“2022 is a year of milestone celebrations for Massey Ferguson. We applaud the hard work and dedication of our colleagues in Beauvais to produce our one-millionth tractor. We’re also excited to celebrate Massey Ferguson’s 175 years of straightforward, dependable equipment innovation this year. These dual milestones prove our status as agricultural problem solvers dedicated to providing the right equipment, at the right price, for individual farming operations. Our equipment, just like our customers, is Born to Farm.”

said Darren Parker, vice president of Massey Ferguson, North America.

Celebrating 62 years of production in Beauvais
Thierry Lhotte, vice president and managing director, Massey Ferguson EAME, and president of AGCO in France presented the one-millionth tractor produced in Beauvais – a brand-new MF 8S.305 Dyna-VT – to Thierry Aubrée, an arable farmer and contractor from the village of La Chapelle des Fougeretz in Brittany, France. “On behalf of all our employees and dealers, I want to thank our customers for their steadfast trust,” said Lhotte. The new 8S adds to Aubrée’s expanding Massey Ferguson fleet that already includes four tractors, three combines, and two large balers.

Boussad Bouaouli, vice president, manufacturing Beauvais, emphasized employee commitment on the Beauvais MF campus development.

“From 1960, there have always been people who kept the site moving, always with the right farmer-first focus to address challenges of the times and, above all, with a clear view to the future,”

Bouaouli said.

It all started with the MF 825 in 1960. From then, the site grew continuously, producing iconic tractors driven by innovation, including:

• MF 3000 Series in 1986, the first tractor with onboard electronics,
• MF 8600 in 2008, introducing the efficient power concept, which reduces environmental impact, courtesy of the first use of SCR technology on an ag machine,
• MF 8S Series in 2020, with its award-winning Protect-U concept, which features a 9.4-inch gap between the cab and the engine installation, reducing heat, noise, and vibrations being transmitted to the cab and improving cooling and performance. The MF 8S Series received the Tractor of the Year 2021, Red Dot: Product Design 2021 and Farm Machine 2022 awards.

“The Beauvais plant and our dedicated employees embody Massy Ferguson’s commitment to farmer-focused equipment solutions. This plant, named Factory of the Year 2016, represents the modern era of Massey Ferguson. This campus sets our future and new standards,”

Bouaouli said.

The site has seen innovative developments in recent years, including implementation of Lean Manufacturing practices, expansion of the Beauvais 2 cab assembly line and a logistics center, and a Tractor Customization Workshop. The facility produces many of the brand’s most popular tractors, including the MF 4700 M, MF 5700 M, MF 5S, MF 6S, MF 7S, MF 8S and MF 8700 S Series. Up to 100 tractors can be produced and shipped daily to dealers in more than 70 countries.

“As we hand over this one-millionth tractor, we are set to unify our sites into a single MF Campus with all our departments under one roof. This offers high flexibility and leverages the unique experiences, skills and commitment of the people who work here. This tractor milestone is our 2,500 employees’ success, including our GIMA transmissions’ Joint Venture.”

Lhotte said.

The post Massey Ferguson Celebrates Production Milestone with its One-Millionth Tractor appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

As is done every year in September, planted and harvested acreage estimates for cotton were reviewed based on all available data, including the latest certified acreage data from the Farm Service Agency. Because of the completeness of the data, corn and soybean acreage were also reviewed for this report, a month earlier than usual. As a result, the area planted to corn is estimated at 93.3 million acres, up 1% from the previous estimate; area planted to soybeans is estimated at 87.2 million acres, down less than 1% from the previous estimate; and area planted to cotton is estimated at 11.2 million acres, down 5% from the previous estimate.

The average U.S. corn yield is forecast at 176.3 bushels per acre, up 1.7 bushels from last month’s forecast and up 4.3 bushels from last year. NASS forecasts record-high yields in California, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. Acres planted to corn, at 93.3 million, are up 3% from 2020. The area to be harvested for grain is forecast at 85.1 million acres, up 1% from last month and 3% more than was harvested last year. As of Aug. 29, 60% of this year’s corn crop was reported in good or excellent condition, 2 percentage points below the same time last year.

