XtraBlatt Issue 02-2018

2 

2018 

XtraBlatt 

ORGANIC MILK 

Farmyard processor Dehlwes 

AUSTRIA 

Sucklers in the idyllic Alps 

STRAW 

Multitalent material from the field 

1

TITELTHEMA 

With its 1,156 HP the new BiG X 1180 from Krone is currently 

the largest forage harvester worldwide. The machine’s official 

première featured a working demonstration and press conference 

attended by over 100 journalists from 26 countries – 

whereby one reporter from New Zealand did not let an almost 

18,000 km journey prevent him from attending the event.

EDITORIAL 

DEAR READERS, 

Hot from the press lies before you the latest XtraBlatt 

in which we’ve again gathered a wide range of feature 

stories and reports. Title theme this issue is straw, a material 

achieving ever-greater importance as animal litter, feed and 

sustainable energy producer. 

For Krone, 2018 has turned out a very successful year: in 

our agricultural sector as well as our commercial vehicle 

one. For the first time in our firm’s history we’ve cleared the 

2 billion € turnover hurdle, enabling us to anchor our equity 

capital ratio at almost 50 %. This is especially pleasing for me 

and my family because it creates a stable foundation upon 

which we can continue long-term as dependable, family-run 

business for you, as well as our some 5,000 workforce. 

With the future of our agricultural machinery business in 

mind, we are naturally very interested in the development 

of milk markets worldwide. Here too, prospects could be a 

lot worse. According to the IFCN Dairy Research Network, 

global milk requirement by 2030 will, driven by population 

expansion, have risen to around 23.4 m t/year, representing 

an annual growth of approx. 2.3 %. Notable hereby are the 

differences between the production increases in Europe and 

America, as well as the even greater deficits in East Europe 

and Africa. Thus, the milk processing industry in Germany 

and Europe faces the challenge of increasingly involving and 

establishing itself in the export markets. 

You, our valued readers, can therefore clearly see that globalisation 

will also affect your own businesses. However, 

I believe we can look on this phenomenon as a fantastic 

opportunity for all of us. One of the associated requirements 

to tackle daily, by us in Krone as well as your businesses, will 

be continual examination and optimisation of production 

procedures for quality and profitability, so that production 

is exactly what the market wants. 

For the Christmas festive season that now lies before us, I 

wish you and your families a restful and tranquil time as 

well as a good and, above all, a healthy 2019. Don’t forget to 

regularly check your own quality of life and to savour every 

single day of it. After all, time is the only thing in life that is 

not available on credit. 

With best greetings from Emsland 

Yours sincerely, Bernard Krone 

3

4 

CONTENTS 

CONTENTS 

6 7 

TITLE THEME 

Something good is well worth waiting for – in agricultural 

engineering there have always been good examples 

of this saying. From initial idea through to real practical 

application there quite often lie six to eight years. In this 

respect, the straw pellet harvester Premos 5000 officially 

previewed by Krone at Agritechnica 2015 where it won 

a DLG Gold Medal, lay right in time. First functional test 

model of a pelleting form was working by 2011. In July 2013 

there followed a first mobile version of the technology and 

in 2015 the Premos achieved full functionality. However, 

the machine still isn’t in the showrooms. Here, XtraBlatt 

discusses current development and the next steps towards 

market introduction with Premos factory product manager 

Kai Lüpping who looks after construction and development, 

and with machinery specialist Dennis Göcke. 

XtraBlatt: Herr Lüpping, right from the start in 2015 Premos 

not only engendered enthusiasm but also a very large 

portion of concrete buying interest from many customers. 

But three years further on the Premos is still not in the price 

lists. Doesn’t this frustrate potential buyers? 

Kai Lüpping: Even during that first Agritechnica, the interest 

was very large and in such a concrete form that we could 

have sold numerous machines right then during the show. 

Meantime, the list of those signifying serious interest has 

grown to several hundred. Thus, the pressure to “at last” 

begin marketing has been substantial and continues to be so. 

But there’s no sign of disappointment or even frustration. At 

least, this is our impression following many discussions over 

the past three years. Our message is always that a thoroughly 

tested machine absolutely ready for serial production is 

the crucial aim before we step-up into large-scale regional 

marketing. Any other strategy would not be acceptable under 

our standards. After all, there’s a lot of responsibility behind 

a product such as the Premos. We’re actually dealing with a 

very complex machine with a price that will be in the range 

of at least a large forage harvester. During the 2016 field 

trials we also realised that there was technical fine-tuning 

still needed at a number of important points. 

PREMOS 

OUT ONTO THE FIELDS 

Presentation of the Premos pellet harvester at Agritechnica 

2015 immediately brought Krone hundreds 

of customers from all over the world with concrete 

interest in buying. But before full production could 

start, there lay ahead an intensive trial and development 

phase. In 2019 the first machines should start 

work for customers out on the fields. 

XtraBlatt: For instance? 

Lüpping: The pelleting rollers are now 1,000 mm diameter 

instead of the former 800 mm. This enables increased 

throughput so that, in effect, we could produce a possible 

5t/h instead of 3 t/h. The main drive has been substantially 

strengthened. The hydraulic block changed to load sensing. 

Additionally, machine control is no longer via individual 

function as it still was in 2015, but now over a management 

terminal. This makes things much easier for the driver. 

Dennis Göcke: Not to be forgotten is the tandem arrangement 

fitted instead of a single axle. The bigger rollers mean the 

machine is a little heavier and design was adjusted accordingly. 

XtraBlatt: Is the Premos as practical in mobile form as in 

stationary application? 

Lüpping: Yes. In principle, nothing is changed except a 

fundamental redesign of intake technology for stationary 

application to handle bales so that straw processing is optimised 

and material flow kept uniform. This, for instance, 

involves rollers for breaking down the bales. Just as important 

for us in this respect is safety, for persons in the danger zone 

around intake machinery or during removal of baler twine. 

We have not quite reached our target with such solutions 

and for this reason I reckon it will be 2020 before the intake 

table is market-ready. 

Product manager Kai Lüpping (r) and machinery specialist Dennis Göcke 

look forward to the Premos working with first customers in 2019. 

18 19 

INTERNATIONAL 

THE SMOLANA FAMILY, TRAHÜTTEN 

HIGH IN THE IDYLLIC ALPS 

Farmer Peter Smolana stands atop a great rock and 

scans the countryside in concentration. Where can his 

cows be? More important: where are the new-born calves? 

It’s quarter to six mid-July and we’re around 1,650 metres 

up on a Koralpe alm of summer grazings, the Koralpe being 

eastern spur of the Alps in Austria’s Western Styria state, 

edging along the border with Slovenia. We are already above 

the tree line. This farmer from the hamlet of Trahütten in 

Deutschlandsberg district tenants 120 ha up here where, 

from beginning of June through to September 10, his suckler 

herd grazes. “We brought up 34 head in spring and 16 of the 

cows have since calved.” Driving the stock up the mountain 

and back down again in autumn takes 4 hours each way with 

Peter and his two sons Felix (10) and Paul (8) herding, the 

two youngsters loving to lend a hand. Peter’s aunty Heidi also 

never misses a change of joining this special herding event. 

The Koralpe range southwest of Graz represents the most 

easterly foothills of the Alps. Pasture and forest characterise 

the landscape here – as they do on the Smolana family farm 

where alongside suckler cows, forestry and energy production, 

additional income comes from a guesthouse and a hotel. 

30 31 

AGRICULTURAL CONTRACTORS 

WORKING TOGETHER MORE 

XtraBlatt: The missing full utilisation possibly also explains 

the forage harvester tourism in the 2018 season. At least, the 

subjective impression was that contractors were travelling 

ever-further distances to their customers … 

Pentzlin: In individual cases that could well be the case. The 

tendency of some contractors to increase their working radius 

cannot be denied. There are, after all, less individual farms 

now. Naturally, this causes unrest and price competition. 

More of a problem in this respect, incidentally, are newcomers 

offering agricultural services without charging according 

to full cost calculations and who have the main strategy of 

undercutting the prices of established contractors. However, 

even this cannot, and must not, be prevented, belonging as 

it does to the market economy. 

XtraBlatt: Not bargaining on a price basis but instead 

attracting through performance is, however, not really the 

usual practice with many contractors … 

Pentzlin: I cannot completely deny this. In fact, I would go one 

better: Firstly, a contractor must sell services based on quality 

of work and performance. And in fact, the great majority 

do so. But you also should have the courage to stick to your 

guns during bargaining and to accept the resultant loss of a 

price-conscious customer now and again. These people often 

realise in the end that cheaper very seldom means better. 

Therefore: From the customer point of view it is clearly best 

to ask questions about the quality and sustainability of 

work that such contractors carry out. More than ever, the 

quality of work is decisive for the farmer and to this belongs 

more than just work itself but above all the reliability of 

the contractor, the punctuality, the qualifications of the 

workforce and the advice given. Take as example the silage 

harvest: what is an extra 30€/ha or 5€/working hour when 

paying a good contractor, in relationship to a good store of 

feed with a value in terms of meat and milk produced in the 

hundreds of thousands of euros? In other words, many times 

the “savings” theoretically attainable through cutting back 

in contractor fees. 

INTERVIEW 

Changes in structure and 

technology bring new 

challenges into the farmer- 

contractor relationship 

whereby digitisation offers 

great opportunities for both 

sides, feels Klaus Pentzlin, 

president of the German 

Federal Association of Agricultural 

Contractors (BLU). 

XtraBlatt: Mr Pentzlin – the extraordinary year of 2018 

draws to a close. How can it be summed up from the contractor’s 

point of view? 

Klaus Pentzlin: Compared with the wet and therefore 

extremely difficult summer and autumn 2017, the stresses 

for operators and machinery in the 2018 cereal and forage 

harvests can be seen as relatively limited. The harvest could 

be finished much earlier than in normal years and its progress 

could also be described in general as undramatic. However, 

these are the only positive aspects. The long-lasting and 

massive drought in some regions sometimes led to substantial 

penalties in harvest yields in grain, and especially with grass 

and forage maize. Consequently, our customers suffered 

earning losses, or faced high costs through having to buy 

in feed. We contractors were also affected because in many 

areas, for example, up to two grass cuts less than usual were 

harvested. And in combining, many colleagues didn’t achieve 

the hectare performance of other years. In total, painfully 

absent in 2018 were contracting orders, capacity utilisation 

and therefore hourly income. After all, our tendentially 

increasing personnel and machinery costs continued as usual. 

44 45 

INTERVIEW 

25 YEARS BIG PACK 

THE WINNING 

THROW 

Following the 40-year celebration of Krone’s round 

balers in 2017, the company’s big balers this year (2018) 

mark their 25th anniversary. Reason enough for a review 

of BiG Pack developments since 1993, a time when it was 

much more than “just” another product in the forage and 

straw harvests for this manufacturer. But we can also take 

the opportunity to look forwards. Join us on a small journey 

through time accompanied by Dr Klaus Martensen (division 

manager, bales and self-loading wagons), Martin Amshove 

(product manager, BiG Pack) and Niklas Beindorf (product 

marketing, BiG Pack). 

XtraBlatt: 25 years BiG Pack – in this period there have 

been very many changes. What can you recall from the 

very beginning? 

XtraBlatt: What were important characteristics with which 

BiG Pack could set high standards, especially right at the 

beginning? 

Martin Amshove: These were the first big balers with tandem 

axles, for example. And the first of their kind with gear and 

shaft drive only, i.e. with no chain drive. Additionally, the baler 

had a clutch for the packer so that possible blockages could be 

handled quasi automatically in a matter of minutes. On top 

of this, a very important point was the substantially larger 

flywheel when compared with the competition. This meant a 

lower power demand which in turn allowed the first BiG Packs 

to be operated with tractors of around 100 HP – nowadays 

hardly credible! 

XtraBlatt: What happened next? 

Dr Martensen: Krone started in 1993 with the canal sizes 

80 x 80 cm and 120 x 80 cm. In 1997 there came then the size 

which became widely distributed, particularly in Germany: 

120 x 70 cm. This was quickly followed by the 90 cm size and 

also the 1.30 m with 4 x 4 ft. 

Amshove: Outstanding right from the first-generation machines 

was certainly also the first cutting system with solidly 

fixed blades in the packer canal, as well as the VFS forwarding 

system, which came onto the market in 1999. This allowed 

the baling material to be collected in equal portions resulting 

in production of very uniform bales. 

Dr Martensen: Not to be forgotten was the first active 

electronic bale density regulating system: this enabled rapid 

A quarter century of BiG Pack 

– this jubilee stands not only 

for a very important product 

segment within the Krone 

company, but also shows how 

the HDP generation in 

particular has set worldwide 

standards in performance 

and bale quality. 

Dr Klaus Martensen: I only 

joined Krone in 2001 so I cannot 

report the start, at least not 

from my own memory. However, from all 

the stories, two points have crystallised in my thoughts. 

Firstly, the decision to develop an own big rectangular 

baler was in those days a courageous one because this 

was something new for the company. Although Krone was 

market leader for round balers in Germany since 1992, big 

balers represented another league altogether in terms of 

construction, machine robustness and production. All the 

more important, therefore – and this is the second key 

point – was establishment from the beginning of numerous 

technical details for satisfying customers and dominating 

the competition. 

Reviewing 25 years of BiG Pack development in this article: (l to r) 

Dr Klaus Martensen, (division manager, bales and self-loading wagons), 

Martin Amshove (product manager, BiG Pack) and Niklas Beindorf 

(product marketing, BiG Pack). 

54 55 

PARTNER 

frameworks for delivery of the desired 

service quality. That’s why these factors are 

now the standard in the farm machinery 

business rather than the exception”, adds 

Björn Briesemeister. 

He believes that a requirement for this is 

transparent agreements – such as is the 

case with Krone guarantee extensions. 

Johannes Vlach says these can be seen as 

a desirable standard, comparing well with 

what the competition offers. The price 

involved is, admittedly, not the lowest. 

But decisive is an unbureaucratic completion 

and wide-ranging support from 

the manufacturer. “The customers know 

and value this in the knowledge that if 

any machinery problems occur, solutions 

will be found as soon as possible, and 

so down-time kept to a minimum”, he 

explains. 

For this reason, the proverbial thumbs-up 

is also awarded by MAREP to the Krone 

standard of support from the dealer’s 

point of view. Thus, with its guarantee 

agreement the manufacturer repays the 

hourly workshop costs – for Johannes 

Vlach definitely a benchmark in the sector 

and absolutely decisive for the profitability 

of the service partner. Also the direct 

contact that exists with service experts in 

the factory and, when required, the immediate 

support available from there, is way 

above average. “This assistance motivates 

our employees enormously. Even difficult 

technical problems can together be solved 

very rapidly, just the way the customer 

wants. Breakdowns can occur with any 

brand, decisive however, is how these are 

dealt with”, Johannes Vlach is convinced. 

And, in fact, this year such dependability 

proved very fruitful, he went on. After the 

extremely difficult harvest of 2017, the 

harvester sales in the following winter 

developed better than in the previous 

seasons, not only with silage machines 

but also for balers. And because of the 

early fears of lack of feed through the 

long-lasting drought, markedly more 

straw than normal was harvested, with 

associated more short-notice demand for 

new balers. “Because we had ensured a 

good reserve order early-on with Krone 

we were able to exploit this marketing 

opportunity. But also the capacity utilisation 

of our workshops was very good, 

so that 2018 was in total a very positive 

year for us. Whether the new machinery 

business remains so positive in 2019 with 

the generally poor harvest yields this year, 

is questionable. However, I am confident 

that our service business will continue 

as best fundamental support”, concludes 

Johannes Vlach. « 

SERIES: “PREVENTION INSTEAD OF CURE” 

ENOUGH 

ROOM FOR ALL 

1 The best possible availability 

of spare parts is a key factor of 

the service concept in all seven 

MAREP facilities. 

2 Mobile customer service is a 

crucial factor for success in the 

farm machinery sector, finds 

Daniel Eichhorn (r. workshop 

master, Mühlengeez) and 

mechatronic Philipp Meyer. 

3 Good service is always teamwork 

with MAREP, as here in 

the Mühlengeez premises. 

1 

3 

2 

Dairy cow health and performance 

depend greatly on optimum feed 

quality as well as correct feeding – 

but also on welfare-based management. 

In part three of our series, 

vet André Hüting explains what to 

watch out for in barn layout. 

To the most serious “problems” with 

cows belongs udder health. In turn, 

this has a lot to do with correct milking and 

udder care, but also with perfect hygiene. 

This applies not only in the milking parlour 

or milk robot stand but also, for example, 

directly after the milking, emphasises 

André Hüting, veterinary surgeon and 

managing partner in the vet practice “an 

der Güterstraße” in Hamminkeln on the 

Lower Rhein. “For instance, the aim should 

be that after milking the cow does not 

immediately lie down but instead remains 

standing for 20 to 30 minutes so that the 

teat canals can close and thus hamper 

any pathogen ingress. This is important 

10 11 

because during harvest he was able to slash bale field 

collection and transport time by around 2/3. 

THREE PLUS ONE 

But how does the system work? The BaleCollect trailer is 

attached behind the big square baler. The Hasse baler is a 

Krone HDP 1290 XC powered by a 360 HP tractor. “For road 

journeys, the collection trailer is decoupled from the baler 

and reattached via telescopic drawbar allowing the trailer 

to follow exactly the track of the baler”, explains the farm 

contractor. “This means even routes with lots of bends still 

represent no problem.” Because both baler and collection 

wagon come from the same manufacturer, road worthiness 

certification presents no problem. Dispatcher Jean Muschiol 

explains: “We had two representatives for road worthiness 

testing at our depot. The machines passed without any 

problem. We were anxious during the test because, normally, 

new vehicles are plated by the manufacturer before 

delivery. But because of the early start to the harvest this 

wasn’t the case with this equipment.” 

This early start meant the new baler and the collection 

trailer were out on the stubble by July. Jean Muschiol, who 

accompanies new machinery to customers too, found operating 

the equipment to be self-explanatory. “The trailer 

is operated via the tractor ISOBUS terminal. The baling 

procedure is as usual while the completed bales are laid 

onto the collection trailer. From there, the first bale is either 

Dirk Hasse (r.) and dispatcher Jean Muschiol are satisfied with the first 

season results from the BaleCollect system. 

TITLE THEME 

Every hour counts during the 

straw harvest. That’s why high 

capacity machinery is crucial. 

In this respect, the BaleCollect 

brought a quantum leap in efficiency 

for contractor Dirk Hasse 

because it allowed him to 

reduce time involved in bale 

logistics by 60 %. 

the contractor if he could coordinate its straw collection 

operations in the future and transport straw from farms 

to the cooperative. Raiffeisen buys straw from many farms 

in the region and sells it on as merchant. For instance, 

straw is pelleted for marketing as horse bedding or litter 

for household pets: a successful transfer from agricultural 

to industrial product with associated price adjustment. 

With this in mind, the contractor did not tarry long before 

accepting the job, especially because the cooperation 

offered increased security through a contract over several 

years as well as a good earning opportunity. A requirement 

on the cooperative’s part was, however, that the contractor 

invested in a new Krone HDP big square baler and Krone 

BaleCollect trailer system. The new kit was delivered in 

spring 2018 and, even after the first harvest season, Dirk 

Hasse described this investment as a real quantum leap 

FARM CONTRACTOR HASSE, HEESEN 

THE TIME MACHINE 

The sometimes months-long drought of 2018 caused 

real problems for many farmers. One result was substantial 

reductions in yields, not only in grain but also the 

associated straw. The only silver lining hereby: straw could 

be harvested from many more fields, quality was very good 

and, finally, the time window for baling and transport was 

relatively long. “In the three years before, we had to battle 

through conditions that were considerably worse. For this 

reason, high work capacity during straw harvest is a real 

must for us,” relates farm contractor Dirk Hasse from Heesen 

in Lower Saxony. 

