Ed Kirby
Longevity of a “I
saw it, I liked it, so I bought it,” says Ed Kirby of his Geringhoff Northstar 830 corn head.
For the past eight years, Ed has relied on his Geringhoff corn head for a more efficient harvest for his unique operation. He and his son, Cole, farm together in Easton, Illinois. All the land they farm is family-owned and has been in the family for four generations now. Ed grew up on the farm, but did not know what he was going to do as a career. After going to school and working off the farm for a while, he decided he did not like sitting in an office, so he came back home and began farming with his dad, Bob, in 1975. Today, Ed and Cole raise corn and soybeans near the Sangamon River bottom in Mason County. Unlike the other farmers in the area, the Kirbys plant all of their fields in twin rows, eight inches apart. Ed says that the main advantage to twin rows is stronger stalks and the ability to plant at a higher population. Harvesting these twin row corn fields has been no problem the past several years with their Geringhoff NorthStar 830 head. Being the first and only Geringhoff they have ran, it has proven its longevity over the years. This fall will be their ninth year running it and the third combine it has been on. The only maintenance Ed has done since he has owned it, is replace the knives. Compared to his previous corn head, the Geringhoff has a few features that Ed would not want to give up. The end row augers on both sides of the head which enhance the feeding of the crop are his favorite addition. “Now that I have them, I would not go to the field without them,” he says. Additionally, he now has more in-cab capabilities, such as the ability to slow the head down or speed it up when necessary. He has noticed that slowing the head down when harvesting wetter corn early in the morning has reduced shatter and aided in crop flow. “It has lasted quite a while, and I am going to keep using it,” says Ed. He is grateful to not only have a reliable corn head at each harvest, but also for having salesman John Coers to take care of him year after year and find the right equipment to meet the needs of his operation.
www.centralilag.com · Volume 8 Issue 2 10
