Never Looking Back “I
t has been bulletproof from pick up to trade off; I have never had an issue with it,” says Clint Liesman on the MacDon platforms he has used on his operation. It is this durability and quality of equipment that has kept him a returning MacDon customer over the past few years. Clint has farmed in Mason and Menard Counties since 1998, when he started working with his uncle, Neil Conklen. In 2005, Neil retired which allowed Clint to take over and build up his own acreage to farm. Today, he and his full-time employee, Daniel Coers, manage the farm. Clint’s wife, Kate, and daughter, Addison, enjoy being involved as well. In the past, Clint had been using a platform that was not ideal for his operation. The header was dropping shelled beans throughout the field resulting in unnecessary yield loss. He eventually turned to MacDon for a more productive harvest and has been a fan of them ever since. “Once I tried it, I never looked back,” he says. Since making the transition, Clint has noticed a substantial return on the head and a definite increase in yield. “By the end of the day, I could fill several 5-gallon buckets full of dropped shelled beans with my old platform, but with the MacDon, I would be lucky to fill a coffee cup,” says Clint, due to the gentler feeding of the crop.
Clint and his daughter, Addison
try out the built-in auto contour feature on his newest head, which will allow for more flexibility along ground contours. Clint has never ran red equipment, but relies on John Coers and Central Illinois Ag for other equipment needs from platforms, to grain carts, to mowers. “John has been great to work with,” says Clint. “Anytime I call him he is there to answer my questions and if I ever need help, he is the first one in the field.” The most recent platform Clint purchased from John is a MacDon FD135 which he is excited to use this fall to see how he can save time and be more productive with the extra length of the head.
“At the end of the day, MacDon is gentler on the Along with the increase in harvest efficiency, Clint likes combine, reduces yield loss, and shows less wear and the ease of adjusting the head for a more even feeding, tear on our equipment,” says Clint. “It’s the best money the simple hookup of the head, and being able to adjust I have ever spent.” the belt speed from inside the cab. He is also excited to
9 · Central Illinois Ag · www.centralilag.com