After the experiences of the wet summer in 2017, he 

decided to invest in additional machinery for improving 

straw collection. Starting shot was an enquiry from the 

Raiffeisen Landbund cooperative organisation asking 

34 35 

INFORMATION 

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR MACHINERY ADJUSTMENT 

EVER READY 

After attachment of mower to tractor we come to 

the first adjustment that can influence cutting 

results: height of the lower link arms. This must be exactly 

the same so that the mower headstock remains parallel 

to the ground. Only then can the mower work evenly, 

optimally following field surface contours. This is especially 

important when cutting on side slopes. Do you want to 

alter the cutting height from the standard of around 7 cm? 

This can be done relatively easily by adjustment of the top 

link. The shorter the top link is set, the more “aggressive” 

is the cutting action, i. e. the cutting height is reduced. 

So far, so good. But how can I know the cutting height to 

begin with? To measure distance between field surface 

and mower disc, use a ruler and always measure from the 

very front of the blade downwards, and at several points 

across the working width. 

There are another few things to check. Most important 

of these is the so-called ground pressure, hydraulically 

regulated or via springs. To assess the present setting, take 

hold of the mounted mower at the frame and pull lightly 

upwards. If no movement is possible, the ground pressure 

might be too high, or the springs set too tightly. But this 

should be no problem because modern mowers usually 

allow ground pressure adjustment without tools through 

simply adjusting spring attachment by bolts in a hole plate. 

To do this, lift the mower into headland position and reinsert 

the spring tension bolts. Drop the mower and again lift the 

mower frame. If this is then possible without too much 

effort, the setting is correct. A good general ground pressure 

is approx. 70 kg per metre working width. However, this 

can vary with the working speed you choose, as well as 

the location-specific situation, e.g. ground conditions and 

mowing requirements. 

Some mowers feature integrated conditioners that can 

be adjusted to give the required intensity of conditioning. 

Here, the space between fingers and baffle plate can be 

adjusted. The smaller the space, the higher the intensity 

of conditioning. Try it out. Additionally, intensity of conditioning 

can be regulated via conditioner rpm: the higher 

the revolution speed, the greater the intensity. Now, it’s 

time to start mowing. After a few metres, always stop and 

check work quality. Don’t forget to check the cut sward to 

see if cutting height is right. 

SERVICING 

Does cut grass tend to appear torn and ragged rather than 

showing the desired clean cut? It could be that blades need 

replacing. And with that, we come to the second part of our 

practical tips: servicing the machine. “Out of the nettle bed 

and right into mowing work” is, unfortunately, a common 

forage harvesting situation on some farms. Whereby, all 

that’s needed to ensure a smoothly working mower are a 

few simple steps. Correct servicing ensures a high degree 

of operational reliability and avoids expensive downtime 

during harvest. One point to start off with: when there’s 

the possibility of keeping your mower under cover and dry 

over the winter, then you should always do so. Another tip: 

pressure washing the machine beforehand is always good. 

A clean mower is easier to check-over than one covered in 

dust and dirt. For cleaning, the mower is best on its stand. 

As soon as it’s dry, it should be well greased at all required 

points, an action that also gets rid of any condensation 

moisture that may have collected inside bearings. Getting 

Good feed quality starts with mowing. The fundamental 

requirement for reliable machinery application is 

setting-up the implement correctly and then servicing it 

regularly. Here, we show you the right steps to take 

using the disc mower as example. 

Liegen die Parallelogramm-Lenker 

waagerecht, stimmt die Einstellung 

der Unterlenkerhöhe. 

48 49 

THE DREHER FAMILY, OFTERDINGEN 

DIRECT SUPPLY 

explains farmer Karl Martin Dreher who 

runs Oberwiesachhof with wife Christel, 

son Michael and an employee. 

Production chains are indeed short here: 

pastures radiate just a few hundred 

metres around the farmstead. This saves 

time, is practical and efficient and isn’t 

coincidental. Some years ago, farmer 

Dreher swapped land with a neighbour. 

“The fields were more or less scattered 

before. Now, I have a compact block, and 

so has my neighbour. Soil quality and 

size of fields were something the same, 

letting us swap 1:1.” Relationship with 

the neighbour is good: Karl Martin Dreher 

harvests forage next door on a contracting 

basis when this is required. “The Krone 

EasyCut is in action with us anyway, and 

when labour is a bit tight on the next farm 

we’re happy to help out.” 

Despite high temperatures and the related 

lighter forage yields this year, this farmer 

hasn’t had to buy-in more feed than usual. 

“Most of our feed is home-grown, although 

protein and mineral feed come from the 

agricultural merchant.” Cropped are clover/ 

grass swards, lucerne, winter barley and 

forage maize. “Since we’ve fed clover/ 

grass and lucerne the milk production 

has increased markedly. Currently, we are 

managing lactations of a good 8000 kg 

and soon we could be achieving 9000 kg. 

For Fleckvieh that’s not bad at all”, smiles 

this farmer proudly. 

Milkers and dry cows get a ration of silage 

daily. The youngstock are fed grass silage 

and enjoy the occasional helping of salad 

leaves. Once older, beef bull calves get 

extra rations. With around 200 head of 

cattle, the Drehers have 70 dairy cows and 

20 feeding bulls, all of them Fleckvieh. 

“This is the usual breed in this region with 

only a few farms grazing other types.” The 

farm produces 600,000 kg milk annually 

at 4% fat and 3.6% protein. No cows are 

bought-in. Instead, the trend is to sell dairy 

stock most years. 

FEXIBLE 

WORK SHARING 

The farm covers 105 ha arable and 100 ha 

pasture land, 170 ha of this tenanted. 

“With us, there are seldom formal rental 

contracts. We’ve been farming the land 

for many years”, explains Karl Martin 

Dreher. On extensive pastures such as 

traditional meadows with scattered fruit 

trees growing on them, two cuts can be 

expected. With more intensively farmed 

fields as many as five cuts are harvested. 

“So far this year we’ve managed three cuts, 

although the third yielded around half the 

usual tonnage”, reports farmer Dreher, 

who graduated as agricultural master 

craftsman last year. 

Mowing features a Krone EasyCut. A 4-rotor 

Swadro 1400 is used on most areas. But 

where fields are too small the farm’s Krone 

The farm of Oberwiesachhof in Ofterdingen, Baden-Württemberg 

is an excellent example of home-produced direct supply: feed 

for the farm’s 200 head of cattle grows just a few metres from the 

cow barn and the milk sells straight to the consumer via 

vending machine on the other side of the yard. In other words: 

from field, through cow to consumer. A production chain 

where selling couldn’t be more direct! 

It is an impressive outlook over Oberwiesachhof’s 

farmstead and fields. From a 

hillock can be viewed the farmyard, the calf 

house, cow barn, biogas plant, farm shop, 

the house and a fair acreage of verdant 

pasture. 2018’s drought seems to have 

made a detour around this region; the 

grass grows strongly, busy insects bumble 

… But the impression of ample moisture 

supply is not quite correct: “We’ve managed 

our usual number of cuts this year, 

but a few of them gave only half the yield”, 

The Dreher family in front 

of the farm shop. 

Here, unpasteurised milk from 

the herd is sold, but also 

e. g. potatoes, eggs and flour. 

ON-FARM 

58 59 

INNOV-AGRI 2018 

IN WORLD CHAMPION 

LOOK 

INTERNATIONAL 

In that France this year managed to win a 

second star as football world champion, it 

was fitting that the BiG Pack 1290 HDP XC 

appeared at Innov-Agri 2018 in Outarville in 

the country’s national colours. Dealers and 

contractors had the opportunity of looking 

over the machine one day before kick-off. 

In the foreground of the specialist 

Innov-Agri event, Krone organised an 

exclusive occasion at its Krone France SAS 

HQ in Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines – some 

50 km from the show’s Outarville location 

in northern France. Alongside BiG Pack 

1290 HDP XC in world champion look, the 

around 500 fascinated visitors admired 

the latest Premos pellet harvester. 

HIGHLIGHTS ON 

KRONE STAND 

Innov-Agri is especially important for 

agricultural contractors and arable farmers. 

Since 1989 it has been held annually, 

alternating between northern and southern 

France. Over three days in Outarville, more 

than 400 firms presented innovations to 

around 80,000 visitors on a 160 ha exhibition 

site. Among the machinery presented 

by Krone this year was the maize forage 

harvesting chain from chopping to carting 

off, with special focus on the OptiMaize. 

Another definite highlight: the BiG X 780 

with LiftCab. Further programme points 

featured the lucerne harvest with Krone 

demonstrating its capabilities here from 

mowing over tedding through to baling. 

In this context, Krone thematised the 

25th jubilee of its BiG Pack series. The 

fieldwork demonstrations, held three times 

daily lasted about an hour. “The practical 

demonstrations were very well appreciated 

by contractors and farmers – above all while 

the weather during the exhibition remained 

mostly dry”, reported product marketing 

manager Julien Claudon. 

FARMING IN 

FRANCE 

Much as in Germany, France had also to 

battle this year with a very long drought 

period which resulted in early ripening 

of maize and brought only two cuts from 

grass. “At the event we mainly presented 

our products for agricultural contractors 

and large farming businesses because in 

the current difficult situation for these 

customers it is crucial that they can work 

efficiently”, said Julien Claudon. Suffering 

particularly this year was eastern France, 

where yield penalties were up to 50 % with 

storm-caused crop lodging adding to the 

damage. “However, even this didn’t detract 

from the interest shown by customers in 

our products. We could have immediately 

sold the BiG Pack 1290 HDP XC at Innov-Agri 

after showing it painted in the French national 

colours”, he reported happily. « 

1 A focal point of the machinery 

demonstrations was the 

lucerne harvest. 

2 The visitors showed great 

interest in the machinery from 

Krone. 

2 

1 

22 23 

their share of excitement and labour-peaks during the 

summer season, just the same as the farm does. 

“In reality, I run four businesses”, smiles Peter Smolana. 

He’s not only a farmer. With around 100 ha forest he’s 

got plenty to do with his trees. Each year around 1000 m3 

solid timber is felled and sold, depending on quality and 

strength, to regional sawmills, papermills or as wood fuel, 

some of the latter landing in the furnace of the farm’s own 

central heating plant. He’s also a bio-energy producer with 

two small water-driven turbines, a photovoltaic system 

and the above-mentioned heating plant. Annual production: 

around 330,000 kW electricity, with about a quarter 

used in his own businesses. No less important are Peter 

Smolana’s catering enterprises, his fourth income source, 

with hotel and holiday accommodation. “Without my wife 

Eva, my mother Ella and our fully committed team, all of 

this would be too much to handle, especially as my own 

work focusses on field and forest. But working smoothly 

together means everything succeeds very well.” « 

a special ecological status and this stipulates a single 

cut only. This leads us straight onto the machinery used 

during the hay and silage harvests: an ActiveMow 320, KW 

6.02/6 turner and a Swadro 46 SW tedder. The farmer sees 

the advantages of these implements as a good balance 

between construction quality and lightness which is of 

great importance especially in mountainside farming. 

He is also appreciative of the respective implements’ 

capability of rapid adjustment for road travel and of his 

Krone dealership, Hochkofler. Up until now, Peter Smolana 

uses another make for baling, although on the day this 

report was researched a Fortima V 1500 from Krone was 

in action on his land as demonstration. Bale wrapping is 

done separately, undertaken by a neighbouring farmer 

with his own machine. 

STYRIA BEEF 

Apropos ecology: Since 1995 the farm has been organically 

managed. The year before the changeover, Peter Smolana, 

at just 16 years of age, took over with his mother Ella his 

grandparents’ farm. During his time at agricultural college 

he calculated with the help of his farm management 

lecturer different business options. In view of the then 

approaching EU accession of Austria, the way towards 

organic farming seemed a most sensible one. And looking 

back, this has proved correct. Peter Smolana is a member 

of the Styrian quality meat organisation Styria Beef. 

However, he markets most of his production directly, 

mainly to restaurants in a diameter of 50 km around 

Trahütten. Because organic food is generally greatly valued 

in Austria – continuing, according to Peter Smolana, to 

attract a steadily growing market – the meat price is a third 

more than that for conventional ware. And through direct 

marketing to a fixed customer base, the gross margin for 

this farmer is even friendlier. 

The cattle are slaughtered as yearlings. For this reason, 

Fleckvieh cows are put to Limousin bulls. “The meat from 

the resultant animals at one year is so well marbled that it 

attracts an excellent market through its very special quality 

and taste”, he explains. Mainly, slaughtering is on-farm 

thus avoiding long journeys to the slaughterhouse, which 

are stressful for the animals and reduce the quality of the 

end product. And naturally the home-grown high-quality 

meat stars on the menus in the gastronomy enterprises of 

the farmer and his wife Eva. Both a guesthouse and a hotel 

represent a further important income source and supply 

Thanks to the above-average rainfall in 2018, Peter Smolana harvested around 

25 % more hay and silage than usual. 

INTERNATIONAL 

PRESS CONFERENCE 

A WORLD- 

WIDE GUEST 

LIST 

The invitation to the Krone autumn press conference 

near Berlin in September 2018 brought over 100 journalists 

from 26 countries to the event. During two days Krone 

presented its business objectives and latest machinery. 

14 15 

an equestrian centre including restaurant, 

holiday accommodation with 110 beds for 

kindergarten kids, school children and other 

guests, as well as managing the firm TW Biogas 

Betreuungs GmbH, which constructs and 

then manages biogas plants. On top of this 

come diverse smaller firms complementing 

the business group. 

Nevertheless, Timo Wessels still speaks of 

a family farm. “My parents remain active in 

different areas of the business; my girlfriend 

works in our equestrian centre and my four 

children are always ready to help out too.” 

He comes to our appointment in downto-earth 

work shoes, jeans, polo shirt and 

hoody. What he says is convincing. And he 

has lots to say: self-confident and proud 

of achievements, but miles away from any 

arrogance. 

500 DAIRY COWS 

Of course, the enterprise as a whole is the 

type of business that could well be pounced 

on by critics of modern agriculture: as big 

as possible, as much as possible, squeezing 

out the highest profits regardless. But you’d 

be in for a surprise! For instance, part of 

this agricultural business, including the 

milk production, is managed under organic 

farming regulations. The 500 milk cows are 

housed in roomy cubicle barns, the followers 

are straw bedded, all animals have access to 

pasture. “We milk three times daily and 

still do so through a double 10 herringbone 

parlour. Our staff members work in three 

8-hour shifts which allows really intensive 

care of the animals. The result can be seen 

in the health of the lactating cows as well 

as in calf mortality which lies at 3 and 4 %. 

The average in our Brandenburg State is 

around 9 %,” reports Timo Wessels. What’s 

more, the farm business regularly wins 

awards for milking performance as well 

as the production lifetimes of our cows. 

“Our oldest cow is 17 years old,” he says, 

not without pride. Digitisation remains so 

far unknown in the Damsdorf dairy barns. 

“With us, every cow still has a name and 

a collar with number. Every staff member 

must know each cow.” 

The conversion to organic production cost 

the farm some 750,000 €. Why did he take 

this route? “Somehow, I had the feeling 

that this was the way to go. The consumers 

demanded it, and I also support it.” 

Marketing is through the farm’s own retail 

point, selling unpasteurised milk for 2 € per 

litre with the remainder sold conventionally 

to a processing dairy. On top of this, cheese 

from the farm milk is sold through automatic 

vending machines, as are sausages from 

farm-slaughtered cattle. All this forces the 

question: why not establish more processing 

and market everything from the farm? Certainly, 

this looks like the logical consequence 

for Timo Wessels. He says with a twinkle: 

“We’ve already thought about that.” 

ALL ON ONE CARD 

To understand how the entrepreneur Wessels 

ticks, how things could have come so 

far, and from where he draws his self-confidence, 

it pays to look back into his childhood 

and to the beginnings in the new homeland. 

Timo Wessels grew up on a 90 ha tenanted 

farm in Butjadingen, Lower Saxony, with 

a 70-cow dairy enterprise. As it became 

foreseeable that the son would carry on the 

family tradition and be a farmer too, his parents 

put everything on a single card back in 

1997, took on a load of debt and purchased 

the former LPG farm at Damsdorf, Brandenburg 

in what was East Germany. The burden 

was a big one. Two years later his parents 

separated and the just 20-year-old Timo 

Wessels took over his mother’s share of the 

business and, with that, responsibility for 

the farm bookkeeping. 

It quickly became clear that without a new, 

larger, cow barn the farm could not be economically 

viable. Capital was needed. “In 

my early 20s I stood in my confirmation suit 

and with a black briefcase belonging to my 

aunt in front of the chairman of the Bremen 

WESSELS COMPANY GROUP, TIMO WESSELS 

“AT HEART I AM 

A FARMER.” 

39 years old, 9 companies, 100 employees, approx. 14 m € annual 

turnover – impressive business data. We’re speaking of farmer 

Timo Wessels from Damsdorf, who has in the last 21 years developed 

a former LPG (agricultural production cooperative) into an 

innovative and economically successful agribusiness group. What 

kind of personality lies behind such achievements? 

ON-FARM 

When speaking of Timo Wessels from 

Damsdorf, the question tends to 

be about what this man does not do, rather 

than what he’s already achieved. After all, the 

foundations of the company group represent 

a farmed area of 1,230 ha with production 

supplying crops for biogas as well as feeding 

a 500-cow dairy herd plus followers. This 

entrepreneur also runs an agricultural 

contracting business, three biogas plants, 

26 27 

THE DEHLWES FAMILY, LILIENTHAL 

THE LOCAL 

VILLAGE DAIRY 

Since the beginning of the 1980s, the 

married couple Gerhard (67) and Elke (63) 

Dehlwes manage farm and dairy with 

support from daughter Mareike Dehlwes 

(28) who brings her expertise as certified 

dairy master craftswomen and son-in-law 

Thomas Dehlwes (27) a certified master 

craftsman of agriculture. The farm and dairy 

employ a further 50 people in cropping, 

milking and processing, a demonstration 

dairy, farm shop, other services, workshop 

and farm office. 

ORGANIC VARIETY 

A total 10 million litres milk is processed 

annually, around 30,000 l per day. In the 

farm shop customers can buy a whole 

range of products including fresh milk, 

different yoghurts, cream, creme fraîche, 

sour cream, butter, cottage cheese and 

slicing cheeses as well as quark. “Right 

now, we have introduced some more new 

yoghurts in our range”, reports Thomas 

Dehlwes happily, adding: “Soon cocoa milk 

will be added.” 

Alongside the dairy building is sited the 

cheese making plant. A speciality: it features 

a “glass wall” through which visitors 

in the farm shop can directly view the 

production under management of Mareike 

Dehlwes. “We want to create transparency 

for the consumers”, says she. 

On average, about 300,000 kg milk 

flows into the cheese making per year, 

representing some 3 % of total processed 

milk. “This figure could be easily doubled”, 

reports Thomas Dehlwes. “We’re really 

just beginning here. We produce five sorts 

of organic slicing cheeses flavoured by 

various herbs.” 

In the mid-nineties, Gerhard Dehlwes 

was encouraged by a crisis in the milk 

market caused by reports of E-Coli in 

unpasteurised milk to attend a seminar 

on conversion to organic milk production. 

He decided to change over. “Organic milk 

became popular and our business took a 

big step forward”, relates Thomas Dehlwes. 

“By the 2000s, demand for our milk was 

so great that we had to start buying-in 

from other farms. Our 180 cows weren’t 

enough.” Through active promotion of 

organic farming, Gerhard Dehlwes encouraged 

other farms to take the organic 

route. About every 18 months, the family 

dairy welcomed a further supplier from 

the region. 

FORAGE 

HARVESTING 

As well as Bioland-certified concentrate 

feed; the regulations of this organic farming 

organisation require at least 50 % of the 

ration to be forage, management that 

means pasturing of the herd or zero grazing 

with freshly cut clover/grass brought into 

the barn. With a cutting height of 8–9 cm, 

the clover/grass swards deliver five to seven 

cuts a year from beginning of May. 

ON-FARM 

After the organic boom comes regionality: 

consumers want the chance of buying 

locally produced food in supermarkets. 

