers. Obviously we support them via our technical field staff in case of any extraordinary events. If a dealer says, ‘I know somebody at LEMKEN, I’ll call him, he’ll help me out straight away’, that’s exactly what we want. We’re there for them.”

Marco Franz’ conclusion: “While the service chain may appear longer to customers than before, they gain clear benefits. We avoid frictional losses on the way, take all links in the service chain into account and ultimately all get better.”

Marco Franz

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Service

Most of the time they concern the precision of seed placement. “We can do a lot better here”, explains the service technician, pointing to the small guide wheel. “Getting the settings right ensures that the seeds are placed with absolute precision even at high speeds, which is exactly what’s important for us”, say the farmers.

They really appreciate the fact that Jens Meuskens supports them in the first use of their new Azurit. After all, he knows the machine inside out. His expert knowledge is most in demand when ma-chines are put to their first use on the field. “It’s not so much about solving problems”, he says. “It’s much more important to explain to customers how to get the most out of their new technology”. Jens Meuskens takes care to involve local dealers as closely as possible in these initial instructions. He is responsible for the Azurit across Ger-many – more than 80 of these new machines were already in action on the fields this past spring.

tronics”, he says, “and that was a perfect fit for the position with LEMKEN.”

Lensing looks after everything to do with electronics, across all product groups, on a global scale. “The development of agricul-tural technology is not that different from that in the automotive sector”, he adds. “That’s why service specialists are becoming more and more important in this field.” At the same time, large customers are becoming more demanding, he believes, result-ing in local dealers often being unable to meet their expecta-tions. That’s precisely when Simon Lensing steps in. He does not always have to be on site, as many software problems can be solved just as well via the telephone or digitally.

He also shares his expertise in analogue training sessions at the AgroFarm and communicates his specialist knowledge internally during regular project roundtables. This is where issues such as Next Farming, the agrirouter, CCI or ISOBUS are discussed.

“Manuals, which are often quite difficult to read, can be a problem. This is an area where we have to become more customer-oriented”, the software specialist concludes. Post-season discussions with regional service managers and specialists in the various markets are particularly important for him. This is where problems are discussed and solutions initiated.

Setup mattersAny new machine on a farm is always a challenge. But LEMKEN service technician Jens Meuskens is here to support farmers at this crucial time.

We meet Meuskens at the Cornelissen family farm in Rees, Germany. The brothers Christian and Domi-nic Cornelissen manage this dairy and arable farm, which also includes a biogas plant and broiler fattening facility. Clearly, maize is an important topic for the managers. Their latest investment is a LEMKEN Azurit seed drill. “We used it this past spring for sowing 120  hectares”, says Dominic Cornelissen. “That was the first time we worked in a single pass over eight rows. We’re very hap-py with the result and the clean emergence of our crop.”

The Cornelissen brothers are experienced farmers, but the first use of a machine as so-phisticated as the Azurit still raises questions.

Dominic Cornelissen (left) deep in conver-

sation with LEMKEN service technician Jens

Meuskens. The most burning issue is how to

optimise the precision of seed placement.

An expert for bits and bytesHis first application for a job with LEMKEN did not work out because he thought he was not sufficiently qualified. Simon Lensing approached LEMKEN gradually instead. His qualifications did not fully match the requirements for the position for which he applied initially, but his profile caught the company’s attention. He was therefore invited to resubmit his application to After Sales, as this segment was being expanded. His second application then hit all the right spots, and Simon Lensing is now a service technician for software and diagnostics with LEMKEN Global.

Like many other LEMKEN employees, Lensing originally comes from east Westphalia. He is familiar with agricul-ture from his grandparents’ farm, but his passion has always been agricul-tural machinery. Having completed an apprenticeship as an agricultural machinery technician, he qualified as an engineering technician as well. He gathered experience in metal and ma-terials analysis and visited customers as a service technician. “My work has always been strongly focused on elec-

Precise placement is what counts. This precision is verified by Jens Meuskens (left) and farm manager Christian Cornelissen.