Area for soybean harvest is forecast at 86.4 million acres, down less than 1% from last month but 5% more than was harvested last year. Planted area for the nation, estimated at 87.2 million acres, is up 5% from last year. Soybean yields are expected to average 50.6 bushels per acre, up 0.6 bushels from last month’s forecast and up 0.4 bushels from 2020. If realized, the forecasted yields in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia will be a record high.

NASS forecasts all cotton areas to be harvested at 9.92 million acres, 4% below last month’s forecast but 20% more acres than were harvested last season. Yield is expected to average 895 pounds per harvested acre, up 95 pounds from last month’s forecast and up 48 pounds from 2020. Area planted to all cotton is estimated at 11.2 million acres, down 7% from last year.

Source: USDA

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The 17,000th Ponsse forest machine has rolled off the production line in Vieremä. The milestone machine, a Ponsse Elk built-in mid-August, will start its career in the sure hands of Kuusmoto Oy.

“It is a special privilege to hand over the 17,000th Ponsse machine to the Finnish Kuusmoto Oy. I wish to thank Kuusmoto for their trust and fantastic cooperation as we continue our journey together,”

says Sales, Service, and Marketing Director Marko Mattila.

Founded in 2014 and hailing from Posio in Finland, Kuusmoto Oy currently employs 17 people. They operate in seven municipalities in Finnish Lapland. The company has a total of nine Ponsse machines.

“We are happy to receive this excellent machine and its plaque. Our current plan is to put the birthday boy to work in Posio or Ranua. It will be a fine addition to our fleet,”

says Tomi Kuusela, managing director of Kuusmoto Oy. 

Ponsse Elk – compact and agile

The Ponsse Elk is a smaller midsize machine, a highly versatile size class. The Elk is an excellent choice when you need an economical but powerful workhorse for thinning-oriented harvesting. Its compact design makes the Elk very agile, while its components, shared with larger machines, make it a powerful and durable tool with a first-rate load-carrying capacity. The responsive engine, impressive torque, and sturdy loader make working comfortable, especially when the operator can enjoy the most spacious cabin on the market, including ergonomic controls.

Introduced into production in 2005, Ponsse has manufactured a total of 947 PONSSE Elk forwarders and delivered them to over 20 countries.

Milestone machine completed in challenging circumstances

Ponsse’s 17,000th forest machine was built to completion at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, plagued by global challenges in component availability and delivery. The company’s operations and growth have continued with success in spite of the exceptional circumstances. The Ponsse way has always been to work together, which is a great boon in difficult times and operating environments.

The post Ponsse Manufactures its 17,000th Forest Machine appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

AGCO is bringing the Fendt 300 Vario Gen4 Series tractors to North America. Because they are built to order and may be fully equipped with the FendtONE operator station like the larger Fendt tractors, these compact and extremely capable workhorses are in a class of their own.

The handy, lightweight tractors will debut at the 2021 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois, Aug. 31-Sept. 2. The Fendt 300 Gen4 Series tractors will also be featured at select events after the Farm Progress Show. They are available to order through Fendt dealerships for delivery in early 2022.

The Fendt 300 Vario Gen4 tractors are available in four models ranging from 100 to 142 ECE R120 rated engine horsepower, all featuring the quality, comfort, and versatility that Fendt is known for. The 300 Gen4 Series tractors offer an outstanding weight-to-power ratio and the agility to handle a wide range of jobs in places larger tractors can’t go. With an unladen weight of just 11,045 pounds, the 314 model boasts just over 83 pounds per horsepower. Added ballast can bring the weight up to 18,739 pounds when the work at hand calls for more.