The Dehlwes family’s Bioland-certified 

village dairy in Lilienthal meets all requirements 

in this respect. 

DThis family farm dairy has a long 

tradition. The farming aspect was 

already established by the end of the 

18th century under the name Therkorn. 

By the 1950s, the family farm had already 

established itself as milk collection point 

for the hamlet Trupe, Lilienthal. Even 

nowadays, the steading still features 

the traditional small coolhouse where 

the local milk was offloaded. Nowadays, 

the Dehlwes family markets milk and 

milk products from eleven suppliers. 

Rapid growth means that the farm herd 

expanded to 280 cows in 2009. Bit by bit, 

land was rented so that currently 280 ha 

is farmed, comprising some 100 ha arable, 

100 ha intensive grassland and 80 ha 

of support-eligible, extensive greenland 

where hay is cut and youngstock plus dry 

cows are grazed. 

Nearly 10 m l milk is annually 

processed: about 30,000 l every 

day of the year. 

38 39 

FARMER GEORGES CHEVALIER, RUDELLE 

CHEESE EN GROS 

S ince 1992, Georges Chevalier has produced goat cheese 

from the family enterprise with main customers the 

French wholesalers Rungis Express and Odeon. Some of 

the production is sold directly over the counter of his farm 

shop. But this is the exception: “We’ve always made all 

our milk into cheese, plus another 2 to 5 t milk bought-in 

per year according to demand”, he explains. His herd of 

white Saanen goats, a breed with proven performance for 

both milk and meat, produces 200,000 l annually, each 

goat averaging about 3 l milk daily. With his 220 goats, 

Georges Chevalier has an average-size herd for southern 

France. “In this area there are certainly 50 further cheese 

producers. Herd size can be up to 500 head”, he reports. His 

cheese sales earn an annual 450,000 €. His most expensive 

cheese brings him a calculated 2.75 € for every litre of goat 

milk that goes into it. But this is just one of seven different 

cheese types he produces, some driven to customers in a 

Sprinter van he had fitted-out especially. “My cheeses are 

mainly exported to Belgium and the Netherlands.” 

Alongside good genetics, this farmer says quality feed plays 

a crucial role in production. ”Above all, I put my trust in high 

quality forage harvesting machinery, which includes equipment 

from Krone. For the cheeses we produce, we are legally 

bound to use feed that is at least 80% home-produced”, 

stresses farmer Chevalier. The forage making machinery is 

also well looked after here and kept under cover. “In fact, 

my baler has never even been rained on!” 

MORE LUCERNE HAY 

Up until 2003, farmer Chevalier grew 12 ha lucerne. 

Since the great drought in that year, he’s increased the 

area to 25 ha. There’s also 20 ha of cereals, mainly wheat 

and barley. “The drought made us rethink our policy. 

Now, we sell some of our lucerne so that even this year’s 

poor harvest didn’t affect us much. We were able to 

harvest 10 to 12t/ha lucerne. With wheat, though, we 

only managed 5t/ha. With our chalk-rich clay soil, lucerne 

yield is acceptable.” In good years up to five cuts of forage 

are possible. 

Forage harvesting is conducted by the farmer himself with 

his own EC F 320 CR and EC R 320 CR mowers plus turner 

and tedder, AX 280 GL self-loading forage wagon and a BiG 

Pack BP 1270 MultiBale baler, all from Krone. Since 2006, he 

also works with these machines as a contractor for other 

farmers. On the other hand, he himself uses a contractor 

for combine work. He swaps some of his cereal crop for 

maize grain and this goes into his goat rations. Organisation 

in this respect is through Cuma: a national federation 

of agricultural material purchasing cooperatives. Georges 

Chevalier keeps his wheat straw because the goats like to 

eat this. “We once bought-in extra wheat straw, but the 

quality was a catastrophe”, he recalls. 

MAIZE NOT AN 

ALTERNATIVE 

The goats are fed fully automatically in the very roomy 

loose housing accommodation. A hydraulic grab lifts the 

lucerne hay into the feeding passage while the remaining 

components are evenly distributed via feed dispenser. A mix 

of pellets, cereal grain, maize grain and lucerne hay make 

up the milkers’ ration. 

The hay is dried if required and aerated via photovoltaic 

system and fans. Per animal and day, calculated ration 

is 1 kg concentrate feed and 2 kg lucerne hay. “We have 

no maize silage because we think the quality is not good 

enough. We take a lot of care with the feed and this results 

INTERNATIONAL 

Georges Chevalier from 

Rudelle in the south of France 

discloses the factors for 

success in his dairy goat 

enterprise that has expanded 

from 80 to 220 animals, 

now producing milk for 

around 720,000 cheeses per 

annum. 

Georges Chevalier makes and 

markets seven different types of 

cheese, mainly via wholesalers. 

52 53 

PARTNER 

On the entry road to the premises 

of MAREP GmbH in Mühlengeez 

near Güstrow in Mecklenburg there’s a 

sign showing the way with the slogan: 

“MAREP…they can do it!” A self-confidence, 

it turns out, that’s not at all misplaced. It 

especially applies to the service offered 

by this dealership that runs like a golden 

thread through the nowadays 28-yearold 

firm’s history. Grounded in 1990 by 

Eckhard Vlach as “Machinery and Repair” 

with the focus on blacksmith work and 

keeping machinery in working order, the 

technical service had from the start the 

highest priority, as emphasised nowadays 

by Johannes Vlach who, together with 

his father Eckhard, manages the business 

with its seven locations and around 180 

employees. 

SERVICE AS 

MAIN PILLAR 

The foundations were built on the 

“double” of truck and farm machinery 

departments, because it’s felt that this 

supplies a better capacity utilisation 

of the workshops while also adding to 

overall service quality. This is because 

the commercial vehicle sector is usually 

first with innovations that generally come 

later in the farm implement side. Some 

examples: service and maintenance 

contracts, 24-hour service, workshops 

tooled for a range of models. This quality 

of work soon won the company a good 

name in the region and service established 

itself as the main financial pillar. 

“Even early-on with trucks, the tendency 

to fleet arrangements between freight 

firms and manufacturers meant there 

was not much to be made in actual sales. 

MORE SEVICE 

CONTRACTS 

The aspect competence is more important 

than ever, as Björn Briesemeister points 

out. He is sales manager for the northern 

region of the MAREP marketing area and 

has observed long-term a definite structure 

change with customers. This concerns 

farm size, but also the decision-making 

process. Many farms in the size range 

around 1,000 ha have, he says, sold up in 

the past three to four years: sometimes to 

finance investors, leading to much larger 

units. “Through this, the importance of the 

emotional factor is reduced, for instance 

for a particular brand, or concerning nurturing 

of business relationships. “Decisions 

nowadays are based more on rationality, 

greater demands on manufacturer and 

dealership and, above all, pure farm 

business management concepts”, he says, 

describing the situation in Germany’s 

northeast. However, he adds that this is 

not necessarily a disadvantage because 

to optimise machinery costs, guarantee 

extensions and service contracts should, 

for example, be available. “They allow 

the customer to reliably calculate, and the 

dealer to establish the necessary financial 

MAREP 

THE SERVICE SAYS IT ALL 

A customer-oriented service concept 

and a team with highest qualifications 

have been for many years the most 

important success factors for MAREP. 

Happy after a 

successful 2018 

business year: 

Johannes Vlach with 

wife Anika. 

And when our main supplier gave up its 

dealership contracts in 2003, all that was 

left for us was to focus on service. But 

this worked out well because we were 

good at that”, remembers Johannes Vlach. 

“We then applied the same concept to 

farm machinery with similar intensity and 

commitment.” 

From these times came the slogan at 

the entrance promising competitive excellence 

with best-possible service and 

technical competence. Johannes Vlach 

continues: “With this in mind we annually 

invest well over the average in our workshops, 

in their technical equipment, in 

schooling and training courses and, with 

that, the competence of our employees in 

all areas of the company. Not to be forgotten 

is appropriate and performance-oriented 

staff payment in that here in this 

region we are challenged by very intensive 

competition for personnel, especially 

from industry. Competing against this 

is generally difficult for the specialist 

farm machinery branch. However, the 

outstanding performance of the team and 

great motivation are primarily decisive 

in winning customer approval and, with 

that, business success – especially in 

agriculture”, he proudly says. “Turning the 

argument around, this doesn’t mean that 

in the new machinery business the brands 

we represent are of secondary importance 

for us. Here too, we concentrate on top 

products, a good product range and an 

exclusive, long-term, cooperation with 

manufacturers where possible. Only in 

this way can nowadays a future-oriented 

competitive specialist firm supply the 

competence in advice and service that is 

rightly expected by customers.”

IMPRINT 

3 Editorial 

6 Premos: Out onto the fields 

10 Farm contractor Hasse, Heeßen: The time machine 

14 Wessels company group, Timo Wessels: “At heart I am a farmer” 

18 The Smolana farm, Trahütten: High in the idyllic Alps 

23 Press conference: A worldwide guest list 

26 The Dehlwes farm, Lilienthal: The local village dairy 

30 Agricultural contractors: Working together more 

34 Practical tips for machinery adjustment: Ever ready 

37 Krone calendar: All four seasons 

38 Farmer Georges Chevalier, Rudelle: Cheese en gros 

42 News Ticker 

44 25 years BiG Pack: The winning throw 

48 The Dreher family, Ofterdingen: Direct supply 

52 MAREP: The service says it all 

Publisher: 

Maschinenfabrik 

Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG 

Heinrich-Krone-Straße 10 

D-48480 Spelle 

Tel.: +49(0)5977/935-0 

info.ldm@krone.de 

www.krone.de 

Responsible according to Press Law: 

Heinrich Wingels 

Editorial staff: 

Beckmann Verlag GmbH & Co. KG 

Rudolf-Petzold-Ring 9 

31275 Lehrte 

www.beckmann-verlag.de 

Layout: 

Beckmann Verlag GmbH & Co. KG 

Rudolf-Petzold-Ring 9 

D-31275 Lehrte 

www.beckmann-verlag.de 

Print: 

Bonifatius Druckerei 

Karl-Schurz-Straße 26 

33100 Paderborn 

Photographic material: 

Unless specified differently: 

Maschinenfabrik 

Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG 

and editorial staff respectively 

Page 26/27: Dehlwes 

Page 55–57: Hüting (4) 

Print run: 

38,000 copies 

XtraBlatt appears biannually for Krone 

customers in Germany, Austria and 

Switzerland. Reprints only allowed with 

permission of publisher. This also applies 

to copying into electronic databanks and 

reproduction on CD-ROM. 

If you no longer wish to receive e-mails 

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XtraBlatt, please let us know by e-mail 

info.ldm@krone.de. We will immediately 

take you off the distribution list. All data 

we receive from you is treated confidentially. 

It is only used for processing 

your requests and feedback. We do not 

communicate any data to third parties. 

55 Series “Prevention instead of cure”: Enough room for all 

58 Innov-Agri 2018: In world championship look 

5

TITLE THEME 

PREMOS 

OUT ONTO THE 

Presentation of the Premos pellet harvester at Agritechnica 

2015 immediately brought Krone hundreds 

of customers from all over the world with concrete 

interest in buying. But before full production could 

start, there lay ahead an intensive trial and development 

phase. In 2019 the first machines should start 

work for customers out on the fields. 

6

FIELDS 

Something good is well worth waiting for – in agricultural 

engineering there have always been good examples 

of this saying. From initial idea through to real practical 

application there quite often lie six to eight years. In this 

respect, the straw pellet harvester Premos 5000 officially 

previewed by Krone at Agritechnica 2015 where it won 

a DLG Gold Medal, lay right in time. First functional test 

model of a pelleting form was working by 2011. In July 2013 

there followed a first mobile version of the technology and 

in 2015 the Premos achieved full functionality. However, 

the machine still isn’t in the showrooms. Here, XtraBlatt 

discusses current development and the next steps towards 

market introduction with Premos factory product manager 

Kai Lüpping who looks after construction and development, 

and with machinery specialist Dennis Göcke. 

XtraBlatt: Herr Lüpping, right from the start in 2015 Premos 

not only engendered enthusiasm but also a very large 

portion of concrete buying interest from many customers. 

But three years further on the Premos is still not in the price 

lists. Doesn’t this frustrate potential buyers? 

Kai Lüpping: Even during that first Agritechnica, the interest 

was very large and in such a concrete form that we could 

have sold numerous machines right then during the show. 

Meantime, the list of those signifying serious interest has 

grown to several hundred. Thus, the pressure to “at last” 

begin marketing has been substantial and continues to be so. 

But there’s no sign of disappointment or even frustration. At 

least, this is our impression following many discussions over 

the past three years. Our message is always that a thoroughly 

tested machine absolutely ready for serial production is 

the crucial aim before we step-up into large-scale regional 

marketing. Any other strategy would not be acceptable under 

our standards. After all, there’s a lot of responsibility behind 

a product such as the Premos. We’re actually dealing with a 

very complex machine with a price that will be in the range 

of at least a large forage harvester. During the 2016 field 

trials we also realised that there was technical fine-tuning 

still needed at a number of important points. 

Product manager Kai Lüpping (r) and machinery specialist Dennis Göcke 

look forward to the Premos working with first customers in 2019. 

XtraBlatt: For instance? 

Lüpping: The pelleting rollers are now 1,000 mm diameter 

instead of the former 800 mm. This enables increased 

throughput so that, in effect, we could produce a possible 

5t/h instead of 3 t/h. The main drive has been substantially 

strengthened. The hydraulic block changed to load sensing. 

Additionally, machine control is no longer via individual 

function as it still was in 2015, but now over a management 

terminal. This makes things much easier for the driver. 

Dennis Göcke: Not to be forgotten is the tandem arrangement 

fitted instead of a single axle. The bigger rollers mean the 

machine is a little heavier and design was adjusted accordingly. 

XtraBlatt: Is the Premos as practical in mobile form as in 

stationary application? 

Lüpping: Yes. In principle, nothing is changed except a 

fundamental redesign of intake technology for stationary 

application to handle bales so that straw processing is optimised 

and material flow kept uniform. This, for instance, 

involves rollers for breaking down the bales. Just as important 

for us in this respect is safety, for persons in the danger zone 

around intake machinery or during removal of baler twine. 

We have not quite reached our target with such solutions 

and for this reason I reckon it will be 2020 before the intake 

table is market-ready. 

7

TITLE THEME 

1 

XtraBlatt: But the Premos as such will be ready for sale 

earlier? 

Lüpping: Yes and no. Yes, because in 2019 we’ll have the first 

machines at work with customers all over Europe. A definite 

starting date for serial production is still missing, however. 

But I believe that in 2020 we’ll be manufacturing larger 

numbers of machines although I cannot, and will not, give 

definite figures yet. 

XtraBlatt: Market potential should be large enough. 

Lüpping: Definitely! Even for energy cropping alone. Taking 

Germany as an example: normally around 30 m t straw is 

produced annually, of which only one-fifth is used for litter 

and feed. Experts assume that there’s certainly 10 m t straw 

available for energy production. 

2 

Göcke: Additionally, the Premos also pellets lucerne and 

hay, as long as material moisture content doesn’t exceed 

16%. This is a further boost to the machine’s productivity 

potential and therefore its efficiency in use. This year in field 

trials we have seen that Premos pelleting is especially attractive 

for lucerne because movement of material through the 

machine is slow, cutting down leaf losses. In feeding, pellet 

inclusion can be optimally measured, and forage storage 

area requirement is reduced with pellets. Compared with 

high density (HDP) big rectangular bales, pellets need only 

one third of the space. 

XtraBlatt: If straw pellets find the necessary market acceptance 

… 

XtraBlatt: You mentioned achievable productivity potential. 

What is the machine’s output and its operative efficiency? 

Lüpping: I don’t doubt this for a second. Based on density 

and heating value, straw pellets are comparable with wood 

ones. And in our experience material loss in straw pelleting 

is relatively low. On the other hand, ash and slag is a little 

higher compared with wood burning. It is certainly so that 

heating plants must be officially certified for straw burning. 

Speaking of potential, there is more than energy production 

to consider. For instance, enormous advantages for the 

farmer come from using straw as feed, as litter and as 

substrate in biogas plants. Trials demonstrate that gas 

production from straw pellets is markedly higher than that 

from chopped straw. 

Göcke: At a field speed of 2 – 3 km/h in working setup, hourly 

production of around 5 t is achievable, according to results 

from trials and demonstrations this year. Thus, during a 

12-hour day, theoretical output under optimum conditions 

could be up to 60 t in very large fields. A realistic figure in this 

respect would probably be 50 t, when headland turning and 

transport times are considered. And in particular for smaller 

fields where efficient operation with big rectangular balers 

tends to be difficult, the Premos can perform optimally. 

Lüpping: Hourly output would be about the same in stationary 

operation whereby production per working day would be 

greater. From my point of view, the number of operative days 

8

3 4 

is decisive. In a specimen calculation, we applied an effective 

75 days for the winter half-year. For differing scenarios we 

have prepared other specimen calculations including full 

costs such as tractor use, machinery depreciation, service 

and repairs, fuel, and much more. 

XtraBlatt: What size of tractor is required for operating the 

Premos? 

Göcke: We used various models and power classes in our 

fieldwork. Demonstrated thereby was that the Premos 

requires at least 350 HP. The machine is in a league of its 

own in this respect, particularly because of the power needs 

of the pelleting process. Additionally, as always, there’s really 

no substitute for engine capacity. This is why, just to take one 

example, a Fendt 1046 performs better than the 939. This is 

also seen through the diesel consumption. 

Lüpping: Compared with other energy sources, I see the price 

as realistic and achievable on the market. And incidentally, 

not only for pellets as fuel. Livestock producers, too, and 

biogas plant operators, will be able to see the economic 

advantages through applying an honest full cost calculation. 

While it is true that the pellets are a little more expensive than 

straw delivered in bales, pellets compensate by, for example, 

requiring markedly less material for bedding the same area, 

therefore sinking costs. And the additional pellet advantage 

of easier handling should also not be forgotten. It’s clear that 

the market has, in part, to be further developed. However, 

the aforementioned potential Premos buyers are already 

convinced that their investment will be worthwhile. « 

XtraBlatt: Apropos energy balance: don’t associated fuel 

costs make this pelleting process too inefficient compared 

with other systems? 

Lüpping: No, definitely not. In relationship to the energy 

produced by burning the pellets, only 4 % of this represents 

the energy used in operating the Premos in-field – important 

information for potential customers. Comparing mobile 

pelleting with other stationary plants, we calculate that 

energy requirement for the Premos is just about 50 %. This 

is because no pre-chopping is required. This represents a 

definite advantage. 

XtraBlatt: Does this advantage also apply to the sales price 

of 200 €/t of pellets that you have assumed in the specimen 

calculation? That sounds very ambitious … 

1 Density and heating value of straw pellets are 

comparable with that of wood pellets. 

2 Present production performance of the 

Premos in fieldwork lies at around 5t/h. 

3 The machine not only pellets straw but also 

hay. Important is that maximum moisture 

content for the latter is 16%. 

4 Straw pellets are not only useful for energy 

supply. They make good litter. 

9

TITLE THEME 

FARM CONTRACTOR HASSE, HEESSEN 

THE TIME MACH 

Every hour counts during the 

straw harvest. That’s why high 

capacity machinery is crucial. 

In this respect, the BaleCollect 

brought a quantum leap in efficiency 

for contractor Dirk Hasse 

because it allowed him to 

reduce time involved in bale 

logistics by 60 %. 

The sometimes months-long drought of 2018 caused 

real problems for many farmers. One result was 

substantial reductions in yields, not only in grain but also 

the associated straw. The only silver lining hereby: straw 

could be harvested from many more fields, quality was very 

good and, finally, the time window for baling and transport 

was relatively long. “In the three years before, we had to 

battle through conditions that were considerably worse. 

For this reason, high work capacity during straw harvest is 

a real must for us,” relates farm contractor Dirk Hasse from 

Heessen in Lower Saxony. 