Simon Lensing

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30

Report from Japan

The Japanese island of Hokkaido is ideal for growing sugar beets. However, direct drilling is hardly ever used due to the local climatic conditions. Farmers therefore grow seedlings in greenhouses to extend the vegetation period sufficiently to allow them to achieve satisfactory profits. Of course, this la-bour-intensive approach has its price.

As a result, there is a tendency to discontinue the cultivation of beets altogether. Yet sugar beets are a valuable crop for generating more variety in the crop rotation between wheat, potatoes and soy beans. This is why the Japanese government has been researching the potential offered by direct drilling. Early successes have already been achieved, and the num-ber of farmers sowing beets directly in their fields is growing. LEMKEN supports this innovation with a LEMKEN Zirkon 12/400 K used for seedbed preparation.

Beets are planted as soon as the weather conditions permit. In Hokkaido, the snow often does not melt until late March or even early April.

Beets are harvested between mid-October and late November. The vast majority (almost 90%) of farmers use single-row har-vesting methods with lifters. These machines are manufactured in Japan. Six-row beet harvesters need to be imported.

Beet seedlings are planted out once the cold winter is over. The harvest still relies greatly on manual labour rather than bunker harvesters.

LEMKEN Agrotrainer Florian Müller explains key settings on the Zirkon 12 and Solitair 9 to the farm employees.

BEET SEEDLINGS NOT SEEDSJapan’s beet-growing region is often still under snow when European beets have already been sown. What do to? Simple: sow beets in a greenhouse and transfer the seedlings to the fields later.

Sugar beet seedlings are grown in a greenhouse.

31

The Kotani farm in Japan uses a LEMKEN Zirkon 12/400 K combined with a LEMKEN Solitair 9/400 K for sowing cereals and rapeseed.

32

explains, deeply impressed. “You wouldn’t stand a chance using a standard plough”, adds Deisting.

Naturally, LEMKEN is more than happy to support this German talent. After all, LEMKEN knows a thing or two about plough-ing and provided the prospective champion with a specially designed competitive dual-share reversible plough in LEMKEN blue. The machine embodies some special requests by the ploughing team. “We optimised the mouldboard shape, for example”, says Markowski, “and we insisted on plastic for the shares.” He is determined to win his long-desired medal at last. “This is my last opportunity for scoring internationally. After this, I can’t participate any more according to the rules.”

Anybody watching Murkowski during his training sessions needs a bit of time. It’s not actually a speedy process – every-day ploughing is very different. Again and again he gets off his tractor, checks a furrow here, tightens a screw there, measures

distances, fine-tunes depth adjustments and consults with his trainer. “What counts during the competition is to plough straight furrows at the required depth and to arrive at the right spot in the end. As we plough trapezoidal fields, that’s a real challenge.” During the three-hour competition, participants plough without any assistance. They are not allowed to consult with their trainers or to use GPS. It’s just them and, perhaps, di-vine inspiration.

This issue of LEMKEN Live goes to print before the event, so we will not yet know whether Sebastian Murkowski will make it right to the top. This year’s World Ploughing Championship at Einsiedel estate in Baden-Württemberg will be the first to be held in Germany after 20 years. LEMKEN is the principal sponsor for the event.

Competitive ploughing

LEMKEN Live visited Sebastian Murkowski during a train-ing round in the Westerwald region this past Whit Monday. Murkowski, a 31-year-old carpenter, represents Germany at this year’s World Ploughing Championship. He trains in the eve-nings, on weekends and on public holidays, because for him, a self-employed non-farmer, ploughing really is just a hobby.

It is a great challenge for him and his machines. Markowski spends many hours ploughing fields and pastures in the West-erwald region. He is grateful to the farmers who make their fields available to him. His trainer Andreas Deisting is always on

MASTERLY PLOUGHINGThere is no pole position in competitive ploughing, not even for Sebastian Murkowski, who represents Germany at this year’s World Ploughing Championship. Even as a princi-pal sponsor, LEMKEN’s hands will be tied on the day of the event. But plenty of support has been provided in the run-up to the competition.

his side, and the Westerwald Ploughing Association provides mental support.

