CLAAS Better Connected by CLAAS UK

Better Connected with CLAAS

Contents Welcome – let’s get Better Connected........................................4 TELEMATICS the facts........................................................... 5-7 Our connected customers................................................... 8-9 Daniel Crawford, Oxfordshire.......................................... 10-17 Connect your machine to your office........................................18 CEMIS 1200.............................................................................20 CEMOS – making good operators better..................................22 Ian Matts, Northamptonshire........................................... 24-31 Service and MAXI-CARE..................................................... 32-33 James Faulkner, Essex..................................................... 34-41 Get the most out of yield mapping............................................42 Charlie Steer, Cheshire..................................................... 44-51 DataConnect............................................................................52 Richie White, Co. Tipperary............................................. 53-61 Connect to Smart Farming.......................................................63

claas.co.uk 3

Welcome – let’s get Better Connected We have become more and more accustomed to living with technology in our everyday lives, connecting us in an efficient and timely manner with information that’s important to us. From our Smart phones, to Smart Meters, Smart banking and Smart Farming, we are all becoming more connected. Smart Farming is the umbrella term for using agricultural information technology to digitalise your farm and automate specific areas. With the help of sensors, satellite technology and integrated systems, Smart Farming apps enable you to reduce costs, increase yields and minimise your time spent in the office, it can even help you to run your business more sustainably. In 2017 CLAAS cemented its long term commitment to Smart Farming with the opening of the CLAAS Electronic Development Centre in Dissen. Our objective is to ensure that you, our valued customer, has the resources you need to optimise your machine performance, reduce costs and gain further efficiencies. CLAAS are more than a market leading machinery supplier today, we want to be your partner on this new digital journey, to simplify your daily agricultural operations and, at the same, time help you to discover the practical benefits of integrating digital applications into your everyday agricultural practices. With TELEMATICS for example you can continuously retrieve and document work data, tracks and yield data from connected combine harvesters, forage harvesters and tractors. Our other CLAAS digital systems include CEMIS 1200 which enables your machine to follow predefined tracks and use application maps, so saying goodbye to overlaps and untreated areas, and CEMOS, the intelligent on-board operator assistance and machine optimisation system, is proven to boost performance and reduce your fuel costs. In this brochure we illustrate how our combine, forager and tractor owners have embraced CLAAS digitalisation to gain further efficiencies across their businesses, we hope you find the content of interest. Our Connected Services team are only a phone call away, let’s get Better Connected.

Jeremy Wiggins, Director Sales & Marketing, CLAAS UK 4

TELEMATICS – boosting efficiency and perfomance TELEMATICS – Informs, analyses, optimises and documents data. TELEMATICS is transforming modern agriculture, reshaping how our farmers manage their operations, automating documentation, revealing inefficiencies, and enabling data-driven decisions in agriculture. It’s a shift to a streamlined, more efficient and more informed farming approach that equips you with tools to ease manual work pressure and unlock higher yield and sustainability.

In the workplace

In your office

In the cab

In the field

Connected Documentation A standout feature of TELEMATICS is Connected Documentation. Field operations no longer need to be manually tracked. Once your field boundaries and data have been loaded, TELEMATICS simply takes over. Every action, from ploughing to harvesting, is recorded in real-time, freeing operators from monotonous manual record-keeping. Optimisation focus TELEMATICS gives you the ability to analyse and optimise your operations. Are your machines being used efficiently? Can the allocation of resources be improved? Data-driven insights can identify potential bottlenecks, for instance, excessive tractor waiting time for unloading whilst harvesting. Enhanced efficiency and yield TELEMATICS is not just about maximising yields, but achieving measurable gains in efficiency, applying inputs with precision and solving new challenges. Easily accessible reports give you the information you need to take the right actions to improve highlighted inefficiencies. For example adjusting planting schedules based on forecasts or altering irrigation, can both enhance yield. TELEMATICS leads to smarter decisions, impacting both your productivity and profitability.

The right tools for the job TELEMATICS App The TELEMATICS app allows you to view essential data on your mobile phone. You can easily access information about a machine’s location, current fuel level in the tank, and the ongoing task it’s engaged in. APIs APIs serve as the connection solely between the CLAAS platform and your farm management software system. Task data is seamlessly transmitted from the CLAAS machine directly into your Farm Management System (FMS), eliminating the need to download data beforehand. Instead, the data is automatically uploaded onto your FMS system.

DataConnect DataConnect enables CLAAS users who run machines from other manufacturers to conveniently access information about ALL their machines on one single platform. This encompasses machines from CLAAS and three other manufacturers. The feature is particularly advantageous when dealing with a diverse fleet, as it eliminates the need to use multiple platforms. Instead, you can rely on a single application/system to manage all your machines effectively. Remote Service If an error message is received via Remote Service and TELEMATICS, the dealer uses a specialised platform to quickly address reported issues. This streamlines troubleshooting, diagnosis, and resolution for our customer systems and their products.