After the experiences of the wet summer in 2017, he 

decided to invest in additional machinery for improving 

straw collection. Starting shot was an enquiry from the 

Raiffeisen Landbund cooperative organisation asking 

10

INE 

Dirk Hasse (r.) and dispatcher Jean Muschiol are satisfied with the first 

season results from the BaleCollect system. 

because during harvest he was able to slash bale field 

collection and transport time by around 2/3. 

THREE PLUS ONE 

the contractor if he could coordinate its straw collection 

operations in the future and transport straw from farms 

to the cooperative. Raiffeisen buys straw from many farms 

in the region and sells it on as merchant. For instance, 

straw is pelleted for marketing as horse bedding or litter 

for household pets: a successful transfer from agricultural 

to industrial product with associated price adjustment. 

With this in mind, the contractor did not tarry long before 

accepting the job, especially because the cooperation 

offered increased security through a contract over several 

years as well as a good earning opportunity. A requirement 

on the cooperative’s part was, however, that the contractor 

invested in a new Krone HDP big square baler and Krone 

BaleCollect trailer system. The new kit was delivered in 

spring 2018 and, even after the first harvest season, Dirk 

Hasse described this investment as a real quantum leap 

But how does the system work? The BaleCollect trailer is 

attached behind the big square baler. The Hasse baler is a 

Krone HDP 1290 XC powered by a 360 HP tractor. “For road 

journeys, the collection trailer is decoupled from the baler 

and reattached via telescopic drawbar allowing the trailer 

to follow exactly the track of the baler”, explains the farm 

contractor. “This means even routes with lots of bends still 

represent no problem.” Because both baler and collection 

wagon come from the same manufacturer, road worthiness 

certification presents no problem. Dispatcher Jean Muschiol 

explains: “We had two representatives for road worthiness 

testing at our depot. The machines passed without any 

problem. We were anxious during the test because, normally, 

new vehicles are plated by the manufacturer before 

delivery. But because of the early start to the harvest this 

wasn’t the case with this equipment.” 

This early start meant the new baler and the collection 

trailer were out on the stubble by July. Jean Muschiol, who 

accompanies new machinery to customers too, found operating 

the equipment to be self-explanatory. “The trailer 

is operated via the tractor ISOBUS terminal. The baling 

procedure is as usual while the completed bales are laid 

onto the collection trailer. From there, the first bale is either 

11

TITLE THEME 

1 2 

1 Thanks to the telescopic drawbar, road journeys 

are without problem for baler and trailer. 

2 On the road, the BaleCollect side floor panels 

fold up and the hydraulic telescopic drawbar is 

extended. 

3 Thanks to the BaleCollect system, the Hasse 

contractor firm could reduce bale logistic time 

by 60 %. 

shoved to the right or to the left to make room for the next 

so that, finally, three big bales lie side-by-side on the trailer. 

Including the bale still in the exit canal of the baler, four 

bales can be collected and placed on a particular location”, 

he says. “I drop the bales on the headland where fields 

are short. Where fields are very long, on both sides of the 

field.” And the boss adds: “the bales grouped in this way can 

subsequently be very easily collected, by telescopic loader, 

for instance. We offer collection and transport services to 

our customers, allowing us to react very quickly. After all, 

we are used to seeing rain clouds gathering and having to 

work apace. Usually if it looks like rain, the baling has to stop 

considerably earlier so that the telescopic loader can load 

up the last bales in time.” 

ENORMOUS TIME SAVING 

In the past, Hasse contractor employees used a telescopic 

loader with two or three tines and loaded-up bales at the 

field sides. With the BaleCollect system, the loader works 

with a grab so that up to four bales at a time can be lifted. 

As the bales are nearly side-by-side, the loader has much 

less distance to cover on the field, thus protecting soil. A 

low-loader transports the bales from the field edges. 

With this streamlined procedure, farm contractor Hasse 

and staff were very satisfied right from the start. Explains 

Jean Muschiol: “Instead of the usual three hours’ work with 

tined loader and individually laid bales, we took just around 

an hour with the BaleCollect system for getting the same 

number of bales off the field. We can assess procedure time 

precisely because we document all our work via appropriate 

software.” 

While this year, weather conditions were optimal with 

no rain, the soil surfaces were very dry (and thus uneven), 

preventing highest working speeds. But baling rate reached 

65 per hour although there were times when the loader had 

to wait for more bales. Theoretically, says Dirk Hasse, up to 

150 bales/h are possible. Naturally, however, this is always 

dependent on how heavy and dense the customer wants the 

bales. For instance, the Raiffeisen cooperative requires very 

heavy and compact bales of 2.3 x 1.20 x 0.90 m and 500 kg, 

so that numbers per hour were less. 

WELL EQUIPPED 

For the future, Dirk Hasse sees the BaleCollect system as an 

advantage for his company, especially in difficult years. “We 

got off very lightly in the extreme summer of 2018 because 

yield penalties were not so dramatic here as in some other 

12

3 

regions. However, our straw yields were down too, by about 

20%. I would say that, on the bottom line, results were right 

for us and the good weather represented a compensation 

for farm contractors, making up for the previous three bad 

years that were very wet. For instance, in 2017 we were 

travelling to individual fields up to 10 times before all the 

straw was finally driven home – an enormous logistical 

input. Things would probably have been substantially 

easier with the bale collection trailer. Thus, we are happy 

with the 2018 season. There was no damage worthy of 

mention and the new system proved itself.” 

After the grain and straw harvest, work for the Hasse 

contractor firm is still not finished because it’s also involved 

in marketing grain. Dirk Hasse does this for many farms 

that hire him as contractor. Working in the contractor firm 

are 22 full-time hands as well as four students. During 

the season, about 40 extra hands are brought in. Says 

Dirk Hasse: “With us, fluctuation amongst workers is 

very low. I put a lot of faith in ensuring job satisfaction 

and building a good team. It certainly helps here that 

our staff and customers all know each other. Many of our 

customers come from the locality and all our contracting 

work is carried out within a diameter of 60 km. Naturally, 

our transport work is completely different. Here, we cover 

distances of up to 300 km.” 

On the services offered by his firm, Dirk Hasse adds: 

“We offer the all-round care packet. We note that it is 

increasingly important for contractors to offer not just 

one service in the form of work, but also to be strongly 

active in advisory aspects. Nowadays, clients assume that 

contractors know all aspects of the job and offer the full 

range of services: from unfailing application of the newest 

machinery through knowledge of legal aspects and crop 

growing advice. We try as far as possible not to fail them 

in this respect. This keeps us in the market. I look forward 

to the coming year because I know that the new bale 

collection trailer will give us a decisive advantage in straw 

harvesting.” « 

5 different bale placement patterns 

3 + 1 bales 3 bales 2 bales 

(together) 

Up to four bales can be laid on the stubble in various patterns by the bale collection trailer. 

2 bales 

(spaced) 

1 bale 

13

ON-FARM 

WESSELS COMPANY GROUP, TIMO WESSELS 

“AT HEART I AM 

A FARMER.” 

39 years old, 9 companies, 100 employees, approx. 14 m € annual 

turnover – impressive business data. We’re speaking of farmer 

Timo Wessels from Damsdorf, who has in the last 21 years developed 

a former LPG (agricultural production cooperative) into an 

innovative and economically successful agribusiness group. What 

kind of personality lies behind such achievements? 

14

an equestrian centre including restaurant, 

holiday accommodation with 110 beds for 

kindergarten kids, school children and other 

guests, as well as managing the firm TW Biogas 

Betreuungs GmbH, which constructs and 

then manages biogas plants. On top of this 

come diverse smaller firms complementing 

the business group. 

a collar with number. Every staff member 

must know each cow.” 

The conversion to organic production cost 

the farm some 750,000 €. Why did he take 

this route? “Somehow, I had the feeling 

that this was the way to go. The consumers 

demanded it, and I also support it.” 

When speaking of Timo Wessels from 

Damsdorf, the question tends to 

be about what this man does not do, rather 

than what he’s already achieved. After all, the 

foundations of the company group represent 

a farmed area of 1,230 ha with production 

supplying crops for biogas as well as feeding 

a 500-cow dairy herd plus followers. This 

entrepreneur also runs an agricultural 

contracting business, three biogas plants, 

Nevertheless, Timo Wessels still speaks of 

a family farm. “My parents remain active in 

different areas of the business; my girlfriend 

works in our equestrian centre and my four 

children are always ready to help out too.” 

He comes to our appointment in downto-earth 

work shoes, jeans, polo shirt and 

hoody. What he says is convincing. And he 

has lots to say: self-confident and proud 

of achievements, but miles away from any 

arrogance. 

500 DAIRY COWS 

Of course, the enterprise as a whole is the 

type of business that could well be pounced 

on by critics of modern agriculture: as big 

as possible, as much as possible, squeezing 

out the highest profits regardless. But you’d 

be in for a surprise! For instance, part of 

this agricultural business, including the 

milk production, is managed under organic 

farming regulations. The 500 milk cows are 

housed in roomy cubicle barns, the followers 

are straw bedded, all animals have access to 

pasture. “We milk three times daily and 

still do so through a double 10 herringbone 

parlour. Our staff members work in three 

8-hour shifts which allows really intensive 

care of the animals. The result can be seen 

in the health of the lactating cows as well 

as in calf mortality which lies at 3 and 4 %. 

The average in our Brandenburg State is 

around 9 %,” reports Timo Wessels. What’s 

more, the farm business regularly wins 

awards for milking performance as well 

as the production lifetimes of our cows. 

“Our oldest cow is 17 years old,” he says, 

not without pride. Digitisation remains so 

far unknown in the Damsdorf dairy barns. 

“With us, every cow still has a name and 

Marketing is through the farm’s own retail 

point, selling unpasteurised milk for 2 € per 

litre with the remainder sold conventionally 

to a processing dairy. On top of this, cheese 

from the farm milk is sold through automatic 

vending machines, as are sausages from 

farm-slaughtered cattle. All this forces the 

question: why not establish more processing 

and market everything from the farm? Certainly, 

this looks like the logical consequence 

for Timo Wessels. He says with a twinkle: 

“We’ve already thought about that.” 

ALL ON ONE CARD 

To understand how the entrepreneur Wessels 

ticks, how things could have come so 

far, and from where he draws his self-confidence, 

it pays to look back into his childhood 

and to the beginnings in the new homeland. 

Timo Wessels grew up on a 90 ha tenanted 

farm in Butjadingen, Lower Saxony, with 

a 70-cow dairy enterprise. As it became 

foreseeable that the son would carry on the 

family tradition and be a farmer too, his parents 

put everything on a single card back in 

1997, took on a load of debt and purchased 

the former LPG farm at Damsdorf, Brandenburg 

in what was East Germany. The burden 

was a big one. Two years later his parents 

separated and the just 20-year-old Timo 

Wessels took over his mother’s share of the 

business and, with that, responsibility for 

the farm bookkeeping. 

It quickly became clear that without a new, 

larger, cow barn the farm could not be economically 

viable. Capital was needed. “In 

my early 20s I stood in my confirmation suit 

and with a black briefcase belonging to my 

aunt in front of the chairman of the Bremen 

15

ON-FARM 

1 

2 

1 Belonging to the Wessels company 

group since 2015 is the equestrian 

centre in Trechwitz. Alongside riding 

instruction and private stabling, 

the farm’s own restaurant facilities 

have become established here. 

The premises can be rented-out for 

events and family celebrations. 

2 The 500 organically-managed dairy 

cows have loose housing with deep 

bedded cubicles. 

3 The smaller guests are never forgotten! 

There’s a very attractive fleet 

of vehicles parked ready for use at the 

equestrian centre. 

4 The riding school horses are grouphoused 

under welfare-friendly 

conditions. 

Landesbank and asked for 850,000 DM,” 

related the now 39-year-old farmer. The 

story is amusing and a long one. In the end, 

though, he got his cash - a development he 

still says no one had reckoned with back 

home on the farm. “This was one of my 

key moments – when I realised that I was 

capable of achieving something,” recalls 

Timo Wessels. 

After that, things didn’t continue quite 

so smoothly. It transpired that he had 

calculated too tightly and, in fact, needed 

another 300,000 DM. Going back to the 

bank wasn’t really an option. All that 

was left was to bury the plan – or to cut 

expenses through using own labour in 

building. He decided on the latter strategy 

and subsequently landed on the building 

site along with some youths from the 

village. “One of them knew a bricklayer, 

the next a roofer and, in a flash, we had a 

few youngsters together to help me with 

the work. Each day we started at 6 am and 

stopped at 10 pm.” This commitment saved 

so much capital that there was enough left 

over for a slurry storage facility and instead 

of the planned 180 cow places, facilities for 

a total 320. “I then had to buy the extra 

cows on even more credit. But with the 

added milk, the business was finally viable 

with even a respectable margin left over 

after interest and repayments.” 

TRUST IN THE 

TEAM 

3 

Following this turnaround, everything somehow 

worked out right, recalls Timo Wessels. 

“At heart I am a farmer and everything I do 

here follows this strategy. The company 

group growth always came from inside, 

out of the farm business. Either we needed 

something, or one of the employees had 

an idea. For instance, as we set out to build 

a biogas plant the builders involved went 

bankrupt and initially left us standing alone. 

I reacted by hiring two truck mechanics who 

knew how an engine functioned. They then 

worked their way into the theme biogas.” 

16

4 

The resultant TW Biogas construction and 

service company remains a good example 

of Timo Wessels’ business sense and feeling 

for what functions - and where it’s better to 

tread carefully with financing from outside. 

In its best years, the biogas firm managed an 

annual turnover of 13 m €. “On the theme 

biogas, however, I’ve always had the feeling 

that this cannot remain so successful for 

ever. Right from the start, I stayed extremely 

careful with investments. This is why biogas 

is financed 100% from profits with not even 

a current account overdraft involved. As may 

be expected, the turnover has diminished 

somewhat. Now, the biogas firm keeps busy 

with mainly servicing and repairs of existing 

plants.” Annual turnover nowadays lies at 

“only” approx. 2 m €. 

Timo Wessels carries a load of responsibility: 

for much of the capital and many work 

places. As a rule, he says he sleeps well, 

returns to his home around 4 pm each day 

and, now and again, goes off on holiday. He 

wouldn’t manage this without trust in his 

work force. “The individual firms all have 

their own managers. I trust them, they are 

highly motivated and all involved financially 

in the success of the company. “Currently, 

his payroll stands at around 100 and he’s 

friends with every employee. The question 

as to when and where he learned about 

managing all these people, and whether 

he had formal training in this area, he hears 

often. His answer: “I never learned this. But 

even in the school I was class spokesman. 

I am simply a very communicative person 

and busy myself with subjects – be they 

pleasant or difficult – at once, or at least 

when required. Everything else I’ve had to 

learn through pain!” 

TRAINING 

CONTRACTS 

He also carries responsibility for the next 

generation. He learned this from his parents. 

Back in 1997, they risked a completely 

new beginning for the future of their son. 

Now, he gives the impression that he wants 

right now to set the points for the future of 

his four children. 

In 2015 he took over the equestrian centre 

in the neighbouring village of Trechwitz 

from his mother. “This fits superbly into our 

company organisation. Also, I don’t want to 

have to hear my daughter saying one day 

that I hadn’t retained the business for her!” 

Alongside private stabling, riding lessons 

and coach drives are offered at the “Biohof 

zum Mühlenberg”. In the attached gastronomy 

facilities the restaurant’s own cook 

prepares meals with organically-reared beef 

from the farm, or other ‘bio’ ingredients. 

Increasingly, the facilities are rented for 

birthday celebrations or weddings. For 

this reason, a larger professional catering 

kitchen is being planned – the cook smiles 

delightedly when we talk about such plans. 

In the neighbouring Gut Quovadis farm 

buildings, which also belong to the Wessels 

group, there are 110 beds for overnighting 

in hostel style, or there’s accommodation 

in newbuilt holiday homes. Very successful 

are so-called “kita (kindergarten) trips” 

and class outings, whereby the children 

have the chance of learning about the riding 

centre, the production of organic milk 

and everything else concerning farming 

life. Says Timo Wessels: “my children are 

the only ones in their school classes that 

still come from a full-time working farm. 

For many, the connection with agriculture 

is completely missing. In this respect, we 

have considered how we can make our contribution 

towards explaining everything.” 

And, as so often, through coincidence it 

transpired that the farm Gut Quovadis just 

a short foot-march away, had come up 

for sale. 

During our roundtrip over the farm, the 

word “hotel” was incidentally mentioned: 

That could be sited just there. With a matter 

of factness, and a small portion of enthusiasm, 

came the comment: “that would 

certainly be good.” « 

17

INTERNATIONAL 

THE SMOLANA FAMILY, TRAHÜTTEN 

HIGH IN THE IDYL 

The Koralpe range southwest of Graz represents the most 

easterly foothills of the Alps. Pasture and forest characterise 

the landscape here – as they do on the Smolana family farm 

where alongside suckler cows, forestry and energy production, 

additional income comes from a guesthouse and a hotel. 

18

LIC ALPS 

Farmer Peter Smolana stands atop a great rock and 

scans the countryside in concentration. Where can his 

cows be? More important: where are the new-born calves? 

It’s quarter to six mid-July and we’re around 1,650 metres 

up on a Koralpe alm of summer grazings, the Koralpe being 

eastern spur of the Alps in Austria’s Western Styria state, 

edging along the border with Slovenia. We are already above 

the tree line. This farmer from the hamlet of Trahütten in 

Deutschlandsberg district tenants 120 ha up here where, 

from beginning of June through to September 10, his suckler 

herd grazes. “We brought up 34 head in spring and 16 of the 

cows have since calved.” Driving the stock up the mountain 

and back down again in autumn takes 4 hours each way with 

Peter and his two sons Felix (10) and Paul (8) herding, the 

two youngsters loving to lend a hand. Peter’s aunty Heidi also 

never misses a change of joining this special herding event. 

19

INTERNATIONAL 

1 

3 

The farmer drives up to the alm almost daily to check his 

cattle. Since 2017, when the building of some wind turbines 

resulted in a new service road, the journey and alm work 

have been much improved. That the herd check is early 

in the morning is important because, “around six o’ clock 

the calves usually suckle their first drink of the day and 

the herd is therefore together, so I can see them all easily. 

Later in the day, the cattle often lie widely scattered and 

sometimes out of view.” Yesterday he couldn’t find one 

new-born calf – but today it trots alert and lively alongside 

its mum, so everything is fine. 

COPIOUS RAINFALL 

2 

The summer morning check means this farmer sometimes 

covers 40 km by car because, along with the summer grazings, 

he farms 50 ha own land and 30 ha rented pasture. 

Not all the 50 cows and calves, or the yearlings, are up on 

the alm in summer. Some are divided between the other 

grassland areas lower down, although these are often first 

used for winter feed production. “Lower” is comparative, 

however. Visitors from the northern European flatlands 

20

would describe their location as mountainous too. For 

instance, the farm buildings themselves lie at around 

1,000 m altitude. “Whereby it’s not really so high or steep 

around here”, argues the farmer. “The countryside has 

more the character of the central uplands in Germany. At 

least we find this area represents the more idyllic part of 

the Alps,” enthuses Peter Smolana, who had just the day 

before my arrival completed hay turning on some 4 ha 

of meadow. “Mostly, we manage to bring home a second 

cut of hay each year, usually giving a harvest of around 60 

round bales. However, this year in June we wouldn’t have 

believed that we’d manage that. In May and June there 

was unusually high rainfall.” Whereby normal precipitation 

here is 1,200 mm/y. “But we’d almost reached that total 

by mid-year.” 

There’s a positive side effect: forage growth in 2018 has 

also been unusually vigorous. Experience has shown that 

the 80 ha greenland produces, along with the aforementioned 

hay, about 750 round bales of silage. This year 

brought 25 % more. “As well as the beneficial rain, just 

as positive an effect was to be seen through our dressing 

the fields two years previously with carbolime followed 

by reseeding. This has brought us 10 % more yield now”, 

reckons the farmer. 

The number of forage cuts is mostly very different from 

meadow to meadow. On around 30 ha three forage cuts 

are usual. In October there follows aftermath grazing. 

On another 25 ha Peter Smolana usually manages two 

cuts. The remaining grassland areas are managed under 

1 Baling on steep slopes demands great experience in 

operation and careful positioning of the completed 

bales. 

2 A multi-enterprise farm with high work requirement. 

Despite this, Eva and Peter Smolana are 

happy with their little paradise in the eastern Alps. 

3 The name says it all: the Hotel Koralpenblick 

(Koralpen View) (r.) offers fantastic panoramas of 

an idyllic landscape. Up on the mountain, the 

summer alm grazings lie under the wind turbines. 

21

INTERNATIONAL 

a special ecological status and this stipulates a single 

cut only. This leads us straight onto the machinery used 

during the hay and silage harvests: an ActiveMow 320, KW 

6.02/6 turner and a Swadro 46 SW tedder. The farmer sees 

the advantages of these implements as a good balance 

between construction quality and lightness which is of 

great importance especially in mountainside farming. 

He is also appreciative of the respective implements’ 

capability of rapid adjustment for road travel and of his 

Krone dealership, Hochkofler. Up until now, Peter Smolana 

uses another make for baling, although on the day this 

report was researched a Fortima V 1500 from Krone was 

in action on his land as demonstration. Bale wrapping is 

done separately, undertaken by a neighbouring farmer 

with his own machine. 

STYRIA BEEF 

Apropos ecology: Since 1995 the farm has been organically 

managed. The year before the changeover, Peter Smolana, 

at just 16 years of age, took over with his mother Ella his 

grandparents’ farm. During his time at agricultural college 

he calculated with the help of his farm management 

lecturer different business options. In view of the then 

approaching EU accession of Austria, the way towards 

organic farming seemed a most sensible one. And looking 

back, this has proved correct. Peter Smolana is a member 

of the Styrian quality meat organisation Styria Beef. 

However, he markets most of his production directly, 

mainly to restaurants in a diameter of 50 km around 

Trahütten. Because organic food is generally greatly valued 

in Austria – continuing, according to Peter Smolana, to 

attract a steadily growing market – the meat price is a third 

more than that for conventional ware. And through direct 

marketing to a fixed customer base, the gross margin for 

this farmer is even friendlier. 

The cattle are slaughtered as yearlings. For this reason, 

Fleckvieh cows are put to Limousin bulls. “The meat from 

the resultant animals at one year is so well marbled that it 

attracts an excellent market through its very special quality 

and taste”, he explains. Mainly, slaughtering is on-farm 

thus avoiding long journeys to the slaughterhouse, which 

are stressful for the animals and reduce the quality of the 

end product. And naturally the home-grown high-quality 

meat stars on the menus in the gastronomy enterprises of 

the farmer and his wife Eva. Both a guesthouse and a hotel 

represent a further important income source and supply 

Thanks to the above-average rainfall in 2018, Peter Smolana harvested around 

25 % more hay and silage than usual. 

their share of excitement and labour-peaks during the 

summer season, just the same as the farm does. 

“In reality, I run four businesses”, smiles Peter Smolana. 

He’s not only a farmer. With around 100 ha forest he’s 

got plenty to do with his trees. Each year around 1000 m3 

solid timber is felled and sold, depending on quality and 

strength, to regional sawmills, papermills or as wood fuel, 

some of the latter landing in the furnace of the farm’s own 

central heating plant. He’s also a bio-energy producer with 

two small water-driven turbines, a photovoltaic system 

and the above-mentioned heating plant. Annual production: 

around 330,000 kW electricity, with about a quarter 

used in his own businesses. No less important are Peter 

Smolana’s catering enterprises, his fourth income source, 

with hotel and holiday accommodation. “Without my wife 

Eva, my mother Ella and our fully committed team, all of 

this would be too much to handle, especially as my own 

work focusses on field and forest. But working smoothly 

together means everything succeeds very well.” « 

22

PRESS CONFERENCE 

A WORLD- 

WIDE GUEST 

LIST 

The invitation to the Krone autumn press conference 

near Berlin in September 2018 brought over 100 journalists 

from 26 countries to the event. During two days Krone 

presented its business objectives and latest machinery. 

23

INFORMATION 

The journalists travelled from all over the world. The 

longest journey had Paul Titus from New Zealand, meriting 

a special mention by Bernard Krone in his welcoming 

words. The managing partner presented the current company 

figures, results that demonstrated company growth, 

against all present trends. Compared with the previous 

business year, Krone this year achieved, with 2.1 billion €, 

a turnover increase of 12 %. Its commercial vehicle sector 

achieved a turnover of 1.5 bn € (+ 14 %) and the agricultural 

sector 638 m € (+ 9 %). Bernard Krone said the company’s 

success is due to the focus on forage machinery. “Over 200 

different product types are manufactured in Spelle. In this 

sector we have the largest portfolio – and that completely 

without producing tractors of our own”, he explained. This 

concentration means Krone has been in the position during 

past years to invest around 150 m € in new projects and 

locations. “In the next three years here in Germany our aim 

is an investment of 250 m € in digitisation and automation, 

as well as in service”, explained Bernard Krone. 

END-CUSTOMER COW 

Further figures and facts from the business year 2017/2018 

presented Martin Eying, marketing and sales manager. 

He offered a closer look at the Krone success story. On the 

one hand, the EU market after the milk crisis had again 

become stable from around 2017 onwards, resulting in a 

healthy investment climate. On the other, specialisation in 

forage harvesting is a core competence. “We are focussed 

on customer benefits”, explained Martin Eying. To this come 

the ideas for innovations, the quality of the products as 

well as a good service. The partners too, that means the 

dealerships, are essential for company success: “Doing 

business has to give everyone pleasure”, said Martin Eying. 

Marketing manager Heinrich Wingels added: “The cow is 

our end-customer. This is why we keep up to date regularly 

over the right feeding and adjust our products to ensure this 

is produced.” This proved an ideal link to the next speaker, 

the veterinary surgeon André Hüting from the vet practice 

“an der Güterstrasse” in Hamminkeln. This vet and his 

colleagues specialise on advising farmers. “Feeding is one 

of the most important points to consider in ensuring that 

animals stay healthy”, he said. He identified as fundamental 

factors the correct time for harvesting forage (e. g. with 

regard to sugar content), the dry matter content which, 

with grass, should be 35–38 %, the crude ash content as 

well as thorough compacting of the harvested material. 

Rumen malfunction and associated performance penalties, 

he added, come from wide fluctuations in forage quality. 

Krone presented the new BiG X 1180 as well as the XCollect corn header 

during its September press conference. 

NEW MACHINES AT WORK 

The theme feed quality was also taken up by Daniel Büter 

from product marketing in preparing the journalists for the 

next day’s practical demonstrations. The focus was especially 

on the chasm between long and short chop, a situation 

which repeatedly represented challenges, in particular for 

contractors. For this reason, Krone offers the VariLOC pulley 

gearbox that manages the balancing act of adjusting chop 

length by up to 30 mm within five minutes. With the new 

BiG X 1180 with Liebherr 24.24 l capacity V-12 engine, the 

most powerful forage harvester in the world, has been 

developed the perfect machine for the VariLOC system and 

24

thus for contractors. With PowerSplit engine management, 

the engine power output can be manually or automatically 

and steplessly adjusted to suit working conditions. The 

harvester has been especially produced for work on farms 

aiming for a harvesting capacity of 350–400 t/h. 

New is also the roller design for the OptiMaxx corn conditioner. 

Thanks to its angled teeth, this delivers a shearing 

effect. The tooth profile of the OptiMaxx is angled at 5°. The 

corn conditioner is available with 250 and 305 mm roller 

diameters. For short chop, 123/144 teeth are available with 

the OptiMaxx 205, for longer chop 105/123 teeth. With 

the OptiMaxx 305 there are 150/175 teeth for short, and 

125/150 teeth for longer chop. 30 % rpm difference is standard 

with both corn conditioners. 40 % or 50 % differences are 

optionally available. 

with its proven uniform plant material flow capability. With 

XCollect, the manufacturer followed what the customers 

asked for – a free cutting action. The AutoScan system 

enables the degree of corn maturity to be determined, with 

chop length automatically adjusted accordingly. For road 

transport, the header can be fitted with fully integrated 

running gear. Parallel to XCollect, Krone continues to sell 

the EasyCollect system. 

The following day, the new BiG X 1180 as well as the 

XCollect header could be inspected at work in bright 

sunshine by the journalists in the fields of farmer and 

farm contractor Timo Wessels in Damsdorf (Brandenburg), 

whose enterprise we report in detail from page 14 in this 

XtraBlatt issue. « 

New in the range is the cutter header XCollect. Available are 

XCollect 600-3, 750-3 or 900-3 with working widths from 

6.0, 7.5 or 9.0 m as well as 8, 10 or 12 rows. The header 

features a separate driveline for cutting and one for feeding. 

Cutting is via high-speed discs fitted with sickle blades 

which have the effect of serrating the stubble tops, thus 

encouraging rotting action. Feeding is via the collector 

25

ON-FARM 

THE DEHLWES FAMILY, LILIENTHAL 

THE LOCAL 

VILLAGE DAIRY 

After the organic boom comes regionality: 

consumers want the chance of buying 

locally produced food in supermarkets. 

The Dehlwes family’s Bioland-certified 

village dairy in Lilienthal meets all requirements 

in this respect. 

This family farm dairy has a long 

tradition. The farming aspect was 

already established by the end of the 

18th century under the name Therkorn. 

By the 1950s, the family farm had already 

established itself as milk collection point 

for the hamlet Trupe, Lilienthal. Even 

nowadays, the steading still features 

the traditional small coolhouse where 

the local milk was offloaded. Nowadays, 

26

Nearly 10 m l milk is annually 

processed: about 30,000 l every 

day of the year. 

the Dehlwes family markets milk and 

milk products from eleven suppliers. 

Rapid growth means that the farm herd 

expanded to 280 cows in 2009. Bit by bit, 

land was rented so that currently 280 ha 

is farmed, comprising some 100 ha arable, 

100 ha intensive grassland and 80 ha 

of support-eligible, extensive greenland 

where hay is cut and youngstock plus dry 

cows are grazed. 

Since the beginning of the 1980s, the 

married couple Gerhard (67) and Elke (63) 

Dehlwes manage farm and dairy with 

support from daughter Mareike Dehlwes 

(28) who brings her expertise as certified 

dairy master craftswomen and son-in-law 

Thomas Dehlwes (27) a certified master 

craftsman of agriculture. The farm and dairy 

employ a further 50 people in cropping, 

milking and processing, a demonstration 

dairy, farm shop, other services, workshop 

and farm office. 

ORGANIC VARIETY 

Almost 10 million litres milk is processed 

annually, around 30,000 l per day. In the 

farm shop customers can buy a whole 

range of products including fresh milk, 

different yoghurts, cream, creme fraîche, 

sour cream, butter, cottage cheese and 

slicing cheeses as well as quark. “Right 

now, we have introduced some more new 

yoghurts in our range”, reports Thomas 

Dehlwes happily, adding: “Soon cocoa milk 

will be added.” 

Alongside the dairy building is sited the 

cheese making plant. A speciality: it features 

a “glass wall” through which visitors 

in the farm shop can directly view the 

production under management of Mareike 

Dehlwes. “We want to create transparency 

for the consumers”, says she. 

On average, about 300,000 kg milk 

flows into the cheese making per year, 

representing some 3 % of total processed 

milk. “This figure could be easily doubled”, 

reports Thomas Dehlwes. “We’re really 

just beginning here. We produce five sorts 

of organic slicing cheeses flavoured by 

various herbs.” 

In the mid-nineties, Gerhard Dehlwes 

was encouraged by a crisis in the milk 

market caused by reports of E-Coli in 

unpasteurised milk to attend a seminar 

on conversion to organic milk production. 

He decided to change over. “Organic milk 

became popular and our business took a 

big step forward”, relates Thomas Dehlwes. 

“By the 2000s, demand for our milk was 

so great that we had to start buying-in 

from other farms. Our 180 cows weren’t 

enough.” Through active promotion of 

organic farming, Gerhard Dehlwes encouraged 

other farms to take the organic 

route. About every 18 months, the family 

dairy welcomed a further supplier from 

the region. 

FORAGE 

HARVESTING 

As well as Bioland-certified concentrate 

feed, the regulations of this organic farming 

organisation require at least 50 % of the 

ration to be forage, management that 

means pasturing of the herd or zero grazing 

with freshly cut clover/grass brought into 

the barn. With a cutting height of 8–9 cm, 

the clover/grass swards deliver five to seven 

cuts a year from beginning of May. 

27

ON-FARM 

1 2 

Krone machinery has always been used. 

Thomas Dehlwes: “We mow with a F320 

front mower as well as a rear-mounted 

butterfly EasyCut 9000. Turning is with 

the KWT 1300 12-rotor 13 m machine, tedding 

with a three-rotor Swadro 1010. The 

machines have a logical construction so 

that servicing and repairs are easy to carry 

out. This is very important for us because 

we nearly always do our own repairs. Our 

Krone dealership “Newtec” is so situated 

that spare part supply functions well. With 

the exception of the turner, that we only 

bought at beginning of 2018, the machines 

are now in their 14th season. We are still 

happy with them, although next year we 

aim to make new purchases for increasing 

efficiency. Because of the way it gathers 

swaths together, we have our eyes on 

the Krone EasyCut B950 Collect mower 

combination.” 

Such a machine offers more forage in 

one pass for more efficient work by the 

contractor’s silage harvester. “In that 

the B950 is comparatively heavy for our 

moorland soils, it’ll need wider tyres - that 

should work without any problem”, reckons 

Thomas Dehlwes. A new tedder should be 

bought as well: a Krone Swadro 740 TS. “Our 

contractor has a Swadro 1400 and we could 

have both working together.” 

On the farm’s sandy soil, cropping comprises 

clover/grass leys, forage maize 

and cereals. “We grow good maize here”, 

says Thomas Dehlwes proudly. Yields of 

organically grown maize are not much 

lower than that of conventionally grown 

maize in the region. “We harvest around 

35 to 45 t fresh crop /ha.” Long-year experience 

in organic cropping has helped 

such performance. Weed control is through 

hoeing or spring harrowing between the 

rows. “Plant protection was one of our 

greatest challenges when we started 

with organic maize”, he explains. “After 

some experimenting, we can now use the 

hoe precisely. “Additionally, undersown 

ryegrass between the row helps smother 

weeds and retain soil nutrients through 

avoiding leaching and erosion.” 

LITTLE AND LARGE 

Since 2005, the farm shop sells home-produced 

eggs from 450 layers kept in mobile 

sheds. “Demand for the eggs from this 

housing is large”, reports Thomas Dehlwes. 

“We were attracted to this sort of housing 

5 

on seeing it at the Tarmstedter Show.” 

Eggs on the counter have increased the 

number of customers coming to the shop. 

One result was another mobile shed being 

added only 18 months later. The birds 

come from a Bioland pullet breeder in 

the region. When they become too old for 

egg production the hens are slaughtered 

at a certified organic slaughterhouse and 

we sell them here as boilers. As well as 

poultry, we sell beef and pork, all from 

bio-slaughterhouses. “ 

28

3 4 

The beef in the farm shop comes from the 

farm’s own cattle, as a rule from unbred 

heifers. “Currently, we’re also feeding 

15 young Holstein x Belgian Blue crosses. 

From these, we’re looking for the Blues’ 

advantage of good weight gain and 

meat quality. We’re finishing them here 

and, again, using a certificated organic 

slaughterhouse.” 

Customers can now buy Dehlwes products 

in regional supermarkets. Here, the 

container size plays a role in marketing. 

“In the future we aim to supply milk in 0.5 

l sachets,” says Thomas Dehlwes. “We see 

great potential in smaller containers as a 

marketing feature. The 0.5 l target group 

comprises single households, pensioners 

and people that only use milk for their 

coffee.” A decisive point is the shelf life 

of the milk because for some time now 

food retailers order their ware from central 

depots. Thomas Dehlwes: “This principle 

may be logistically simpler, but it also 

increases the transport distance and time 

from dairy to end-customer by one or two 

days and therefore shortens the shelf 

life. Thus, we are steering against this by 

increasing the attraction of our product to 

some consumers through the 0.5 l sachet.” 

But there’s also a role for bulk containers – 

5 or 10 kg tubs, e.g. for yoghurt – that the 

dairy delivers to university canteens, cafes, 

restaurants and catering companies. “Our 

large-scale customers represent about a 

third of our total sales”, explains Thomas 

Dehlwes. 

He sees as positive that consumers now 

give more importance to regionality and 

animal welfare in production rather than 

for simply organic output. “The regionality 

that we’ve always had is now a marketing 

strong point. Nearly all our milk comes 

from a radius of 10 km as the crow flies”, 

he adds with pride. “Only one supplier 

is further off. This not only protects the 

environment. The shorter transport means 

very low collection costs which help our 

business efficiency. ‘The local village dairy’ 

remains our strategy.” « 

1 Fresh grass is fed daily in the cow 

barn. 

2 On the dairy site, there’s also a 

cheese making plant under the 

management of Mareike Dehlwes, 

a certificated master dairy 

craftswoman. 

3 Available in the Dehlwes’ farm 

shop is a wide range of dairy 

articles as well as poultry meat, 

beef and pork. 

4 A special highlight: the cheese 

section with products from the 

farm cheese plant. 

5 Agricultural master craftsman 

Thomas Dehlwes is extremely 

satisfied with the fresh yield of 

35–45 t of his organically 

managed forage maize crops. 

29

INTERVIEW 

AGRICULTURAL CONTRACTORS 

WORKING TOGE 

30

THER MORE 

Changes in structure and 

technology bring new 

challenges into the farmercontractor 

relationship 

whereby digitisation offers 

great opportunities for both 

sides, feels Klaus Pentzlin, 

president of the German 

Federal Association of Agricultural 

Contractors (BLU). 

XtraBlatt: Herr Pentzlin – the extraordinary year of 2018 

draws to a close. How can it be summed up from the contractor’s 

point of view? 

Klaus Pentzlin: Compared with the wet and therefore 

extremely difficult summer and autumn 2017, the stresses 

for operators and machinery in the 2018 cereal and forage 

harvests can be seen as relatively limited. The harvest could 

be finished much earlier than in normal years and its progress 

could also be described in general as undramatic. However, 

these are the only positive aspects. The long-lasting and 

massive drought in some regions sometimes led to substantial 

penalties in harvest yields in grain, and especially with grass 

and forage maize. Consequently, our customers suffered 

earning losses, or faced high costs through having to buy 

in feed. We contractors were also affected because in many 

areas, for example, up to two grass cuts less than usual were 

harvested. And in combining, many colleagues didn’t achieve 

the hectare performance of other years. In total, painfully 

absent in 2018 were contracting orders, capacity utilisation 

and therefore hourly income. After all, our tendentially 

increasing personnel and machinery costs continued as usual. 

XtraBlatt: The missing full utilisation possibly also explains 

the forage harvester tourism in the 2018 season. At least, the 

subjective impression was that contractors were travelling 

ever-further distances to their customers … 

Pentzlin: In individual cases that could well be the case. The 

tendency of some contractors to increase their working radius 

cannot be denied. There are, after all, less individual farms 

now. Naturally, this causes unrest and price competition. 

More of a problem in this respect, incidentally, are newcomers 

offering agricultural services without charging according 

to full cost calculations and who have the main strategy of 

undercutting the prices of established contractors. However, 

even this cannot, and must not, be prevented, belonging as 

it does to the market economy. 

XtraBlatt: Not bargaining on a price basis but instead 

attracting through performance is, however, not really the 

usual practice with many contractors … 

Pentzlin: I cannot completely deny this. In fact, I would go one 

better: Firstly, a contractor must sell services based on quality 

of work and performance. And in fact, the great majority 

do so. But you also should have the courage to stick to your 

guns during bargaining and to accept the resultant loss of a 

price-conscious customer now and again. These people often 

realise in the end that cheaper very seldom means better. 

Therefore: From the customer point of view it is clearly best 

to ask questions about the quality and sustainability of 

work that such contractors carry out. More than ever, the 

quality of work is decisive for the farmer and to this belongs 

more than just work itself but above all the reliability of 

the contractor, the punctuality, the qualifications of the 

workforce and the advice given. Take as example the silage 

harvest: what is an extra 30€/ha or 5€/working hour when 

paying a good contractor, in relationship to a good store of 

feed with a value in terms of meat and milk produced in the 

hundreds of thousands of euros? In other words, many times 

the “savings” theoretically attainable through cutting back 

in contractor fees. 

31

INTERVIEW 

1 2 

Also, through paying a little extra in this respect I give the 

good contractor the means to invest more, not only in good 

machinery, but also above all in good operators. More than 

ever, we need competent providers of such services. Admittedly, 

as before, our businesses can depend on good seasonal 

helpers, many of whom have long years of experience. But 

correct operation of machinery 

and especially the increasing need 

for specialised competence and 

documentation can in the long 

run only be met by top employees. 

Attracting those means we are in 

ferocious competition with the 

trades, merchants and industry. 

Quality demands appropriate 

pay – that applies to contractors 

just as to others. 

XtraBlatt: In particular with forage harvesting, farmers like 

doing their own mowing, turning and tedding, saying they 

can do it better than the contractor … 

Pentzlin: That is certainly often heard, especially in the southern 

half of Germany. But what does “better than” mean? 

Very often, mowing is carried out too near the ground in the 

short-sighted assumption that as much forage as possible 

per hectare is best. Afterwards, the sward is turned too often 

and then a farm-size 6 m tedder put to work in front of the 

forage harvester - a machine that would work most efficiently 

with the mass collected by a 12 m machine. More sand in the 

forage – in other words, poison for the cow – is one result. 

The professional avoids mowing too close to the ground. On 

top of this, if the implements in the harvest work chain come 

from a single source with each stage properly matched, the 

feed quality is substantially enhanced! 

XtraBlatt: So this means that you see the contractor doing 

more than purely planning and completing contracted 

operations? 

“QUALITY AND VALUE MUST 

PAY, FOR THE CONTRACTOR 

AS WELL AS CUSTOMER. ONLY 

SO CAN WORK BE 

SUSTAINABLY WORTHWHILE.” 

KLAUS PENTZLIN, BLU PRESIDENT 

Pentzlin: Without a doubt! Even now, we are crucial to the 

farmer in many more aspects of the agricultural process. 

Very often, these farmers are regular 

customers. Contractor operators 

know the fields concerned, and 

the work carried out together is 

characterised by mutual trust. 

Naturally, “price-hoppers” exist, 

and impatient folk that immediately 

call-up another contractor when the 

first fails to react at once to a snap of 

the fingers. But these are in no way 

representative of the majority of our customers and represent, 

I’m convinced, a diminishing category. 

XtraBlatt: Why so optimistic on this point? 

Pentzlin: Because this is more or less an automatic 

development through the increasing sophistication of 

machinery technology and amount of administration and 

documentation involved. For the farmer, it’s increasingly 

less economical to make own investments here. Time 

involved in the whole exercise, alongside the actual work 

that has to be completed out in the fields, is just too great. 

The professionals, above all those in livestock production, 

concentrate increasingly on their core competences in 

the barn. They profit from the specialised abilities of the 

contractor. Optimally, farmer and contractor plan together 

the necessary operations and concrete tasks, with the 

contractor also supplying appropriate advice. And the 

contractor already has the area-specific data, which can 

32

3 

also be made available to the farmer. Why should every 

participant reinvent the wheel, or wish to carry the mass 

of documentation alone? 

XtraBlatt: Maybe because control of all data is wanted? 

Perhaps to avoid being bound too closely with one service 

supplier? And also to keep added value more firmly under 

own control? Three requirements very typical of contractors 

too … 

Pentzlin: Very true – and just because of this, the cooperation 

of the farmer with a good agricultural contractor in a position 

to handle necessary requirements and capable of the above 

mentioned administrative service is all the more important 

and useful for both sides! The contractor of trust must, and 

therefore will, handle customer data very carefully. This is, 

after all, very much in his own interest. And no agricultural 

machinery manufacturer or dealership or indeed official 

administration organisation should get automatic access 

to customer data. According to the same concept, contractor-specific 

data are not the business of customers, nor of 

other institutions. 

1 Dung spreading by agricultural contractor is increasingly 

carried out with inclusion of documentation and advice. 

2 Klaus Pentzlin: “The quality of work done is more than ever 

decisive for the farmer.” 

3 Usually, feed quality is best when, as far as possible, the 

entire work chain involved in forage harvesting, or at 

least tedding and actual harvesting, is carried out by the 

contractor. 

example a contractor that includes use of an NIR sensor for 

assessing forage feed value during harvest or for assessing 

nutrient content when spreading slurry. Such a sensor easily 

costs in the region of 25,000€. Why then should its application 

cost the customer nothing? It has, after all, an immense 

value, in particular for dunging documentation. After all, the 

official controllers are very strict and the personnel in water 

quality control boards are specialists. It is therefore sound 

advice for farmers and contractors to be precise and correct 

in their reporting. 

XtraBlatt: How big do you think the chances are of contractors 

being paid for the described extra services, e.g. data 

management and advice? 

Pentzlin: First of all, contractors must muster the courage to 

invoice for the said additional services. Naturally, the farmer’s 

point of view sometimes includes the expectation that such 

services be included free of charge, if the contractor wants 

the job. And unfortunately, these customers in reality get 

off with this. This is really nothing else than the beginning 

of the aforementioned price pressure. Let us take as a simple 

Once again: I am convinced that the farmer on his own 

will run his business in an increasingly professional manner 

and therefore appreciate and appropriately reimburse the 

contractor services received. Quality and value must pay, 

for the contractor as well as customer. Only so can work be 

sustainably worthwhile. In this respect, we should see digitisation 

as an opportunity - when we all use it correctly – and 

take care that not everything is talked down. Furthermore, 

much more important in this respect is to committedly ensure 

that in this country the digital infrastructure is at last made 

fit for the future so that we can work properly with it. « 

33

INFORMATION 

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR MACHINERY ADJUSTMENT 

EVER READY 

Good feed quality starts with mowing. The fundamental 

requirement for reliable machinery application is 

setting-up the implement correctly and then servicing it 

regularly. Here, we show you the right steps to take 

using the disc mower as example. 

34

Lower link height setting 

is correct when the 

parallel arms are level. 

After attachment of mower to tractor we come to 

the first adjustment that can influence cutting 

results: height of the lower link arms. This must be exactly 

the same so that the mower headstock remains parallel 

to the ground. Only then can the mower work evenly, 

optimally following field surface contours. This is especially 

important when cutting on side slopes. Do you want to 

alter the cutting height from the standard of around 7 cm? 

This can be done relatively easily by adjustment of the top 

link. The shorter the top link is set, the more “aggressive” 

is the cutting action, i. e. the cutting height is reduced. 

So far, so good. But how can I know the cutting height to 

begin with? To measure distance between field surface 

and mower disc, use a ruler and always measure from the 

very front of the blade downwards, and at several points 

across the working width. 

There are another few things to check. Most important 

of these is the so-called ground pressure, hydraulically 

regulated or via springs. To assess the present setting, take 

hold of the mounted mower at the frame and pull lightly 

upwards. If no movement is possible, the ground pressure 

might be too high, or the springs set too tightly. But this 

should be no problem because modern mowers usually 

allow ground pressure adjustment without tools through 

simply adjusting spring attachment by bolts in a hole plate. 

To do this, lift the mower into headland position and reinsert 

the spring tension bolts. Drop the mower and again lift the 

mower frame. If this is then possible without too much 

effort, the setting is correct. A good general ground pressure 

is approx. 70 kg per metre working width. However, this 

can vary with the working speed you choose, as well as 

the location-specific situation, e.g. ground conditions and 

mowing requirements. 

Some mowers feature integrated conditioners that can 

be adjusted to give the required intensity of conditioning. 

Here, the space between fingers and baffle plate can be 

adjusted. The smaller the space, the higher the intensity 

of conditioning. Try it out. Additionally, intensity of conditioning 

can be regulated via conditioner rpm: the higher 

the revolution speed, the greater the intensity. Now, it’s 

time to start mowing. After a few metres, always stop and 

check work quality. Don’t forget to check the cut sward to 

see if cutting height is right. 

SERVICING 

Does cut grass tend to appear torn and ragged rather than 

showing the desired clean cut? It could be that blades need 

replacing. And with that, we come to the second part of our 

practical tips: servicing the machine. “Out of the nettle bed 

and right into mowing work” is, unfortunately, a common 

forage harvesting situation on some farms. Whereby, all 

that’s needed to ensure a smoothly working mower are a 

few simple steps. Correct servicing ensures a high degree 

of operational reliability and avoids expensive downtime 

during harvest. One point to start off with: when there’s 

the possibility of keeping your mower under cover and dry 

over the winter, then you should always do so. Another tip: 

pressure washing the machine beforehand is always good. 

A clean mower is easier to check-over than one covered in 

dust and dirt. For cleaning, the mower is best on its stand. 

As soon as it’s dry, it should be well greased at all required 

points, an action that also gets rid of any condensation 

moisture that may have collected inside bearings. Getting 

35

INFORMATION 

1 

2 3 

1 With modern mowers, adjustment of 

cutterbar ground pressure can usually be 

done without tools via hole plate. 

2 When measuring the distance between 

ground surface and disc, the ruler should 

always be set at the foremost part of the 

blade with several measurements taken 

across the working width of the mower. 

3 The mower disc blades have a specific 

direction of travel, shown by an engraved 

arrow. 

back to the mower discs: only sharp blades guarantee a 

clean cut. However, you don’t have to buy new blades every 

season. These can be turned around once and only when 

both sides are worn do blades have to be exchanged for 

new ones. Modern mowers feature a so-called quick-change 

system for blades. This permits rapid and simple removal/ 

attachment. While doing this, it also pays to check the 

condition of attachment bolts. The modular construction 

of mower discs permits replacement of individual wearing 

parts. Where there’s damage or wear, the respective set of 

bolts on each disc should also be replaced. 

Note the required direction of travel when fitting each 

blade. Usually, this is shown by an arrow engraved in the 

blade and pointing in the appropriate direction. Beware, 

also, that you never exchange only one of a pair of blades 

on a mower disc. Through the extra weight of a new blade, 

this could cause imbalance in the revolving disc. Should 

you notice that one blade is missing, it is better to replace 

the pair. The cutterbar is, incidentally, lifetime-lubricated. 

Despite this, the oil level should be checked annually. For 

this, the machine should be run for a short period and 

the mower cutterbar brought into transport position. 

Lastly, check the condition of the pto shaft guard, the 

mower protection curtains and any drive belts. Before 

post-season garaging, a final service should be carried out. 

After cleaning and servicing, an anti-corrosion treatment 

is recommended so that the mower is once again “ever 

ready” for the new season. « 

36

KRONE CALENDAR 

ALL FOUR SEASONS 

Farming wouldn’t function without 

women and their powerful input. 

By focussing on their contributions, the 

2019 Krone calendar makes this 

very clear. 

Each year it’s a very special highlight: 

the presentation of the new Krone 

calendar for the coming year. This time a 

sumptuous setting for introducing the 2019 

calendar was the Stuttgart Hauptfest – one 

of Germany’s best-known traditional annual 

agricultural and folk events. Naturally, the 

calendar “models” are twelve young women, 

all with agricultural backgrounds: real 

power ladies from Germany and Austria. 

Once again in this, the eleventh calendar 

of its type and the fifth in cooperation 

with the German Federal Association of 

Machinery Rings, naked skin isn’t projected, 

but instead the unique personalities of the 

ladies literally in focus. The result is twelve 

spectacular motives impressively representing 

the true variety of the agricultural year. 

The photo shooting in August also followed 

the year-long tradition of proving an outstanding 

occasion for all involved: models, 

jury and photographers. This wasn’t only 

thanks to the super summer of 2018 offering 

the best conditions for atmospheric, 

high quality pictures with locations in the 

picturesque German regions of Emsland 

and Münsterland. The experienced and 

professional support of make-up artists, 

photographers and the Krone calendar 

team led by Heike Hartmann, quickly 

calmed any initial nerves due to the new 

shooting situations and led to shared 

enthusiasm for the many memorable experiences 

and, naturally, the outstanding 

photographic results. 

Also overwhelming was the surrounding 

programme. Obviously, not all the twelve 

motives could be shot in a single day. Those 

with a photo-pause had the opportunity 

of visiting the Krone factory and driving a 

silage harvester, walking round Emsflower, 

Europe’s largest producer of potted plants, 

viewing the dairy farm “Große Kintrup” and 

historic Burg Bentheim. Rounding-off the 

event superbly for the participants were 

the three sociable evenings spent together 

in exciting “locations”. Hereby, the definite 

highlight was the “Schloss Classix” concert 

in Münster where the Babelsberg Film Orchestra 

pulled out all the registers to impress 

through its musical talent – and that to the 

breathtaking backdrop 

of Schloss Münster. 

Three magnificent days 

with a result that is 

just as impressive – the 

2019 Machinery Ring – 

Krone Calendar! « 

Making-of Krone- 

Kalender 2019 

37

INTERNATIONAL 

FARMER GEORGES CHEVALIER, RUDELLE 

CHEESE EN GRO 

Georges Chevalier from 

Rudelle in the south of France 

discloses the factors for 

success in his dairy goat 

enterprise that has expanded 

from 80 to 220 animals, 

now producing milk for 

around 720,000 cheeses per 

annum. 

38

S 

Georges Chevalier makes and 

markets seven different types of 

cheese, mainly via wholesalers. 

Since 1992, Georges Chevalier has produced goat cheese 

from the family enterprise with main customers the 

French wholesalers Rungis Express and Odeon. Some of 

the production is sold directly over the counter of his farm 

shop. But this is the exception: “We’ve always made all 

our milk into cheese, plus another 2 to 5 t milk bought-in 

per year according to demand”, he explains. His herd of 

white Saanen goats, a breed with proven performance for 

both milk and meat, produces 200,000 l annually, each 

goat averaging about 3 l milk daily. With his 220 goats, 

Georges Chevalier has an average-size herd for southern 

France. “In this area there are certainly 50 further cheese 

producers. Herd size can be up to 500 head”, he reports. His 

cheese sales earn an annual 450,000 €. His most expensive 

cheese brings him a calculated 2.75 € for every litre of goat 

milk that goes into it. But this is just one of seven different 

cheese types he produces, some driven to customers in a 

Sprinter van he had fitted-out especially. “My cheeses are 

mainly exported to Belgium and the Netherlands.” 

Alongside good genetics, this farmer says quality feed plays 

a crucial role in production. ”Above all, I put my trust in high 

quality forage harvesting machinery, which includes equipment 

from Krone. For the cheeses we produce, we are legally 

bound to use feed that is at least 80% home-produced”, 

stresses farmer Chevalier. The forage making machinery is 

also well looked after here and kept under cover. “In fact, 

my baler has never even been rained on!” 

MORE LUCERNE HAY 

Up until 2003, farmer Chevalier grew 12 ha lucerne. 

Since the great drought in that year, he’s increased the 

area to 25 ha. There’s also 20 ha of cereals, mainly wheat 

and barley. “The drought made us rethink our policy. 

Now, we sell some of our lucerne so that even this year’s 

poor harvest didn’t affect us much. We were able to 

harvest 10 to 12t/ha lucerne. With wheat, though, we 

only managed 5t/ha. With our chalk-rich clay soil, lucerne 

yield is acceptable.” In good years up to five cuts of forage 

are possible. 

Forage harvesting is conducted by the farmer himself with 

his own EC F 320 CR and EC R 320 CR mowers plus turner 

and tedder, AX 280 GL self-loading forage wagon and a BiG 

Pack BP 1270 MultiBale baler, all from Krone. Since 2006, he 

also works with these machines as a contractor for other 

farmers. On the other hand, he himself uses a contractor 

for combine work. He swaps some of his cereal crop for 

maize grain and this goes into his goat rations. Organisation 

in this respect is through Cuma: a national federation 

of agricultural material purchasing cooperatives. Georges 

Chevalier keeps his wheat straw because the goats like to 

eat this. “We once bought-in extra wheat straw, but the 

quality was a catastrophe”, he recalls. 

MAIZE NOT AN 

ALTERNATIVE 

The goats are fed fully automatically in the very roomy 

loose housing accommodation. A hydraulic grab lifts the 

lucerne hay into the feeding passage while the remaining 

components are evenly distributed via feed dispenser. A mix 

of pellets, cereal grain, maize grain and lucerne hay make 

up the milkers’ ration. 

The hay is dried if required and aerated via photovoltaic 

system and fans. Per animal and day, calculated ration 

is 1 kg concentrate feed and 2 kg lucerne hay. “We have 

no maize silage because we think the quality is not good 

enough. We take a lot of care with the feed and this results 

39

INTERNATIONAL 

1 

in goats here producing into their eighth or ninth year”, says 

Georges Chevalier, adding that goats tend to get too fat on 

maize silage alone, and also more susceptible to listeriosis. 

Hay must therefore be fed, or beet pulp added. In the end, 

green feed is richer in nutrients for protein and energy, etc, 

than conserved feed. 

Mechanised feeding means Georges Chevalier has time to 

handle all work on the farm, aided by two fulltime workers. 

He takes care of sales, farm office work and outdoor tasks. 

His employees milk twice daily and take care of the cheese 

making, among other jobs. 

4 

UP TO 18 LACTATIONS 

The milkers can have the clusters on 16 goats at a time in the 

Westphalia herringbone parlour with the milk gravity-fed 

straight into the cheese plant and cooled to 13.5°C. Pumps 

are avoided because the action is not deemed good for 

cheese making milk. 2000 cheeses are made daily. The 

required bacteria are fed into the cooled milk which is then 

heated to 19°C and left for 24 hours. Then the fermented 

product is filled into sachets with whey drained off. Subsequently 

the still-liquid mass can be filled into forms and 

flavoured, e.g. with roasted coconut. One litre of goat milk 

produces 180 g of cheese. 

The dairy goats last an average 16 to 18 lactations in a 

production lifetime meaning they kid around twice per year. 

Each gestation is five months and following birth, mother 

and kid are immediately separated. Georges Chevalier retains 

the best female kids. Males and the remaining females are 

sold at eight days of age. “Unfortunately, we only get 4.50 

€ for each male, a real shame”, says he. The milking goats 

are culled when milk production drops or through ill-health. 

For breeding, two billies run permanently with the herd. The 

loose housing barn comprises four compartments with the 

billies always kept for a certain time in each compartment, 

long enough to ensure all females there are served. To avoid 

any inbreeding, billies are regularly replaced. 

40

2 3 

1 Georges Chevalier now has 220 dairy goats. He’s been 

producing cheese for 26 years. 

2 Lucerne hay is the main component of the goat ration fed 

by Georges Chevalier. 

3 The goats’ concentrate feed comprises lucerne pellets, grain 

maize and cereal grain. 

4 With a brightly labelled Sprinter van this farmer not 

only transports his products, but also does a great job of 

advertising them. 

FUTURE PROJECTS 

To promote a better business base on his farm, Georges 

Chevalier plans to join with eleven neighbours in running 

a biogas plant. “This is to be fed with organic by-products 

from the various farms in the scheme. This includes the 

dung from my goats, liquid manure from neighbours’ pigs 

and cattle, even duck manure!” Heat produced by this 

project will be made available for vegetable production, it 

is hoped. Fermentation residue is to be spread on the fields 

of participating farms. “Usually, maize is not allowed here 

as aggregate for biogas plants, special arrangements having 

to be made in such cases”, points out Georges Chevalier. 