“As soon as the weather is good enough, we train”, says Markowski, who completed his first ploughing competition at the tender age of 16. Since then, he has taken part in innumer-able national and international competitions, some of which he has won, qualifying him for the world championships in Swe-den, Denmark and Canada, and the European championships in Ireland and Belgium. “Unfortunately I haven’t quite made it to the top internationally. The competition is incredibly tough”, he

Sebastian Murkowski’s combination is a true gem. This competitive plough was specially designed by LEMKEN. One special feature are plough shares made out of plastic. The beautifully presented tractor is Murkowski’s own.

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Wear PartsMore and more farmers value the long service life and consistent quality of work achieved with DuraMaxx shares.

Carbide manufacture

SHORT SHRIFT FOR STUBBLE!

Time for a change: lower costs, higher qualityWith genuine LEMKEN wear parts, you are always on the safe side, as each spare part made by LEM-KEN is a part of us and designed to deliver optimal performance even under the most challenging of conditions. Our quick-change system makes your work even easier: Share changes can be performed without any additional tools, and share bases can be disassembled completely.

What do drill heads in tunnel excavation, chisels for milling asphalt and cultivator shares have in common? They all wear very quickly unless they are reinforced with carbide. This is precisely what the company Betek specialises in. Betek, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbide, has decades of experience in manufacturing durable wear parts. Karat cultivators have been available with ro-bust carbide shares since 2014.

3–4 times the service lifeLEMKEN offers cultivator shares in three different qualities. The standard Kar-at version comes with hardened steel shares. The next level features hard-faced

35- 54% TC

Comparative calculation: Hardened steel share / hard-faced share (K8P) / carbide share (K8H) after 700 ha field use

Steel share K8P K8H

Number of shares on the cultivator (Karat, 5 metres) 18 18 18

Shares after 700 ha (per cultivator tine) 12 5 1

Share

Price per share € 12.00 € 29.50 € 71.50

Share costs after 700 ha (total) € 2,592.00 € 2,655.00 € 1,287.00

Screws

Price per screw € 1.50 € 1.50 € 1.50

Screw costs after 700 ha € 324.00 € 135.00 € 27.00

Work performance

Time required per change 1.5 1.5 1.5

Change time after 700 ha 18 7.5 1.5

Costs of work performance (€ 15 /h) € 270.00 € 112.50 € 22.50

Total costs (TC) € 3,186.00 € 2,902.50 € 1,336.50

Steel share - 58% TC K8H

K8P K8H

Number of shares on the cultivator (Karat, 5 metres)

HARD, HARDER, LEMKEN DURAMAXXCustomers focus very much on the service life of wear parts. Numerous tests and extensive experience have shown that carbide is simply the way to go. LEMKEN currently sells 15 per cent of all Karat cultivators with its new Dura-Maxx shares.

shares, whose undersides are reinforced with a chro-mium carbide layer and whose service life is three to four times longer than that of standard shares. Carbide shares, however, last another four to five times longer. The carbide in DuraMaxx shares consists of tungsten, cobalt and carbon. The carbide plates are soldered onto the share points at about 1,000 ˚C.

Numerous advantages Carbide shares in agricultural machinery have been much discussed since 2003. LEMKEN trialled the new materials in the Smaragd in 2004 and in ploughs in 2006, but it took time for this new material to find wide accept-ance. However, by 2017, 15 per cent of new LEMKEN cul-tivators were supplied with DuraMaxx shares. This feature is particularly popular with customers who have dry, rocky soils with short cultivation periods. In return for a price that

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“We have been using carbide shares on our Karat cultivator for the past four years. Our soils are loamy and clayey with plenty of rocks and a rocky subsoil. I was a bit sceptical at first whether these expensive shares would withstand it. At first we only mounted carbide shares behind the tractor tyres, where we know that wear is highest, just to give them a go. And they proved really effective. Under our conditions, they last for about 1,000 to 1,200 hectares. In the whole time, we only had one broken share. What counts for us is the long service life, the consistent quality of work and the shorter mount-ing times.”Matthias Riemann, Agricultural Cooperative Urbach eG, Mühlhausen (Thuringia)