Our connected customers 1

“One of the key things about the latest CLAAS TELEMATICS system is how easy it is to see the information.”

“An important feature TELEMATICS provides us with is an accurate picture of fuel use.”

“CLAAS TELEMATICS is an impressive tool in the range of things, the most critical feature it provides is dry matter sensing.”

Daniel Crawford, Oxfordshire. LEXION 8800.

Ian Matts, Northamptonshire. LEXION 780 TT.

James Faulkner, Essex. JAGUAR 970.

“We are able to use the data generated through CLAAS TELEMATICS to see how different areas of the farm are yielding.”

“The difficult task is getting the admin done. CLAAS TELEMATICS has streamlined that end of the job and we would be lost without it. TELEMATICS means every minute is accounted for.”

Charlie Steer, Cheshire. JAGUAR 880.

4 2

3 1

Richie White, Co. Tipperary. CLAAS TRACTORS.

Better connected combines 2023

“I have such faith in the system that we’re now using the yield data to compare different drilling dates and varieties, to make decisions on what we do the following season.” Daniel Crawford, Oxfordshire, 2023

FARM FACTS Farm

Compton Beauchamp Estates near Faringdon, Oxfordshire

Cropping

Winter wheat OSR Spring barley Winter barley Spring oats Peas Grass Stewardship schemes

Staff

CLAAS

Daniel and Chrissie Crawford plus five others full-time and another five at peak times LEXION 8800 x 2

Connecting past and future With over 17,000 tonnes of grain to harvest, store and market each year, Oxfordshire farm manager Daniel Crawford relies heavily on the latest technology to record yields and analyse the financial performance of different areas of the farm. “Yield mapping has always been a big part of what we do here and my predecessor had the foresight to see that we needed to be recording crop performance well before we had any means of doing anything with that information,” explains Mr Crawford. “When I started in 2016 we already had 20 years of yield data going back to the first LEXION 480s equipped with Quantimeters and memory cards. “Having such a long back catalogue of records means we get a much more accurate picture of how different areas of the farm perform and, consequently, now we’re able to make good decisions based on that.” While crop performance data is only viewed as one element of the whole picture, yield maps are overlaid with soil sampling results to give an overall representation of what’s happening within different fields and across the entire acreage. “I’ll sit down with our agronomist and look at how blocks of crop have performed and if there are patches that have surprised us. We’ll then make decisions about what fertiliser regimes are appropriate and even what the following crop should be. “Unsurprisingly blackgrass is our main enemy and our number one driver for all decision making. Although we’ll have a good idea of the areas affected, having those maps to quantify the losses is an eye-opener, and we’ll regularly alter our plans according to what we’re seeing. 11

“In a world where more of the farm income is going to come from environmental payments, we’re also able to use yield maps as a means of deciding which areas of the farm to put aside for stewardship schemes – it really is a fantastic tool for us.”

Data transfer “One of the key things about the latest CLAAS TELEMATICS system is how easy it is to see the information. The combines are constantly pinging data to the cloud and I can then choose whether to download that manually or automatically – either way it’s straightforward. “When I do download it, that data slides seamlessly across into our Gatekeeper farm management software ready for me to interrogate. “Not only does it give me a really accurate picture of what we’ve got in the grainstores for stock management and marketing purposes, but it also provides a really precise source of figures for gross margin accounting. “Critically it means I can produce reports for the management team so that we can really scrutinise the performance of different varieties, fungicide treatments, fertiliser regimes, etc… and make decisions based on that information.

“Although we’ll have a good idea of the areas affected, having those maps to quantify the losses is an eye-opener and we’ll regularly alter our plans according to what we’re seeing.” 12

“It’s not all about yield – the financial performance of a crop is determined by how much money we throw at it. We need to know we’ll see a return on those input costs. “For those decisions to be right it all hangs on accurate data from the combines and they’re now better than ever before at providing us with precise information.”

QUANTIMETER “Our previous combines – a pair of LEXION 780s – were equipped with QUANTIMETERs and grain quality cameras which worked well, but the set-up on these latest machines is so much more accurate. “At the start of each crop we do a test weigh of 100 tonnes over the weighbridge and calibrate the system based on that – that way we know it’s accurate. “We’ve got sheds where there is no weighbridge and so previously we were guesstimating blind what was going in. Now I know exactly what’s there and can sell accordingly. “I have such faith in the system that we’re now using the yield data to compare different drilling dates and varieties to make decisions on what we do the following season.”

Fleet management “Being able to see machines of all colours in the CLAAS TELEMATICS package means it’s easy to manage the whole fleet. At harvest we’re running up to eight tractors, so it’s a really useful aid in logistics, whether it’s planning the next field move or how many trailers we need to be running. “Even though we’re dipping into other manufacturers’ TELEMATICS systems it’s easy to set-up the link between all the machines, and everything is there in front of you, whether it’s on the office computer or on the mobile app.”

Why CLAAS? “The estate has had CLAAS combines for decades primarily because of their ability to cover the ground. We’re expecting each machine to clear in excess of 8500-9000 tonnes of grain each season – we need to know they’re capable of that, and that they’ll still be as reliable five years down the line as the day they arrived on the farm. The fantastic back-up we receive from our dealer CLAAS Western at Cirencester means we have the peace of mind that it’s possible. “The minute there’s an issue they’re onto it. But it’s not just the machines themselves, we get brilliant service for all the precision farming technology too. There’s always someone on the end of the phone to talk you through things and they’re more than happy to come out to actually show you how to set things up – we couldn’t ask for more in that respect.”

“Even though we’re dipping into other manufacturers’ TELEMATICS systems it’s easy to set-up the link between all the machines, and everything is there in front of you, whether it’s on the office computer or on the mobile app.”

“It all hangs on accurate data from the combines and they’re now better than ever before at providing us with precise information.”

Connect your machine to your office Wherever your office may be, your CLAAS TELEMATICS machines can transfer data directly to your farm management software via the CLAAS API interface. This system even enables the exchange and automatic documentation of specific field data in ISOXML format.

Find out more about API 18

CEMIS 1200 CEMIS 1200 is the ‘smart’ terminal for steering, data transfer and precision applications, improving the profitability of your farm and simplifying day to day operations Simple to operate and using an intuitive CLAAS user interface, CEMIS 1200 is the way forward for greater precision farming. Plan your jobs in your farm management software and transfer them straight to your machine via TELEMATICS. Your operator then has all his tasks in sight and can easily send them back to the office on completion The CEMIS 1200 ISOBUS terminal comes ready for use with the ISO-TC Basic task management function, and can be upgraded to variable rate application and section control. Available on the complete range of CLAAS self propelled machines. Each CEMIS 1200 terminal also comes as standard with a 5-year SATCOR 15 license for steering guidance to an accuracy of 15cm, with the option of an unlock for full RTK steering. Assign, complete and document – simple, seamless and reliable.

Find out more about CEMIS 1200 20

CEMOS – making good operators even better CEMOS is a an excellent introduction to Smart Farming. A leading operator assistance system for CLAAS combine harvesters, forager harvesters and tractors, CEMOS acts as your on-board CLAAS advisor, continually suggesting settings to help the driver adjust the machine to field conditions, so helping the driver to otimise machine performance. In harvest CEMOS will continuously check such parameters as grain quality, threshing quality, standard of cleaning, straw quality and throughput on your combine. Based on the machines performance CEMOS will suggest alternative settings to ensure you optimise your work. CEMOS Auto Performance on the JAGUAR can result in up to 12% fuel saving. The engine speed set by the operator is maintained by adjusting the engine output and ground speed in accordance with the volume harvested. When volume increases ground speed is reduced, and and when there is a reduction in volume harvested there is an automatic reduction in the engine output. CEMOS on tractors is the only system of its kind to optimise the performance of both the tractor and attached implements such as ploughs and cultivators. It will help the driver to set the correct ballast and tyre pressure. DLG tests have confimed the effectiveness of CEMOS on tractors in terms of fuel savings of up to 16.8% and a cultivation work rate increase of up to 16.3%.

Better connected combines 2023

“TELEMATICS is now an essential tool in our long-term decision making.”

Ian Matts, Northamptonshire, 2023

Always performing efficiently

FARM FACTS

Brixworth Farming was one of the first UK businesses to invest in TELEMATICS on its combines some 15 years ago, predominantly as an early diagnostic aid for any arising problems.

Farm

Brixworth Farming near Northampton

Farmed area

2,200 ha

“We bought into TELEMATICS because we could see the potential for reducing downtime. At the time our two LEXION 580s were expected to clear over 2500 ha and so we were really pushing the envelope in terms of their capacity.

Cropping

Winter wheat 600 ha Winter barley 200 ha Winter oilseed rape 150 ha Winter beans 350 ha Spring barley 70 ha Spring oats 150 ha Canary seed 100 ha Year-round cover crops 12 ha Stewardship schemes circa. 450 ha

“My father – Charles – could see how the system could improve harvest efficiency and the potential in yield mapping for future inputs’ management.” “Today we’re in quite a different position and are looking at ways of reducing our cropped acreage to put aside land for environmental stewardship. In the last three years our shareholders have pulled a total of 450 ha out of arable production and TELEMATICS has proved a really useful tool in identifying which areas to set aside.

