A Changing of the Guard “ WE ALREADY HAVE OVER 200 HOURS on the FENDT TRACTORS
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A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FOR OWNERS AND FANS OF EVERYTHING FENDT® WWW.FENDT.COM | 1ST QUARTER 2017 A VIEW FROM THE CAB PROFILE A Changing Of The Guard “ WE ALREADY HAVE OVER 200 HOURS ON THE FENDT TRACTORS. aving grown up on a dairy farm in THEY’RE USING ABOUT HALF AS Belgium, Stijn Brebels had operated Ha number of different tractor brands MUCH FUEL AS THE JOHN DEERE before traveling to the United States and MODELS DID TO DO THE SAME JOB.“ becoming the crop manager for a large > STIJN BREBELS, CROP MANAGER agri-business, which includes a 5,000-cow dairy in southern Michigan. So, when it At right (L–R): Art Vennema (operator), Stijn Brebels (crop came time to trade the John Deere® tractors manager), Jerry Van Ongeval (operator), Tony Kuri (operator). the farm had leased for the past three years, Brebels convinced the owners that harvester. Since corn plays a major role in Brebels says the Fendt tractors are also Fendt® would be a better fit. To that end, the feeding program, they will also share very user friendly, which has helped the Plevna Implement Company in Nappanee, time on the planter and tillage equipment. other workers adapt to them with very little Indiana, delivered two Fendt 828 tractors, “I’ve always liked Fendt the best of all the effort. In the meantime, it is doubtful he will two Fendt 822 models and two Massey tractors I’ve operated,” Brebels adds. “So, I get any complaints from the farm’s owners, Ferguson® 8700 Series tractors to the farm thought they would be a good choice for who are still based in Europe. One look at this past November. the farm and its contractors. I particularly the fuel bill is all it takes to confirm their “We already have over 200 hours on the like the comfort and quality. The finish and approval. Fendt tractors,” says Brebels, who has construction is superior in every detail.” managed the equipment inventory and crop production at the dairy for the past four years. “They’re using about half as much fuel as the John Deere models did to do the same job.” As Brebels explains, his duties include coordinating the production and/or harvesting of feed for the farm’s two separate dairies — one in Scotts, Michigan, that includes about 1,800 cows and a 40- cow rotary milking parlor and another in Fulton, Michigan with around 3,200 cows and a 60-cow rotary parlor. In addition, he manages the dairy operation in Scotts. “We grow about 1,300 acres of corn and alfalfa that is farmed for silage production,” he explains. “Plus, we buy another 3,300 acres or more of standing corn and alfalfa from area farmers that we harvest for use by the dairy.” In addition to being contracted by custom workers hauling and spreading manure with two liquid and four dry manure spreaders, the Fendt tractors will be used for cutting hay with triple mowers and merging it into windrows for the forage FENDT FEATURES 800 SERIES FENDT AGRONOMY A Successful Crop Requires A Proper Seedbed The Fendt 800 Series Is “Just Right” hether they are being used for tillage, pulling a grain cart “ “…IT INCLUDES VIRTUALLY ALL THE Wor manure spreader, cutting SAME FEATURES AND OPTIONS hay with a triple mower, powering a big hen someone thinks of the square baler or a host of other chores, AS THE LARGER 900 SERIES. SO, ideal seedbed, the first thing Fendt 800 Series tractors have proven to CUSTOMERS GIVE UP NOTHING WHEN they probably think of is be the perfect size for a number of U.S. SELECTING A SMALLER-SIZED TRACTOR W how it is tilled, but in reality the ideal and Canadian producers. For them, a THAT BETTER FITS THEIR NEEDS.” seedbed encompasses several things. Fendt 800 Series model is “not too big, and not too small; but, just right.” > JOSH KEENEY Soil composition–Seed germination FENDT TACTICAL MARKETING MANAGER requires both water and oxygen so “Available in four models from 220 to NORTH AMERICA different enzymatic processes can 280 maximum engine horsepower, the occur. The optimum soil makeup is Fendt 800 Series is the ideal size for a 50% soil particles, 25% water and 25% large percentage of North American 3-point hitch system that offers down air. The seed needs to have enough farms,” says Josh Keeney, Fendt Tactical force capabilities. contact with the soil to absorb water Marketing Manager for North America. “Like the Fendt 900 Series, all 800 but enough space around it where “Yet, it includes virtually all the same Series models are also available with a oxygen can be present. This is why we features and options as the larger 900 front 3-point hitch and PTO, integrated typically want a loose soil as a seedbed. Series. So, customers give up nothing automatic guidance and Fendt’s Loose soil also allows