Carbide wing shares

5 x longer service life than steel wings

Improved quality of work as the worked width is consistently maintained

Angled carbideExtremely break-resistant

Protects steel bodies

Protects against steel wear

Service life

Up to

20% longer service life

Guide plate cover

2 x longer guide plate service life

Service life

8–10 x longer

service life than steel shares

4–5 x longer

service life than with hard-facing

Quality of workConsistent working depth

Consistently good penetration

Homogeneous quality of work

Disc diameter

From 51 cm to 73.6 cm diameter

Working depthsDepending on type, up to

20 cm

Wear Parts

Carbide is the futureThe DuraMaxx range includes not only Karat share points, but also the corre-sponding carbide wing shares. These are delivered worldwide within the shortest of times. However, cultivator tools are only the start. The first LEMKEN ploughs with carbide shares will soon be launched on the market, with carbide wear parts for other product groups to follow.

may seem steep at first glance, customers gain a number of benefits in addition to a longer service life:

Carbide makes the share points resistant to impacts so they break less in rocky soils. The quality of work and traction requirement remain the same over a very long peri-

od, because the share length does not change. The share points remain sharp and penetrate soils well throughout their service life. Significantly less time is spent on changing shares.

Special features of LEMKEN cultivator shares LEMKEN has continued to develop its shares and has optimised the DuraMaxx share even further based on its proven V-shaped design. The share point is covered by angled carbide plates to provide superior protection. This results in less wear of the steel on the underside of the shares. An increased share thickness achieves comparable wear as with carbide. A cone on the share point additionally protects the screw, while an “overlap” between the share point and guide plate protects the share against wear. A seemingly simple cultivator share is therefore the product of a great deal of expertise.

Service life 8–10 x longer than steel tools 4–5 x longer than K8P

Time and cost savings due to fewer share changes

Less tool costs per hectare

K8P Carbide share K8H

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LEMKEN France

the investment amounted to € 4.5 million. After two years of construction, LEMKEN France now has an efficient sales and service centre with 43 highly qualified employ-ees ready to meet the exacting demands of French dealers and farmers.

The customer and spare parts service aspect has been considerably expanded with 1,100 m² of warehousing space and an own workshop. With over 1,300 m², the Agro-Forum, a large exhibition hall, offers plenty of space for implement demonstrations

Facts and dataIn 2017, LEMKEN France recorded 700 visitors at its new office. They were farmers, dealers and many interested people from the agricultural industry. In the first quarter of 2018, LEMKEN already welcomed 280 dealers as our most important target group. Information focuses on implement demonstrations and product training, above all.

However, Boigny-sur-Bionne has also hosted a number of major events, which LEMKEN has organised in cooperation with other manufacturers of agricultural machinery such as John Deere, Claas and JCB. The Aprodema brought together 120 French professors who lecture on agricultural technology. LEMKEN and JCB additionally organised a joint press conference to launch the Karat 12 and Fasttrac 8000, the implements of the year. LEMKEN has good connections to the specialist press in France. The LEMKEN communications department and agricultural journalists come together for an annual exchange.

and events. AgroTraining additionally has a 400 m² hall and four training rooms where sales partners and customers can be familiarised with LEMKEN blue tech-nology. Training event participants can then apply their new knowledge directly on five hectares of arable land and try out implements in field use.

With an area of 1,300 m², the Agrofo-rum offers plenty of space for infor-mation events, while five hectares of agricultural fields available for practical machine demonstrations are of particu-lar interest for practitioners.

France is the most important market for LEMKEN technol-ogy after Germany. With a 14  per cent share in overall sales, France is LEMKEN’s largest international mar-ket – reason enough to invest strongly in a local head office modelled after the Alpen head-quarters. In the end,

A SUCCESS STORY FROM FRANCELEMKEN has invested substantially in a new sales and service office in Boigny-sur-Bionne near Orleans.

EASY TO TOWLEADING PLOUGHING RESULTSDURABILITYMATERIAL HARDNESSLONG SERVICE LIFETECHNOLOGY

THE PLOUGH. LEMKEN

THE NUMBER 1

IN PLOUGHING: