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ENGLISH ISSUE BIOGAS JOURNAL | AUTUMN_2023 How the Kuhn Striger Works at Hante Agrarservice At the front, the unit is supported on multiple car tires. In each segment, a wave disc with a diameter of 45 centimeters cuts a deep slot in the ground. The wave discs are tensioned by springs. Behind them, at a slight distance, are the newly designed star clearers by Hante, with modified bearings and non-standard scrapers. They clear biomass from the row to ensure smooth operation of the fertilizer shank. The fertilizer shank can be adjusted to any height without tools. It is also an in-house development by Hante. It breaks up the seed row and loosens the soil for better root development. The fertilizer coulters are mounted behind the shank. Two fertilizer bands that are approximately at the same height are deposited. However, they are strongly pulled apart in the soil by the “deflector plate”. One-third of the application quantity is applied from the lower tube, and two-thirds from the upper tube. In the case of the upper tube, the liquid manure falls onto a flat iron (deflector plate), resulting in a wider application. No fertilizer sausage is deposited. “Due to the flat, wide distribution, no voids are created later when the fertilizer depot is depleted. Voids would be unfavorable because we have found that the ammonium roots that grow into them later hang in the air when the depot is consumed,” emphasizes Wiesmann. The flow of liquid manure can be interrupted at the shank. For this purpose, a rubber closure is pressurized with air, closing the tubes. All the strip-till bodies are suspended in a parallelogram and can be loaded or relieved by hydraulic cylinders, depending on the prevailing soil conditions. Toothed concave discs with a diameter of 53 centimeters are mounted on the sides, both left and right of the fertilizer shank – similar to a disc harrow – which can be adjusted in different directions to direct the opened soil within the strip-till row. They also generate a certain amount of fine soil. Pressure rollers are installed at the end of the strip-till segment, behind the fertilizer shank. These are open steel finger rollers that reconsolidate the soil and produce some fine soil in the process. A spring tensioning device applies the necessary pressure to the roller. ground. “We had them drawn and lasered, and they can now be easily adjusted to different heights without the need for tools, which saves a lot of work,” Christoph Hante says. Ensuring the performance of the units under various conditions is crucial for him. He is pleased to say that the first strip-till unit had to be given a general overhaul only after 10 years of operation. Increased Support Wheels and Upgraded Folding Mechanism Other technical adjustments included mounting more support wheels. Besides that, the row layout was altered specifically for the eight-row units. Two rows are folded on the left and three on the right. The space between the rows is 75 centimeters. The Striger equipment is towed in a laterally offset position behind the slurry tankers. Thus, the tires of the tractors and the slurry tankers roll between the rows. This helps prevent rows from compacting and slurry from being pushed out, possibly even to the surface. Furthermore, it is common practice not to drive over the rows when planting corn, “as doing so may negatively impact the emergence of the crop. This approach has allowed us to earn significant appreciation from our valued customers,” explains Hante. This year, the Hante team utilized the strip-tilling method on around 1,300 hectares. Liquid manure is not only applied around the site in an emission-reducing and Increase your profits! © goodluz | Adobe Stock, © FredFroese | iStock Make your biogas operation more flexible with a reliable and efficient 2G CHP system. 28 Contact us: 2G Energy AG | T +49 (0) 2568 9347-0 | 2-g.com
BIOGAS JOURNAL | AUTUMN_2023 ENGLISH ISSUE PHOTOGRAPH: MARTIN BENSMANN nutrient-efficient manner. For four years now, the company has also been operating in Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. “We went to Brandenburg because my uncle operates a biogas plant there. He has contracts with some other farmers, who supply maize. As we recognized local demand for such a system and because services like that were not available, we took the initiative to fill this gap,” reveals Christoph Hante. In 1995, Christoph’s father Heinrich, his grandfather Wilhelm and his uncle Josef founded Hante Agrarservice GmbH. Later, Christoph’s father and grandfather continued the contracting business alone – on their own farm, on their mother”s farm and on neighboring farms. From 2001 to 2003, Christoph completed agricultural apprenticeship. In 2006 and 2007 he studied agricultural business management and in 2007 he joined the contracting company, which in the meantime was being managed by his father alone. “In 2019, I took over both the farm and the contracting business. In the past, we used to raise fattening pigs on our farm as well. However, we decided to discontinue this aspect of our operation due to the substantial investment required to meet the new legal regulations concerning animal husbandry,” Christoph Hante said. In 2021, he decided to divide the farm, dedicating 27 hectares to organic farming along the guidelines of the Bioland farming association, while the remaining 25 hectares are managed conventionally. One of the main reasons to divide the farm for organic farming was the nearby cow farm’s successful transition to organic farming. This collaboration enabled him to establish a nutrient cooperation with it, since he operates a livestock-free farm. “Another reason for dividing the farm “We converted all the strip-till units and customized them to suit our specific conditions, resulting in their excellent performance across various locations and facilitating easy conversion” Christoph Hante was that we started dealing with the system of so-called regenerative agriculture. Our primary objective is to prioritize soil health and fertility in our management practices, particularly through the implementation of consistent intercropping using diverse seed mixtures,” Hante continues. Crop Farming: Conventional Practices Causing Resource Depletion “We no longer sow catch crops after cereals in the summer because the plant populations use up excessive amounts of water and nutrients, which adversely affects the growth conditions of the subsequent main crop. I believe that we can currently economically present the system in organic farming at least as well as in conventional agriculture. However, we are also aware that we need to make some changes in our conventional Christoph Hante (left) and Christian Wiesmann at the Striger manure strip-till unit made by Kuhn. Spiralo® Hydromixer Schwanko Steverding Agitator Technology Gerhart-Hauptmann-Str. 41 48703 Stadtlohn | Germany Tel.: +49 2563 2088820 Mail: info@rt-st.de Web: www.rt-st.de Long shaft agitator Vertical agitators Plug-flow agitator 29
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Autumn 2023 EN

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