As in other European countries, manuring of fields is 

monitored via soil sampling and unannounced spot 

checks by the authorities. Farmers are fined if limits are 

overstepped. “As soon as a sample indicates too much 

nutrient has been applied, official inspections on the farm 

switch to a yearly basis”, explains this farmer. All manure 

applications must be documented. George Chevalier is so 

far the only farmer in the neighbourhood who composts 

manure. He applies dung with a 14 t Brimont spreader. 

“We do not buy-in any other fertiliser, he says. “Among 

my concepts for successful farming are automation where 

possible, own labour for as much on-farm work as feasible 

and continually seeking new business possibilities and 

testing the ideas out.” « 

41

TELEGRAM 

NEWS-TICKER 

IN RETIREMENT 

Retiring after 21 years with the firm Krone 

is Siegfried Wickert (2nd from l). His posts 

included managing director of Krone 

Holding with positions in the machinery 

factory and Fahrzeugwerk Krone, respectively 

responsible for the departments 

production, purchase, logistics, quality 

and personnel. 

PREMOS 

CUSTOMER DAY 

Around 60 interested parties attended 

the first Premos customer day in Austria. 

Despite the not-excessive motorisation 

of the Fendt 936 tractor, the Premos still 

impressed with an output of a little over 

4t/hour. 

TRAINING 

START 

At the beginning of August, Krone welcomed 

50 new trainees or sandwich course 

students (46 in the machinery factory 

and 4 in the Holding) to Spelle. Also in 

attendance: 11 trainees from the domestic 

section of LVD Krone Spelle. A very warm 

welcome! 

IN CALIFORNIA 

Krone’s “Rise Above Tour” in California 

lasted eight weeks. Focal point of the event 

was presentation of the BiG X 880 including 

LiftCab. 

WITH RECORD 

TURNOVER 

Krone Group turnover in the 2017/2018 

business year ran to around 2.1 bn €, 

including some 1.5 bn € turnover by the 

commercial vehicle division and around 

642 m € turnover generated by the agricultural 

machinery division. 

INAUGURATION 

IN WERLTE 

Andreas Scheuer, German Federal Minister 

of Transport, joined Bernard Krone in officially 

opening, before around 400 invited 

guests, the new Surfaces Centre (OFZ) at 

Werlte. In the 16,500 m 2 new building 

representing an investment of some 40 m 

€, semi-trailer chassis are dip-painted and 

powder-coated. 

42

15 MACHINES 

TO UNTERWESER 

Within a single year, 15 Krone machines have 

sold to agricultural contractor Schwartz 

from Hagen im Bremischen, Unterweser, 

Cuxhaven. The purchases comprised two 

BiG X machines, one BiG Pack, an EasyCut 

B 970, an EasyCut F 320, seven ZX and four 

TX wagons. 

45 YEARS FOR 

KRONE 

After more than 45 years in the service 

of Krone, the “President” of Krone Italia, 

Giancarlo Stefani (r) leaves for well-earned 

retirement. Alfons Veer thanked him for 

his exemplary commitment and the 

resultant outstanding market position of 

Krone in Italy. 

SEVEN ALL 

AT ONCE 

Along with the silage harvesters BiG X 630 

and BiG X 780, Martin Braun and Matthias 

Brand from dealership ATECH handed over a 

BiG M 450 CV as well as four ZX self-loading 

forage wagons to agricultural contractor 

Gradl with HQ in Bernla, by Velburg. With 

these new machines, Gradl now has more 

than 20 Krone models in operation. 

HONOURED FOR 

LIFETIME WORK 

Dr Bernard Krone (r), here accompanied by 

his wife Maria, was presented in September 

with the Emsland Entrepreneur Prize for 

his lifetime achievement. “Bernard Krone 

has Emsland positively and sustainably 

influenced – with focal points economic 

and social aspects”, said laudatory Bernard 

Meyer. Dr Krone, he added, gave the term 

“family firm” a human face. 

SUCCESSFUL 

IN BRAZIL 

At Brazil’s most important dairy exhibition, 

the Agroleite, Krone was voted best 

manufacturer of hay and forage harvesting 

machinery for the second time. Krone 

thanks and congratulates the team of 

importers Bouwman! 

THOUSANDS 

OF VISITORS 

The numerous Krone “Greenland Evenings” 

proved real attractions in this year too, with 

a total of several thousand attendees. The 

event in Legden near Münster also drew 

around 300 Krone employees with their 

families. 

43

INTERVIEW 

25 YEARS BiG PACK 

THE WINNING 

THROW 

A quarter century of BiG Pack 

– this jubilee stands not only 

for a very important product 

segment within the Krone 

company, but also shows how 

the HDP generation in 

particular has set worldwide 

standards in performance 

and bale quality. 

Following the 40-year celebration of Krone’s round 

balers in 2017, the company’s big balers this year (2018) 

mark their 25th anniversary. Reason enough for a review 

of BiG Pack developments since 1993, a time when it was 

much more than “just” another product in the forage and 

straw harvests for this manufacturer. But we can also take 

the opportunity to look forwards. Join us on a small journey 

through time accompanied by Dr Klaus Martensen (division 

manager, bales and self-loading wagons), Martin Amshove 

(product manager, BiG Pack) and Niklas Beindorf (product 

marketing, BiG Pack). 

XtraBlatt: 25 years BiG Pack – in this period there have 

been very many changes. What can you recall from the 

very beginning? 

44

Reviewing 25 years of BiG Pack development in this article: (l to r) 

Dr Klaus Martensen, (division manager, bales and self-loading wagons), 

Martin Amshove (product manager, BiG Pack) and Niklas Beindorf 

(product marketing, BiG Pack). 

XtraBlatt: What were important characteristics with which 

BiG Pack could set high standards, especially right at the 

beginning? 

Martin Amshove: These were the first big balers with tandem 

axles, for example. And the first of their kind with gear and 

shaft drive only, i.e. with no chain drive. Additionally, the baler 

had a clutch for the packer so that possible blockages could be 

handled quasi automatically in a matter of minutes. On top 

of this, a very important point was the substantially larger 

flywheel when compared with the competition. This meant a 

lower power demand which in turn allowed the first BiG Packs 

to be operated with tractors of around 100 HP – nowadays 

hardly credible! 

XtraBlatt: What happened next? 

Dr Klaus Martensen: I only 

joined Krone in 2001 so I cannot 

report the start, at least not 

from my own memory. However, from all 

the stories, two points have crystallised in my thoughts. 

Firstly, the decision to develop an own big rectangular 

baler was in those days a courageous one because this 

was something new for the company. Although Krone was 

market leader for round balers in Germany since 1992, big 

balers represented another league altogether in terms of 

construction, machine robustness and production. All the 

more important, therefore – and this is the second key 

point – was establishment from the beginning of numerous 

technical details for satisfying customers and dominating 

the competition. 

Dr Martensen: Krone started in 1993 with the canal sizes 

80 x 80 cm and 120 x 80 cm. In 1997 there came then the size 

which became widely distributed, particularly in Germany: 

120 x 70 cm. This was quickly followed by the 90 cm size and 

also the 1.30 m with 4 x 4 ft. 

Amshove: Outstanding right from the first-generation machines 

was certainly also the first cutting system with solidly 

fixed blades in the packer canal, as well as the VFS forwarding 

system, which came onto the market in 1999. This allowed 

the baling material to be collected in equal portions resulting 

in production of very uniform bales. 

Dr Martensen: Not to be forgotten was the first active 

electronic bale density regulating system: this enabled rapid 

45

INTERVIEW 

1 

2 

adjustments for different harvest material without any great 

effort, at that time a sensation! It ensured – and still does 

nowadays – very uniformly packed bales with grass silage, 

even with varying moisture content along the swath. 

Amshove: 2003 brought an additional quality boost: the 

introduction of the double knotter. This enabled a substantial 

increase in bale densities. The demand for stable-form, 

high-density bales came firstly from the USA. The double 

knotter was thus one of the most important steps in the 

direction professional machines and proved an enormous 

benefit to Krone, particularly in the export trade. 

Beindorf: 2003 was also when the MultiBale System was 

introduced – only possible with the double knotter, and a 

further addition to the Krone unique selling arguments. 

to meet the hard demands from agricultural contractors and 

large-scale farms worldwide. I would, in fact, go so far as to 

say: HDP was the winning throw for Krone. 

Beindorf: Without a doubt, this was also responsible for HDP 

bales becoming a real generic term for heavy, high-density 

and form-stable bales. Even when it sounds melodramatic 

and immodest: HDP bales revolutionised straw and forage 

transport logistics. These bales are excellent for stacking, 

even up to 12 bales high with straw. And this is a standard of 

performance that other manufacturers have been unable to 

match over many, many years. For freight concerns, there’s 

also the business advantage of maximum exploitation of truck 

carrying capacity. In the USA for example, payment is based on 

the weight transported. There, people quickly stopped talking 

of big square bales and instead refer to “Krones”. 

XtraBlatt: When did the HDP (High Density Press) system 

arrive? 

XtraBlatt: With that then, these bales became the accepted 

standard of excellence against which all others are judged … 

Dr Martensen: Pacemakers for the HDP were professional 

straw merchants all over the world, merchants that bale more 

than 40,000 bales per machine. Such customers demanded 

a substantial increase in bale density. We worked on this 

intensively, doubtless not without paying “learning money” 

in the process. However, we have been able to increase bale 

density by 25 %. Important steps in this direction were, e.g. 

enlargement of the frame and the driveshaft inclusive flywheel. 

A positive side-effect: the strengthening went in-hand 

with a still longer working lifetime, a fact we’ve been able to 

appreciate in following years. 

Dr Martensen: Correct! And this applied even more so 

to the HDP II that we brought onto the market in 2013. 

Requirements for the development of this were: doubled 

throughput of unchanged bale density. Hereby, we decided 

that six double knotters were not enough to handle this 

performance and thus developed together with the company 

Rasspe a new, slimmer, unit that permitted eight knotters 

to be fitted side-by-side. The performance possible with this 

set-up was demonstrated by our record in 2013 of 149 big 

bales each averaging 500 kg being produced in one hour, 

representing 74 t material baled per hour. 

Premiere of the HDP system was Agritechnica 2005 and, in 

my estimation, represented one of the greatest milestones in 

BiG Pack development, not only regarding performance but, 

just as importantly, in terms of manufacturer reputation as 

producer of seriously professional machinery specially made 

XtraBlatt: Whereby the conditions probably didn’t reflect a 

“normal” practical situation?! 

Beindorf: Admittedly … but at least as important as the per 

hour performance and bale quality is the robustness of these 

46

3 

1 The 1993-introduced BiG Pack beat the competition, not 

only because of its tandem axles but also through many 

other technical features. 

2 The BiG Pack 1270, presented in 2003 with MultiBale 

function, was the first-ever baler producing up to six 

smaller bales within a big bale. 

3 Krone developed the BiG Pack HDP II to bring best possible 

efficiency into straw handling. 

machines. When the next workshop is three flight hours 

away as is possible, for instance, in Australia, customers are 

naturally interested in extreme durability and reliability. And 

because this excellence in construction and robustness is 

also designed into all the other Krone baler series, the result 

is more confidence in machine reliability and an associated 

boost to sales figures. 

can be seen in the MultiBale 870 HDP, a new type of 

universal machine with which the contractor can produce 

high-density big bales for the straw and forage trade but 

also has the capacity, through selection in the operating 

field on the monitor, of producing with the same machine 

easily-handled small bales, handy for transport by 

livestock farmers. 

Dr Martensen: Also enormously increased is operating speed 

with this reaching 15 – 16 km/h. In fact, we’ve tested the 

balers working at 30 km/h, although power demand then 

was simply too high. However, one alteration is symptomatic: 

before HDP, drivers accelerated on 

the headlands in order to quickly 

turn into the next swath. Now 

when coming to the end of a 

swath, the brake lights go on … 

XtraBlatt: As perfectly formed 

the high-density bales may be, 

the usual procedure of payment still relatively common is 

per bale. From the agricultural contractor point of view, this 

is unsatisfactory with HDP bales … 

Amshove: As long as form and weight of bale is not considered 

in the charge per bale produced, this way of paying is 

not really fair. Essential with HDP baling is therefore a way 

of weighing and assessing moisture content – and both 

parameters are catered for through Krone options offered 

since 2011. 

XtraBlatt: With all these achievements so far, is there still 

room for improvement? Where will the trend with big balers 

go in the future? 

Dr Martensen: As full liner, we must cater more for niche 

requirements now and in the future. An example of this 

“THE HDP BALES HAVE 

REVOLUTIONISED STRAW 

AND FORAGE 

TRANSPORT LOGISTICS.” 

NIKLAS BEINDORF, PRODUCT MARKETING 

Beindorf: The latest example of this full line aspect is the 

BaleCollect, originally triggered by demand from customers 

in Denmark and also from the USA where 80% of big balers 

work with collection wagons. But even in its first year, 

this solution was much better 

welcomed than we expected in 

Germany. Helping acceptance 

more than a little here was the 

fact that the bale trailer, because 

of its telescopic drawbar and 

factory-fitted roadworthiness 

plating, was suitable for use on 

public roads without further official roadworthiness tests. 

Dr Martensen: On the subject of trends, two other points 

are very important on my part. One is the reflection on 

how, particularly with silage, additional feed quality 

can be ensured at baling, for instance through adding 

dosing units for supplementary feed components. And 

naturally with the BiG Pack the theme digitisation is 

also very much in focus, from optimising management 

between tractor and baler through to documentation 

for operation and fleet planning. In short: “Agriculture 

4.0” is currently an important guideline in product development 

for us. And I am convinced that we – to use 

your formulation – will continue to be able to develop 

what is seen as the accepted standard of excellence. 

« 

47

ON-FARM 

THE DREHER FAMILY, OFTERDINGEN 

DIRECT SUPPLY 

The farm of Oberwiesachhof in Ofterdingen, Baden-Württemberg 

is an excellent example of home-produced direct supply: feed 

for the farm’s 200 head of cattle grows just a few metres from the 

cow barn and the milk sells straight to the consumer via 

vending machine on the other side of the yard. In other words: 

from field, through cow to consumer. A production chain 

where selling couldn’t be more direct! 

48

The Dreher family in front 

of the farm shop. 

Here, unpasteurised milk from 

the herd is sold, but also 

e. g. potatoes, eggs and flour. 

It is an impressive outlook over Oberwiesachhof’s 

farmstead and fields. From a 

hillock can be viewed the farmyard, the calf 

house, cow barn, biogas plant, farm shop, 

the house and a fair acreage of verdant 

pasture. 2018’s drought seems to have 

made a detour around this region; the 

grass grows strongly, busy insects bumble 

… But the impression of ample moisture 

supply is not quite correct: “We’ve managed 

our usual number of cuts this year, 

but a few of them gave only half the yield”, 

explains farmer Karl Martin Dreher who 

runs Oberwiesachhof with wife Christel, 

son Michael and an employee. 

Production chains are indeed short here: 

pastures radiate just a few hundred 

metres around the farmstead. This saves 

time, is practical and efficient and isn’t 

coincidental. Some years ago, farmer 

Dreher swapped land with a neighbour. 

“The fields were more or less scattered 

before. Now, I have a compact block, and 

so has my neighbour. Soil quality and 

size of fields were something the same, 

letting us swap 1:1.” Relationship with 

the neighbour is good: Karl Martin Dreher 

harvests forage next door on a contracting 

basis when this is required. “The Krone 

EasyCut is in action with us anyway, and 

when labour is a bit tight on the next farm 

we’re happy to help out.” 

Despite high temperatures and the related 

lighter forage yields this year, this farmer 

hasn’t had to buy-in more feed than usual. 

“Most of our feed is home-grown, although 

protein and mineral feed come from the 

agricultural merchant.” Cropped are clover/ 

grass swards, lucerne, winter barley and 

forage maize. “Since we’ve fed clover/ 

grass and lucerne the milk production 

has increased markedly. Currently, we are 

managing lactations of a good 8000 kg 

and soon we could be achieving 9000 kg. 

For Fleckvieh that’s not bad at all”, smiles 

this farmer proudly. 

Milkers and dry cows get a ration of silage 

daily. The youngstock are fed grass silage 

and enjoy the occasional helping of salad 

leaves. Once older, beef bull calves get 

extra rations. With around 200 head of 

cattle, the Drehers have 70 dairy cows and 

20 feeding bulls, all of them Fleckvieh. 

“This is the usual breed in this region with 

only a few farms grazing other types.” The 

farm produces 600,000 kg milk annually 

at 4% fat and 3.6% protein. No cows are 

bought-in. Instead, the trend is to sell dairy 

stock most years. 

FLEXIBLE 

WORK SHARING 

The farm covers 105 ha arable and 100 ha 

pasture land, 170 ha of this tenanted. 

“With us, there are seldom formal rental 

contracts. We’ve been farming the land 

for many years”, explains Karl Martin 

Dreher. On extensive pastures such as 

traditional meadows with scattered fruit 

trees growing on them, two cuts can be 

expected. With more intensively farmed 

fields as many as five cuts are harvested. 

“So far this year we’ve managed three cuts, 

although the third yielded around half the 

usual tonnage”, reports farmer Dreher, 

who graduated as agricultural master 

craftsman last year. 

Mowing features a Krone EasyCut. A 4-rotor 

Swadro 1400 is used on most areas. But 

where fields are too small the farm’s Krone 

49

ON-FARM 

1 2 

Swadro TC 640, bought this year, goes into 

action. Crop is chopped with a BiG X 500 

forage harvester. 

Karl Martin and Michael Dreher share the 

field work: father mows and son mostly 

teds. If a part-time hand can be hired, the 

work is rearranged because the farmer is 

also responsible for barn work and the book 

keeping. Son Michael looks after the farm 

biogas plant. The farm’s fulltime worker 

is often busy with the calves. “He is very 

committed in this respect and knows 

everything about the cows”, points out 

Christel Dreher who takes care of milking 

and the farm shop. “At the end of this year 

we are fitting a milking robot that should 

reduce our workload.” New too, will be two 

farm students. “We had bad experiences 

with our last students and for this reason 

it’s been some time since we’ve employed 

any”, says Karl Martin Dreher regretfully. 

“But one of the new students has actually 

worked here before and we therefore think 

motivation is very high with both.” 

FARM SHOP 

A MAGNET 

Some of the farm milk is bought by Arla in 

Allgäu. But there’s also a regular stream of 

customers coming to the farm shop where 

unpasteurised milk is sold direct to consumer 

via dispenser. The price is around 80 c/l 

and the required payment is calculated 

by the automat to the last millilitre. The 

customer feeds coins in, places a receptacle 

below the spout and fills this by pushing 

a button. When the wished-for amount is 

filled, the button is released, the amount 

due is calculated and any change returned. 

Plastic beakers are stacked ready – just in 

case customers want a dairy drink whilst 

collecting their order. 

Where customers have not brought 

their own container for milk, glass 

bottles can be bought from an adjacent 

dispenser. Other products on sale at the 

Oberwiesachhof shop include thistle oil, 

jams, flour, potatoes eggs, etc.: mostly 

all regional. “We know all the producers 

personally”, says Christel Dreher. There are 

also biscuits on sale, although these come 

from a wholesaler. “We want to offer our 

customers everything that they might 

need for a Sunday breakfast because we 

feel that no one would come for milk 

alone.” The farm shop is monitored by 

two cameras to avoid theft, although very 

little ware is left lying in the open, for 

instance hay bundles for household pets. 

However, it is felt that monitoring might 

at least discourage any vandalism. 

As in many other sectors of business, 

innovations such as direct marketing do 

not immediately catch-on locally. “Only 

a few of our customers come from the 

immediate vicinity. Most drive from surrounding 

villages. When there’s a traffic 

jam on the main roads to town, we get a 

jump in customer numbers because drivers 

make detours and end up driving past our 

shop”, explains the farmer. “Momentarily, 

around 40 l milk/day sell through our 

dispenser.” Arla pays the Drehers 35 c/l, 

i. e. 45c less than is earned through the 

farm shop. “However, the costs of the 

dispenser, upkeep and labour have to be 

considered. Compared with the processor 

price, the shop earns us maybe 15c/l more 

net.” The farm milk is not sold at any other 

point, such as local supermarket, because 

non-pasteurised milk in Germany may 

only be traded directly from producer to 

customer. 