These tractors make fast work of residential and municipal snow removal, operating both front and rear attachments. They are designed to handle the continual back and forth of loader work and easily manage tight quarters when stacking hay, cleaning livestock pens and equine facilities, and working in specialty crop fields.

“AGCO is focused on providing the solutions our customers need. As we expand the Fendt offering throughout North America, we now have the 300 Gen4 Series tractor for customers who need a smaller tractor with the technology and capabilities only Fendt can deliver,”

says David Soliday, AGCO senior tactical marketing manager for tractors.

Trailblazing the way for tractors

Fendt 300 Gen4 Series tractors are characterized by the same innovative design and cutting-edge technologies that North American customers already experience in larger Fendt tractors.

The 300 Vario Gen4 Series includes four models: 311 (100 HP), 312 (113 HP), 313 (123 HP) and 314 (132 HP). The Fendt DynamicPerformance (DP) power boost intelligent sensor technology automatically adds 10 HP when it detects excessive auxiliary consumer demand on the 314 models up to 142 HP. This ensures that the 314 will provide maximum drawbar, hydraulic, and PTO performance.

The Vario 300 Gen4 Series includes the 4.4-liter AGCO Power engine that works in unison with the Fendt stepless Vario continuously variable transmission (CVT) for optimum power, fuel efficiency, and machine life.

“The main job of this versatile tractor is to quickly and reliably complete every task before the operator has to swiftly and easily switch over to the next one. The 300 Vario Gen4 tractors are equipped to handle a full range of front and rear implements. Specifically, they are designed to withstand the constant reversing and speed changes required for loader work,”

Soliday says.

Configuring the machine to the job

Besides specialty crop and chore work, Fendt 300 Vario Gen4 Series tractors can also be found hard at work in municipalities mowing and raking, hauling materials around the yard, or – in areas prone to snowstorms – removing snow. Since these tractors fit so many uses, they are offered in the choice of three trim packages – Power, Profi, and Profi+ – and with more than 210 options, so they can be ordered to match the buyer’s needs and use.

“The base configuration – Power – is fairly simple, and while it has the big 10-inch display on the dash, it does not include the 12-inch touchscreen display on the armrest. However, these tractors can be ordered with features all the way up to those that even a 1000 Series would have for precision agriculture, guidance and ISOBUS. All those features are easily added,”

Soliday says.

Comfortable cab, designed for productivity

Operator comfort is an important piece of Fendt’s engineering, and the Fendt 300 Vario tractors are no different. All the operator comfort features Fendt is renowned for can be found on the 300 Vario tractors. In addition to front axle suspension, the 300 Gen4 Series tractors are available with either mechanical or pneumatic cab suspension for a comfortable, quiet ride.

All tractor functions in the cab are located at the operator’s fingertips.

“A multifunction joystick and control buttons are integrated into the armrest, and a 10-inch digital dashboard is built into the steering column,”

Soliday says.

Select Profi+ packages also feature the full FendtONE operator station. The FendtONE cab offers producers more display areas, including a 12-inch touchscreen terminal in the armrest and the option of a second 12-inch touchscreen terminal that can be stowed halfway into the right side of the cab roof. FendtONE also brings operators more control options, including a multi-function joystick to operate hydraulics, loader, and ISOBUS features; the Pushdial controller used to run the display and cabin controls; and color-coded buttons that are laid out in an arc right at the fingertips.

“The FendtONE cab allows each operator to customize the tractor to individual preferences for each chore. The buttons are all color-coded to the functions they control – for example, hydraulic buttons are blue. And, to give operators more flexibility, white buttons on the control panel and joystick can be programmed to control tractor or implement functions based on the operator’s preference,”

Soliday says.

The perfect loading combination

Implement controls are centrally located on the armrest – either in the joystick or integrated into the armrest itself – for easy implementation operation. For example, when operating the loader, the operator’s left hand controls the turn and steer functions, while the right hand operates the Crossgate lever or 3L joystick for the front loader.

