AGCO Corporation named Kolby Watson of the J.R. Simplot Company and St. Anthony, Idaho, the 2021 Operator of the Year at the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) Annual Conference & Expo in San Antonio, Texas, on December 1, 2021. The award recognizes the skills, dedication, and customer service demonstrated by application professionals to their local communities.

“I’m humbled by this recognition and very appreciative of the honor. The other finalists are such amazing professionals and community supporters, and I was just thankful to be nominated alongside them. This experience has been surreal and exciting, and I’m so grateful to everyone who made it possible,”

said Watson.

As Operator of the Year, Watson won an all-expense-paid trip to the ARA conference and a commemorative trophy. He will also receive a side-by-side utility vehicle (or cash equivalent) and 100 hours of use of the all-new Fendt Rogator 900 Series applicator.

Watson is well known in his community for his professional skills and devotion to helping others. Customers specifically request his services in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana for difficult and tedious jobs, which require long hours and great attention to detail. Watson stays abreast of the industry’s fast-paced agronomy developments as a statewide consultant and a regional Certified Crop Advisor.

Watson’s community service centers around his work as a volunteer with the South Fremont Fire Department, serving as a training officer. He participates in the Search and Rescue (SAR) Demolition Derby, which helps equip the group with new equipment and operational funds. He also pitches in with efforts to harvest local potato crops, which helps area farmers get them into cellars before bad weather arrives.

Bill Bata of Adams, North Dakota, and Brady Jones of Lindsay, Ontario, were also finalists in the program and appeared at the ARA conference with Kolby Watson and AGCO’s Application marketing teams.

“All three of our finalists exemplify the values that Operator of the Year seeks to recognize. We’re always very impressed with the skills and dedication our nominees demonstrate, and these hard-working professionals well serve our industry and communities,”

said Greg Pumo, director of application marketing for Fendt North America.

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“The Fendt Rogator team is very pleased to accept CropLife IRON’s Product of the Year award. The product was designed to meet the needs of both farmers and retail operators by providing flexible capabilities in a format that improves usability and delivers a great return on investment. The tremendous response it’s received from customers and the industry has us very excited about the future,”

said Greg Pumo, marketing director, application equipment, Fendt North America.

The Fendt Rogator 900 Series Applicator is a self-propelled, rear-mounted boom applicator with dual-position, adjustable crop clearance for use from pre-plant to tall crops. The machine adjusts between standard (56-60”) and high clearance (72-76”) in less than 45 seconds with the push of a button. It can also be switched between liquid, dry pneumatic, or dry spinner delivery systems in as little as two hours. The result is a single, versatile solution for the year-round application of liquid or dry crop nutrients and crop protection products and seeding of cover crops, replacing multiple machines, and optimizing equipment investment. The applicator’s innovative design and versatility also allow for better control of timing and methods of applying products to help optimize yields and investment in crop care products.

“CropLife IRON started the Product of the Year competition so our readers would have the chance to vote for their favorite product releases each year. I’m happy that we were able to continue this fine tradition for the 2021 calendar year by honoring AGCO for the release of the company’s Fendt Rogator unit. This model was the overwhelming choice for the annual ShowStopper Award at this summer’s Midwest AG Industries Exposition (MAGIE), and now it has added the Product of the Year trophy to its list of awards as well,”

said Eric Sfiligoj, editor, CropLife, and CropLife IRON magazines.

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“There has been a notable increase in customers’ propensity to proceed with capital expenditure in all of the main application segments and this has enabled us to make a better start to the current year than originally anticipated. New orders are up by around a third compared with the first quarter of 2020. This growth, combined with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.35, gives us cause for optimism about the months ahead. At the same time, we have significantly improved our profitability. This is in no small part due to the effects of cost savings that we have already achieved thanks to the rigorous implementation of our efficiency program,”

said CEO Dr. Frank Hiller.

Significant order growth; year-on-year rise in revenue

On the back of better than expected market demand, new orders received by Deutz in the first three months of this year jumped by 30.3% compared with the first quarter of 2020 to reach €464.8 million. All of the main application segments recorded double-digit percentage increases.

Unit sales of Deutz engines rose from 31,546 to 32,249. Including Torqeedo’s electric drives for boats, the Group sold a total of 38,384 engines and motors, compared with 40,069 in the first quarter of 2020. Consolidated revenue went up by 1.1% to €343.4 million due to a favorable product mix compared with that in the prior-year period.