for the carbon when selecting a smaller-sized tractor unique VarioGrip™ integral tire pressure dioxide formed during respiration to that better fits their needs.” regulation system, making them even escape. The thing potential customers need to more versatile for a wide range of Occasional deep tillage, commonly realize, Keeney adds, is that a lot of the applications,” Keeney continues. “There known as subsoiling, can help break comfort and productivity features found is even the option of a front loader up hardpan, which can cause roots to on other tractors in this power class are designed specifically for the 800 Series.” struggle, while installing drain tile can optional. On the Fendt 800 Series, most Customers also benefit from an unladen help wet areas. Meanwhile, a simple of those features are standard. That weight as low as 9,300 pounds on the ribbon test can help determine if you includes the Vario® CVT transmission, 822 and 824 models, which translates should till or plant. If you can create a which is still the best in the industry; into high payload reserves. This means ribbon, the soil is too wet; if it crumbles, self-leveling front axle suspension, cab the tractor is not carrying unnecessary the soil is ready for tillage. suspension; stability control; reactive weight for transport applications; yet it steering; a 10 ½-inch touch-screen color can be ballasted for heavy draft work. Disease–Many diseases that affect terminal and an extremely powerful At the same time, the Fendt 800 Series dicot plants like soybeans, sunflower, offers as many as 24 connections at the cotton or canola are different from 800 SERIES STANDARD PACKAGE front and rear, which is more than any those of a monocot like corn, wheat, ✔ INDUSTRY-BEST VARIO CVT TRANSMISSION other tractor in its power class. barley or rye. By rotating crops, the disease life cycle has a better chance of Don’t let the 800 Series’ compact size ✔ SELF-LEVELING FRONT AXLE SUSPENSION being broken. fool you, either. The 3-point hitch ✔ CAB SUSPENSION boasts an astounding 11,308-pound Weeds–Many people do not realize ✔ STABILITY CONTROL lift capacity, while the hydraulic system just how long weed seeds can remain dormant in the soil. Black mustard seed, ✔ REACTIVE STEERING offers a standard flow rate of 40 gallons per minute or the optional 51 GPM for example, can survive over 40 years. ✔ 10 ½-INCH TOUCH-SCREEN COLOR TERMINAL with the high-volume system. It is little That’s why removing weeds before ✔ POWERFUL 3-POINT HITCH SYSTEM wonder that more and more producers they can produce seed is so critical. WITH DOWNFORCE CAPABILITY are finding that the 800 Series is the right machine for their operations. 2 2017 FENDT NEWS FENDT DEALER PROFILE Plevna Implement Sells “ ...THE REAL KEY TO SELLING FENDT MODELS FOR US Return-On-Investment IS TO EMPHASIZE THE VERSATILITY, EFFICIENCY AND LONG-TERM VALUE. DAIRIES ARE THE TYPE OF Insects and Nematodes–The ideal t’s been more than seven decades OPERATION THAT USE A TRACTOR YEAR-ROUND, seedbed should be free of major since Plevna Implement Company PUTTING A LOT OF HOURS ON A MACHINE ANNUALLY.” pests such as corn rootworms, which I began business as the Plevna Garage can proliferate in continuous corn, or in Plevna, Indiana. Today, that small > WADE SYMONS, MANAGER, PLEVNA soybean cyst nematodes, which can dealership, which sold Oliver tractors to IMPLEMENT CO., NAPPANEE, INDIANA thrive in back-to-back soybean crops. By farmers returning from World War II, has alternating crops, you limit the primary grown into full line dealerships in both food source for the pest, causing the Plevna, a rural community near Kokomo, population to decrease. and Nappanee, Indiana. One of the keys to their growth has been the fact that the Shrock family, which is now into its third generation of management, has always been looking ahead, even as brands like Oliver, Minneapolis-Moline® and White disappeared and new ones emerged. That’s one of the reasons Plevna Implement Company added Fendt to their lineup as soon as it became available in 1999. Tillage and Compaction–Compaction Kent Shrock, general manager of Plevna can do damage for years. Hence, Implement Co., insists that even though farmers need to be mindful of how the dealership has sold several AGCO many passes they perform, how heavy predecessors, and continues to sell other “So it’s much easier to sell a dairy or the machinery is and how dispersed the AGCO brands, Fendt has a special niche livestock operation on the versatility that weight of the tractor/sprayer/etc. Tracks with Indiana producers. Fendt offers,” he continues, noting that distribute weight better than tires, “We’ve done a lot to grow the Fendt side the 800 Series accounts for the majority and duals distribute more weight than of the sales business,” Shrock says.