Fendt offers two front-loader options. The Fendt Cargo front loader comes in two sizes – the standard 4X75, and the 4X75 compact, which attaches the arm almost four inches closer to the cab to increase stability. The Cargo loader offers a semi-automatic attachment lock that features either a quick-release lever or a hydraulic lock, allowing the operator to push a button in the cab during frequent tool changes to easily switch between buckets, bale grabs, and more.

The Fendt CargoProfi front loader features the latest in smart technology. The loader can weigh its contents with the touch of a button, includes tilt sensors, and offers top and bottom limits for lifting height and tipping angles. It also has a memory function that saves positions and makes frequently repeated jobs easier.

Warranty and customer care

The Fendt Gold Star Customer Care package comes standard with each Fendt tractor. This 36-month/3,000-hour warranty features no deductible, covers all scheduled maintenance, and includes the cost of oil, filters, belts, and maintenance items during the coverage period. Each new tractor also receives five years of Fendt Connect telematics that allows an operator or their dealer to remotely monitor important machine data. In the rare case of a breakdown, Fendt dealers will take care of the parts support, while quickly diagnosing and repairing the problem to get the tractor back in the field or provide a loaner guarantee if it takes more than 48 hours to complete a repair.

The Fendt 300 Vario Gen4 Series will make its public debut at the 2021 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois, Aug. 31- Sept. 2, and may be seen at select Fendt dealer events this fall.

The post Fendt 300 Vario Gen4 Series Now Available in North America appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

“We are responding to strong market fundamentals to ensure our customers have the crop inputs they need to feed a growing population. Our network of flexible production and extensive logistics is designed to provide reliable supply and we have a unique ability to be agile and respond to changing market conditions. Our potash asset portfolio is optimally positioned to meet customer needs and drive shareholder value,”

commented Ken Seitz, Nutrien’s Executive Vice President and CEO of Potash.

Domestic and offshore potash sales volumes are currently fully committed through September, based on our original production profile for 2021. Nutrien will be actively hiring additional employees and adapting its resources to help increase production across most of its potash mines, ramping up its Vanscoy facility in particular, and will ensure the highest safety standards are maintained in the process.

Nutrien expects these actions to result in upward revisions to potash-related guidance for the second half of 2021 from both a volume and EBITDA perspective, which will be addressed in second-quarter 2021 results. Nutrien continues to actively monitor the market and evaluate other potential options to further increase production if demand warrants it and may provide additional information in this regard at a later date.

Source: Nutrien

The post Nutrien Increases Potash Production in Response to Strong Global Demand appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

The plant was designed with the aim of producing large quantities of firewood, processing logs with variable lengths (up to a maximum of six meters) and inhomogeneous diameters, and then, stacking it on pallets and in bulk, supply the retailers located on the French territory.

The plant is structured with the following sections:

-A log loader with 30 tons capacity, four chains, 10 meters length and a separator; 

-TLA 18 cutting unit, equipped with 1800 mm diameter disc and 75 kW motor, to process large bundles of mixed material or single logs with variable diameters (up to a maximum of 710 mm) with electronic control of the cutting operations in automatic.

There is a shifter, managed by the operator on the cutting unit, which transfers the cut logs to the independent splitting stations and a 27 tons four columns independent splitting station with laser device for measuring the diameter of the cut log and for centering the splitting grid automatically.

-A 40 ton independent automatic splitting station TB 900 to work diameters up to 900 mm

In addition to that, there’s a cleaning section of processed logs with cleaning rollers that receives all the processed material from the wood splitters (to give flexibility to the system, a cleaning rollers by-pass has been set up in the kindling logs production cycle);

-A feeding conveyor for pallet stacking stations with vibrating hopper for firewood logs recirculation. At the end  there are sloped and suspended conveyors for the transfer/ storage of the processed wood.