Above all for children, a visit to Oberwiesachhof 

is exciting: some parents take the 

entire family as part of a cycle tour so that 

they can learn where the milk they drink 

actually comes from. The barns are open 

for visitors. This farming family hope in 

50

3 4 

this way that children stop thinking that 

cows are lilac, as in a popular German TV 

advert. Sometimes whole classes from 

kindergarten come by to meet the cows. 

Just before holidays, larger groups of 

older schoolchildren arrive. Next year, an 

open day is planned for the farm, with 

this event to be repeated every second 

or third year. 

MUCH MORE 

THAN MILK 

A peek into the cow barn is certainly 

rewarding: milkers and dry stock stand 

in two rows, free to move around in their 

respective areas. During our visit, there’s a 

lot of activity around the centrally situated 

water troughs. At the same time, big fans 

ventilate the area, keeping the cattle cool. 

Wellness is also catered for: the cows can let 

themselves be brushed automatically with 

apparatus that reminds us of a car wash. 

When a cow positions herself under the 

brushes, these groom her back and along 

her sides, stopping only when the cow 

moves away and there’s no more resistance 

to the brush action. The cows are kept on 

straw-bedded deep cubicles. “With us, every 

animal can lie down when they want to”, 

says Karl Martin Dreher. 

The feeding bulls are housed in the front 

part of the barn. These animals are reared 

for two years on Oberwiesachhof to produce 

beef, some of which is sold through 

the farm shop, some also delivered directly 

to customers. The butcher business that 

processes the farm-produced beef is 

situated 10 km away. Junior boss Michael 

Dreher announces planned slaughter 

and meat availability via Facebook and 

customers can directly reserve meat joints. 

“But milk is still our main earner”, adds 

farmer Dreher. 

As well as grass, he grows other crops 

for the farm’s biogas plant that has 

been producing electricity for 19 years. 

90 % of the power produced is sold into 

the local supply grid with customers 

including a nearby spa clinic. The biogas 

generator has a capacity of 620 kW 

with production running at 390 kW this 

summer. An exciting new energy crop 

grown for feeding the plant is “mixed 

silphie” (Silphium perfoliatum) which, 

according to the German Biogas Association, 

has only been accepted as an EU 

“greening” crop in Germany in 2018. This 

crop has a very high and dense growth, 

thus preventing light reaching unwanted 

weeds and grasses, making weed control 

1 Mixed silphie is a relatively new crop 

used for feeding the biogas plant on 

Oberwiesachhof farm. 

2 At the unpasteurised milk dispenser, 

the customer draws milk at the touch 

of a button with price automatically 

calculated to the cent. 

3 The calves are loose housed in groups 

and the wet feeding system records 

individual milk intake. 

4 Michael Dreher announces via 

Facebook when a bull is slaughtered. 

The resultant meat can be reserved 

by customers. Some of the sausages 

produced are sold via farm shop 

dispenser. 

unnecessary. No field work is required 

except sowing and harvesting. Silphie is 

perennial and grows for between 20 and 

30 years. Currently, the farm also grows 

trial areas of “legu-hafer mix” (oats/ 

peas/vetches/sunflower) for energy, but 

also forage production. 

The concept of “everything home-produced” 

achieves a new dimension on 

Oberwiesachhof through the biogas plant 

because this also supplies heating. Such 

a direct supply business, therefore, is no 

longer a relic of bygone times but instead 

modern reality. That such a formula still 

works is ably demonstrated by farmer Karl 

Martin Dreher and his family. « 

51

PARTNER 

MAREP 

THE SERVICE SAY 

A customer-oriented service concept 

and a team with highest qualifications 

have been for many years the most 

important success factors for MAREP. 

52

S IT ALL 

Happy after a 

successful 2018 

business year: 

Johannes Vlach with 

wife Anika. 

On the entry road to the premises 

of MAREP GmbH in Mühlengeez 

near Güstrow in Mecklenburg there’s a 

sign showing the way with the slogan: 

“MAREP…they can do it!” A self-confidence, 

it turns out, that’s not at all misplaced. It 

especially applies to the service offered 

by this dealership that runs like a golden 

thread through the nowadays 28-yearold 

firm’s history. Grounded in 1990 by 

Eckhard Vlach as “Machinery and Repair” 

with the focus on blacksmith work and 

keeping machinery in working order, the 

technical service had from the start the 

highest priority, as emphasised nowadays 

by Johannes Vlach who, together with 

his father Eckhard, manages the business 

with its seven locations and around 180 

employees. 

SERVICE AS 

MAIN PILLAR 

The foundations were built on the 

“double” of truck and farm machinery 

departments, because it’s felt that this 

supplies a better capacity utilisation 

of the workshops while also adding to 

overall service quality. This is because 

the commercial vehicle sector is usually 

first with innovations that generally 

come later in the farm implement side. 

Some examples: service and maintenance 

contracts, 24-hour service, workshops 

tooled for a range of models. This quality 

of work soon won the company a good 

name in the region and service established 

itself as the main financial pillar. 

“Even early-on with trucks, the tendency 

to fleet arrangements between freight 

firms and manufacturers meant there 

was not much to be made in actual sales. 

And when our main supplier gave up its 

dealership contracts in 2003, all that was 

left for us was to focus on service. But 

this worked out well because we were 

good at that”, remembers Johannes Vlach. 

“We then applied the same concept to 

farm machinery with similar intensity and 

commitment.” 

From these times came the slogan at 

the entrance promising competitive excellence 

with best-possible service and 

technical competence. Johannes Vlach 

continues: “With this in mind we annually 

invest well over the average in our workshops, 

in their technical equipment, in 

schooling and training courses and, with 

that, the competence of our employees in 

all areas of the company. Not to be forgotten 

is appropriate and performance-oriented 

staff payment in that here in this 

region we are challenged by very intensive 

competition for personnel, especially 

from industry. Competing against this 

is generally difficult for the specialist 

farm machinery branch. However, the 

outstanding performance of the team and 

great motivation are primarily decisive 

in winning customer approval and, with 

that, business success – especially in 

agriculture”, he proudly says. “Turning the 

argument around, this doesn’t mean that 

in the new machinery business the brands 

we represent are of secondary importance 

for us. Here too, we concentrate on top 

products, a good product range and an 

exclusive, long-term, cooperation with 

manufacturers where possible. Only in 

this way can nowadays a future-oriented 

competitive specialist firm supply the 

competence in advice and service that is 

rightly expected by customers.” 

MORE SERVICE 

CONTRACTS 

The aspect competence is more important 

than ever, as Björn Briesemeister points 

out. He is sales manager for the northern 

region of the MAREP marketing area and 

has observed long-term a definite structure 

change with customers. This concerns 

farm size, but also the decision-making 

process. Many farms in the size range 

around 1,000 ha have, he says, sold up in 

the past three to four years: sometimes to 

finance investors, leading to much larger 

units. “Through this, the importance of the 

emotional factor is reduced, for instance 

for a particular brand, or concerning nurturing 

of business relationships. “Decisions 

nowadays are based more on rationality, 

greater demands on manufacturer and 

dealership and, above all, pure farm 

business management concepts”, he says, 

describing the situation in Germany’s 

northeast. However, he adds that this is 

not necessarily a disadvantage because 

to optimise machinery costs, guarantee 

extensions and service contracts should, 

for example, be available. “They allow the 

customer to reliably calculate, and the 

dealer to establish the necessary financial 

53

PARTNER 

1 

2 

frameworks for delivery of the desired 

service quality. That’s why these factors are 

now the standard in the farm machinery 

business rather than the exception”, adds 

Björn Briesemeister. 

He believes that a requirement for this is 

transparent agreements – such as is the 

case with Krone guarantee extensions. 

Johannes Vlach says these can be seen as 

a desirable standard, comparing well with 

what the competition offers. The price 

involved is, admittedly, not the lowest. 

But decisive is an unbureaucratic completion 

and wide-ranging support from 

the manufacturer. “The customers know 

and value this in the knowledge that if 

any machinery problems occur, solutions 

will be found as soon as possible, and 

so down-time kept to a minimum”, he 

explains. 

For this reason, the proverbial thumbs-up 

is also awarded by MAREP to the Krone 

standard of support from the dealer’s 

point of view. Thus, with its guarantee 

agreement the manufacturer repays the 

hourly workshop costs – for Johannes 

Vlach definitely a benchmark in the sector 

and absolutely decisive for the profitability 

of the service partner. Also the direct 

contact that exists with service experts in 

the factory and, when required, the immediate 

support available from there, is way 

above average. “This assistance motivates 

our employees enormously. Even difficult 

technical problems can together be solved 

very rapidly, just the way the customer 

wants. Breakdowns can occur with any 

brand, decisive however, is how these are 

dealt with”, Johannes Vlach is convinced. 

And, in fact, this year such dependability 

proved very fruitful, he went on. After the 

extremely difficult harvest of 2017, the 

harvester sales in the following winter 

developed better than in the previous 

seasons, not only with silage machines 

but also for balers. And because of the 

early fears of lack of feed through the 

long-lasting drought, markedly more 

straw than normal was harvested, with 

associated more short-notice demand for 

new balers. “Because we had ensured a 

good reserve order early-on with Krone 

we were able to exploit this marketing 

opportunity. But also the capacity utilisation 

of our workshops was very good, 

so that 2018 was in total a very positive 

year for us. Whether the new machinery 

business remains so positive in 2019 with 

the generally poor harvest yields this year, 

is questionable. However, I am confident 

that our service business will continue 

as best fundamental support”, concludes 

Johannes Vlach. « 

3 

1 The best possible availability 

of spare parts is a key factor of 

the service concept in all seven 

MAREP facilities. 

2 Mobile customer service is a 

crucial factor for success in the 

farm machinery sector, finds 

Daniel Eichhorn (r. workshop 

master, Mühlengeez) and 

mechatronic Philipp Meyer. 

3 Good service is always teamwork 

with MAREP, as here in 

the Mühlengeez premises. 

54

SERIES: “PREVENTION INSTEAD OF CURE” 

ENOUGH 

ROOM FOR ALL 

Dairy cow health and performance 

depend greatly on optimum feed 

quality as well as correct feeding – 

but also on welfare-based management. 

In part three of our series, 

vet André Hüting explains what to 

watch out for in barn layout. 

To the most serious “problems” with 

cows belongs udder health. In turn, 

this has a lot to do with correct milking and 

udder care, but also with perfect hygiene. 

This applies not only in the milking parlour 

or milk robot stand but also, for example, 

directly after the milking, emphasises 

André Hüting, veterinary surgeon and 

managing partner in the vet practice “an 

der Güterstraße” in Hamminkeln on the 

Lower Rhein. “For instance, the aim should 

be that after milking the cow does not 

immediately lie down but instead remains 

standing for 20 to 30 minutes so that the 

teat canals can close and thus hamper 

any pathogen ingress. This is important 

55

INFORMATION 

1 

2 3 

because the normal dipping procedure is 

not enough on its own”, he explains. It 

is thus very important that the cow has 

immediate access after the milking to 

clean water and fresh feed and so stays 

sufficiently long on her feet. 

This is, however, only one side of the coin, 

he continues. Also important is sufficient 

room behind the feeding yokes, between 

the cubicles and the water troughs. 

“Because the cow mirrors in this point 

many other animals, as well as humans. 

The fact is, not all individuals get along 

with each other. And in every herd, there 

is pronounced ranking order. Thus, lack of 

space and passages that are too narrow 

lead quickly to skirmishes, to social stress 

and, with that, to health problems for 

the animals in unfavourable cases”, he 

observes. 

WIDE PASSES 

So that lower-ranking animals have 

the chance of avoiding dominant herd 

members, a feeding pass width behind 

the yokes of up to 4 m, measured from 

the yokes to the kerb of the first row of 

cubicles, is desirable. “Then, it is possible 

that two cows can comfortably pass one 

another behind the animals standing at 

the yolks. If there’s not enough room, a 

cow moving out of the way has to stand 

on the lying area and possibly disturb a 

cow in her cubicle, or even injure a leg or 

udder. This should not happen”, he warns. 

Between the cubicle rows the space 

should be up to 3.5 m. Nowadays, this is 

considered in the planning of new barns. 

But even in older buildings it is possible 

to find solutions with relatively little 

effort in rebuilding interior layouts. For 

instance, outside runs can be constructed 

in order to do away with any dead-end 

inside passages. 

The aforementioned aim of allowing 

room for cows to avoid each other should 

also apply to water troughs, he adds. In 

his experience tippable long-troughs 

in the vicinity of the milking facilities 

are common and practical – with the 

prerequisite that they are cleaned at 

least once daily. The further away the 

troughs are from the milking equipment 

in the barn, the more preferable it is to 

fit individual drinkers. These should be 

mounted in pairs on the partition walls, 

so that drinking cows stand parallel to the 

cubicles and not block the passageway. 

“Otherwise, stressful scuffles might once 

again arise. We want to avoid those. On 

top of this, the individual drinkers help 

reduce water use. Anyone consequently 

cleaning out a long-trough uses, alone 

through tipping it empty, a fair amount 

of water and also adds substantially to 

slurry volume.” In this association, he 

mentions a weak point: especially in 

older, repeatedly extended, housing. 

“There, extensions are often added, but 

drinking facilities are not altered. The 

water pressure is then not sufficient for 

the size of building and neither, therefore, 

is water supply to the animals.” 

Apropos passages, André Hüting is reminded 

of another aspect: the sufficient 

cleaning of the walkways. He reckons that 

solid concrete areas should not be cleaned 

with tractor and scraper but instead with 

an automatic scraper system. Because in 

the resultant larger collections of dung and 

urine with the former, cows’ hoofs are softened. 

Also important: The scraping area 

should not be too long. “Otherwise the 

scraper then pushes a too large amounts 

of slurry through which the cow has to 

wade if it crosses the pass, so dirtying her 

hoofs right up over the hocks. This should 

be avoided and for this reason it makes 

good sense to design a disposal shaft 

every 40 m in long scraping bouts.” On 

slats he recommends scraper robots. But 

for both methods the important rule is: 

“The machinery must always clean the 

area immediately behind the cubicle kerb 

because otherwise the animal can carry 

56

4 

1 Vet André Hüting is convinced: 

“Lack of space in the cubicle 

house rapidly leads to social 

stress and, with that, to cattle 

health problems.” 

2 Water troughs should be so 

positioned that drinking cows 

don’t partially block passageways. 

Additionally important 

is sufficient water pressure. 

3 The passage surface at the 

cubicle rear kerb should 

always be clean. From a labour 

efficiency aspect, scraper 

robots are very efficient. 

4 Everything correctly done: 

relaxed lying, wide passes, 

well-timed scraper operations 

and clean water troughs. 

resultant dung there right onto the cubicle. 

Dirtying the lying area in this way increases 

the risk of udder inflammation.” 

LEGS FIRST! 

This is also a problem where cubicles are 

not optimally designed and not correctly 

cleaned – a further critical point, and a 

factor not to underestimate in its importance 

for animal health. This applies 

both to raised cubicles and deep-bedded 

ones which tend to share their roles in 

German dairy housing, he reckons. The 

best lying comfort can be achieved for the 

cow in a well-kept deep cubicle. However, 

where the labour demands of a farm are 

already high and there’s no absolute passion 

amongst the stockpersons for deep 

cubicles, the vet prefers raised cubicles on 

labour efficiency grounds – as long as the 

lying mat is of good quality. This means an 

individual mat including an inward lying 

raised bar at the very rear. “Otherwise, 

it can easily happen that the cow when 

it stands up skids off the mat with her 

rear legs. This negative experience leads 

her to edge too far up the cubicle, or she 

lies across the cubicle which is also undesirable. 

Dunging the lying area occurs 

especially when the animal has problems 

getting to her feet.” Naturally, matting cut 

from rolls is also fundamentally okay. But 

a pipe must be placed at the rear end to 

hinder the danger of slipping, although 

this makes more difficult the cleaning and 

care of the cubicle. 

Our vet also sees as sensible a breast bar to 

prevent the animal moving too far forward 

in the cubicle and to ensure a good lying 

position. For raised or deep cubicles, he 

reckons that the same applies: they should 

be long enough to allow the cow freedom 

of head movement when getting to her 

feet. This also entails leaving enough room 

when cubicles are head-to-head. Additionally, 

gradient of the lying area from head to 

rear should be 4%. And especially for deep 

cubicles, the vet has a tip: desirable is a 

15–20 cm mattress with a 5–10 cm layer 

of bedding on top. In such cases, caring for 

the lying area is more important than for 

raised cubicles with mats. Taking proper 

care means removal of dung and levelling 

of litter at least once daily and renewing 

the litter once a week. Whether litter is 

straw, sawdust, sand, peat or horse dung 

is only secondary. If the care of the lying 

area is in control, it develops over three to 

four months into an optimal lying surface 

and the animals feel completely at home. 

This can be seen when the cows lie in 

the cubicle just as they would out in the 

meadow – with outstretched front legs. 

Then, everything has been done right.”« 

57

INTERNATIONAL 

INNOV-AGRI 2018 

IN WORLD CHAMP 

LOOK 

In that France this year managed to win a 

second star as football world champion, it 

was fitting that the BiG Pack 1290 HDP XC 

appeared at Innov-Agri 2018 in Outarville in 

the country’s national colours. Dealers and 

contractors had the opportunity of looking 

over the machine one day before kick-off. 

In the foreground of the specialist 

Innov-Agri event, Krone organised an 

exclusive occasion at its Krone France SAS 

HQ in Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines – some 

50 km from the show’s Outarville location 

in northern France. Alongside BiG Pack 

1290 HDP XC in world champion look, the 

around 500 fascinated visitors admired 

the latest Premos pellet harvester. 

58

ION 

1 

2 

HIGHLIGHTS ON 

KRONE STAND 

Innov-Agri is especially important for 

agricultural contractors and arable farmers. 

Since 1989 it has been held annually, 

alternating between northern and southern 

France. Over three days in Outarville, more 

than 400 firms presented innovations to 

around 80,000 visitors on a 160 ha exhibition 

site. Among the machinery presented 

by Krone this year was the maize forage 

harvesting chain from chopping to carting 

off, with special focus on the OptiMaize. 

Another definite highlight: the BiG X 780 

with LiftCab. Further programme points 

featured the lucerne harvest with Krone 

demonstrating its capabilities here from 

mowing over tedding through to baling. 

In this context, Krone thematised the 

25th jubilee of its BiG Pack series. The 

fieldwork demonstrations, held three times 

daily lasted about an hour. “The practical 

demonstrations were very well appreciated 

by contractors and farmers – above all while 

the weather during the exhibition remained 

mostly dry”, reported product marketing 

manager Julien Claudon. 

FARMING IN 

FRANCE 

Much as in Germany, France had also to 

battle this year with a very long drought 

period which resulted in early ripening 

of maize and brought only two cuts from 

grass. “At the event we mainly presented 

1 A focal point of the machinery 

demonstrations was the 

lucerne harvest. 

2 The visitors showed great 

interest in the machinery from 

Krone. 

our products for agricultural contractors 

and large farming businesses because in 

the current difficult situation for these 

customers it is crucial that they can work 

efficiently”, said Julien Claudon. Suffering 

particularly this year was eastern France, 

where yield penalties were up to 50 % with 

storm-caused crop lodging adding to the 

damage. “However, even this didn’t detract 

from the interest shown by customers in 

our products. We could have immediately 

sold the BiG Pack 1290 HDP XC at Innov-Agri 

after showing it painted in the French national 

colours”, he reported happily. « 

59

MENSCHEN 

THEY 

RUBRIK 

MAKE 

BETTER FORAGE! 

KRONE forage harvesters 

The crop flow system on the 

KRONE BiG X 

features innovative technology for an 

outstanding quality of chop – in maize, grass 

and whole crop silage. 

Read the whole story at www.better-forage.com 

www.krone.de

XtraBlatt Issue 02-2018

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