Significant improvement in operating profit

EBIT before exceptional items (operating profit) improved significantly to a profit of €0.8 million in the first three months of this year (Q1/2020: loss of €11.8 million), partly due to the increasingly noticeable effect of cost savings resulting from the restructuring that was initiated in 2020. Furthermore, the figure for the prior-year period had been squeezed by payments to suppliers going through insolvency proceedings. The EBIT margin before exceptional items improved to 0.2%, compared with minus 3.5 % in the first quarter of 2020.

Group guidance for 2021 raised

Having made a better start to the new year than expected, Deutz is raising its full-year guidance for 2021. Based on current information, the Company anticipates unit sales of 140,000 to 155,000 Deutz engines (previously: at least 130,000), resulting in an increase in revenue to between €1.5 billion and €1.6 billion (previously: at least €1.4 billion). In view of the continued successful expansion of the service business, we still anticipate that service revenue will increase to around €400 million.

The Company had originally expected to at least break even in terms of EBIT margin before exceptional items in 2021 but now predicts that this margin will be in the range of 1.0% to 2.0%.

The supply situation remains difficult

The above guidance has been issued on the basis of current business performance and the current supply situation. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and problems with the global supply of semiconductors are continuing to create uncertainties, making it impossible to accurately predict the potential impact on business performance, for example as a result of supply shortages. Difficulties with the supply of some components are expected to continue until at least the third quarter.

The quarterly statement for Q1/2021

The full quarterly statement for the first quarter of 2021, including the final results, will be published as scheduled on May 6, 2021.

Source: Deutz

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New Holland Agriculture has reached the significant milestone of 30,000 large square balers produced since it entered the segment in 1987. The landmark BigBaler Plus unit was produced at the New Holland Agriculture plant in Zedelgem, Northwest of Belgium, which is the “Center of Excellence” for New Holland harvesters worldwide, and focuses on developing and building combine harvesters, balers, and forage harvesters for global export.

The 30,000th baler bears a commemorative decal created by New Holland to celebrate the milestone.

Carlo Lambro, New Holland Brand President, stated:

“Reaching the milestone of 30,000 large square balers is a big accomplishment for New Holland, and in particular for all the people who have built this rich heritage of innovation, and kept our large square balers in the number one position to this day. I would like to thank the people here in Zedelgem who are keeping this legacy alive, building the BigBalers for our customers across the world, and designing the balers of the future.”

Luigi Neirynck, New Holland Plant Manager at Zedelgem, commented:

“This is an impressive achievement, and all of us at the Zedelgem plant are very proud that the BigBalers designed and built here continue to set the benchmark for the industry. We continuously invest in state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies and operate according to World Class Manufacturing principles, one of the manufacturing’s highest standards for the integrated management of plants and processes. The result is the consistently high quality of every machine that rolls off our assembly line.”

The most efficient large square baler in its segment

New Holland has introduced a host of pioneering industry firsts in its large square baler range that has changed baling across the world. These innovations include double-knot technology, electronic proportional density control, and full bale eject functionality – all of which have now become industry standards.

Today’s flagship BigBaler models are true to their heritage of innovation and industry firsts. The BigBaler Plus landmark model features advanced efficiency-boosting technologies, such as the best-in-class SmartFill sensor for perfectly uniform bales and IntelliCruise, which controls the tractor’s forward speed, increasing productivity, optimizing capacity and delivering ultimate bale uniformity. The BigBaler High Density introduced two unique features, the latest in New Holland’s long string of industry-firsts in baling. The first is the SmartShift gearbox, a unique driveline concept, winner of the Agritechnica Silver Medal at the Agritechnica Innovation Award 2019, that significantly increases productivity, enhances operator comfort, and improves tractor driveline protection. The second is the unique and patented Loop Master knotting technology: the first commercialized double knotter in the world that prevents plastic pollution. The high-density baler was also crowned Machine of the Year 2020 in the Forage Harvesting category by a jury panel of journalists representing the leading European agricultural publications.

More than 100 years of harvesting excellence

The award-winning BigBaler large square balers are designed, developed and produced in New Holland’s Zedelgem Centre of Harvesting Excellence, as well as New Holland’s flagship combine harvester ranges and forage harvesters. The advanced product development process, engineering and manufacturing expertise of New Holland’s dedicated workforce, ensure that the BigBaler range continues to set the benchmark across the world.

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