Source: Pezzolato

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With the lowest engine displacement in its power class, this model provides the highest power density and lowest footprint for its rated power output; its size results in reduced space required at the installation phase and lower operating costs, providing the most competitive offering in the marketplace.

“We have designed the C2750D5BE to be as flexible as possible to meet a wide range of customer requirements. The addition of the model to our portfolio builds on Cummins’ position as a market leader,”

said Sarah Griffiths, Director of Cummins Data Center Segment.

This new model is highly efficient with 100% load step capability – typically within 10 seconds, and availability up to and including ambient temperatures of 50˚C before de-rate, providing exceptional power for a 60L engine. In addition, voltage and performance options are designed to reduce runtime maintenance and improve fault redundancy resulting in the ability to perform whenever, wherever.

The C2750D5BE meets EPA Tier 2 emissions standards, designed to enhance air quality and reduce particulate matter to provide significant environmental benefits. In addition, the system enables comprehensive real-time fault detection and a fully integrated control system which enables the flexibility to respond and adapt to a variety of applications including data centers, commercial facilities, and manufacturing plants, while providing outstanding performance.

Cummins’ global distribution network consists of over 8,000 distributors and dealer locations globally. With one of the largest support networks in the world, Cummins can provide customers with the assurance that support is always available no matter their location.

The post Cummins Releases New C2750D5BE Model to Expand QSK60 Diesel Generator Series appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

The AGCO Agriculture Foundation (AAF) announced a new partnership with Self Help Africa (SHA) to implement a sustainable poultry production project that will contribute to enhanced food, skills, income, and nutrition security of smallholder farming communities in Chongwe District of the Republic of Zambia.

The official project launch event took place at the AGCO Future Farm Zambia on Thursday, November 5, 2020, with 50 stakeholders in attendance from across the Zambia poultry and agricultural industry, government officials, journalists, farmer cooperatives, poultry associations, and community leaders, including representatives of the Chongwe District’s Royal Highness Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II.

The poultry industry in Zambia is mostly dominated by small-scale farmers who depend on poultry as a social safety net, especially vulnerable households. Given the growing demand for poultry protein and global commitment towards the improvement of animal welfare, it is pivotal to develop tailored projects and initiatives that address key issues and provide sustainable solutions to hunger and nutrition among marginalized farming communities.

“We understand the urgent need to support small-scale farmers in Zambia so that together we can improve production and address existing food and nutrition insecurities. Our foundation is thrilled to partner with Self Help Africa to implement a sustainable approach to enhance the knowledge, skills, and practices of smallholders. Empowering the producers to improve their livestock management operations for economic and nutritional benefits will also highlight animal welfare practices for better treatment of farm animals across the value chain,”

says Metti Richenhagen, Managing Director, AGCO Agriculture Foundation.

The AGCO Agriculture Foundation’s funding is geared towards increasing the productivity, skills, nutrition, and income of 100 poultry farmers in the Chongwe district of Zambia and 50 female poultry farmers from the identified women’s groups.

“Supporting small-scale farmers to end hunger and poverty in rural Africa remains our key focus, and we are excited to work with the AGCO Agriculture Foundation to strengthen this zero hunger commitment. With the prevalence of hunger and nutrition insecurity in the targeted Chongwe district, which has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are optimistic about the timely intervention the project will bring towards sustainable poultry production,”

says Elia Manda, Zambia Country Director, Self Help Africa.

The project will be implemented in conjunction with the AGCO Future Farm in Zambia to provide training support for the project beneficiaries.

“Our agricultural training facility will play a key role to facilitate knowledge and skills transfer for farmers on best livestock management practices required to boost productivity and income. We will work with our Grain & Protein business unit to support selected farmers on improved animal welfare and livestock management operations,”

adds Kalongo Chitengi, Senior Manager, AGCO Future Farm.

Source: AGCO

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As a new feature, Ponsse Manager displays the progress of work areas in a separate graph, showing harvester production and forwarder production relative to the total estimated volume of the work area in question.

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