Staff

Ian Matts plus 4 full timers and another 3-4 at harvest

“Field size is the single biggest factor influencing the efficiency of our operations, and headlands account for over 50% of our farmed area, so initially it was the smaller fields that were put into stewardship.

CLAAS combine history

2001 2006 2008 2013 2018

“TELEMATICS is now an essential tool in our long-term decision making. With 15 years of yield data we now have a true picture of what different areas are capable of. Today I have all our fields ranked by yield potential and know where to target our inputs.”

2 x LEXION 480 TT 2 x LEXION 580 TT 2 x LEXION 600 TT 2 x LEXION 780 TT 2 x LEXION 780 TT

“TELEMATICS means we can keep a realtime tab on combine waiting times (from the office) and decide whether we need to put on extra trailers or lorries.” 27

Harvest efficiency “On a day-to-day basis throughout harvest I use TELEMATICS to monitor our overall progress and daily outputs. That way I can make judgments on things like chaser bin logistics or whether we’re going to need to call in a third combine if we’re not getting on as well as we should. “TELEMATICS means we can keep a real-time tab on combine waiting times and decide whether we need to put on extra trailers or lorries. One year I worked out we had a total of 24 hours waiting for lorries and off the back of that we totally reorganised our harvest logistics, moving to dedicated hauliers committed to not letting us down. “But it’s other seemingly less significant things that TELEMATICS has helped us to identify, like the direction in which the combines unload. Having the chaser bins taking a load as they travel back towards the gateway can have a huge impact on how quickly they get unloaded and get back to the combines. It’s all about the aggregation of marginal gains – lots of small things add up to make big improvements in efficiency.”

Fuel use “One of the key features TELEMATICS provides us with is an accurate picture of fuel use. This is particularly important where we’re working on a stubble-tostubble contracting basis because it gives a true indication of how much diesel we’re burning for every hectare of crop cut.”

Why CLAAS? “When we were previously cutting over 2,500 ha each season we needed the highest capacity machines available and CLAAS’ flagship LEXION always exceeded anything else when it came to raw output. “But it isn’t all about putting hundreds of tonnes in the shed every day – we aim to get a premium on every crop and so the quality of sample is really important to us. Equipped with CEMOS Auto and grain quality cameras, LEXION seem to consistently produce a much cleaner sample than anything else, without impacting on daily throughputs. “They’re also reliable machines – in the last six harvests with our two 780s we haven’t had any significant downtime. But even if we did have we have the peace of mind knowing that our dealer – MANNS – has stand-by combines in the yard. “To help in that respect we also opt for the full MAXICARE service package which provides us with true fixed running costs so we can accurately budget for the lifetime of that machine.”

“We also opt for the full MAXI-CARE service package which provides us with true fixed running costs so we can accurately budget for the lifetime of that machine.” 29

“It’s all about the aggregation of marginal gains – lots of small things add up to make big improvements in efficiency.” 30

Machine performance? Check Resale Value? Check Peace of Mind? Check Book your Winter Service with your local dealer now – and get best value Post Harvest Service Offers. Planning ahead will save you money with our Post Harvest Service packages, provided through the CLAAS dealer network. Our dealers can offer you an efficient, cost effective service, whilst at the same time reducing the demands on the service departments at peak times of the year. All we need is your co-operation to allow our engineers to complete the work required, any time between now and next Spring, either on your farm or at the dealership.

Genuine Parts, Genuine Service. Our Service departments use CLAAS genuine parts and recommended lubricants according to machine model and specification during winter services. All CLAAS parts have been specially selected to ensure maximum performance of your machine. Complete peace of mind. The winter service on your machine will be undertaken by our qualified and experienced technicians. We continue to invest in an extensive training programme for all our engineer to ensure you receive the very best service.

MAXI-CARE Protect

The MAXI CARE Protect extended warranty package from CLAAS provides extended warranty protection for your combine, forager or tractor. The package is tailored to meet your individual requirements and provides maximum operating reliability with maximum cost control.

The warranty protection covers any CLAAS ORIGINAL spare parts required, along with any repairs carried out by your CLAAS dealer. This means you can concentrate on your core business, and leave the service work to your skilled CLAAS service specialists.

It also enables you to predict both fixed annual costs and fixed hourly operating costs, giving you complete peace of mind, protecting you and your future.

Better connected foragers 2023

“The CLAAS data transfer system is extremely easy to use. We don’t have to do anything to get the yield and quality information from the forager to the office computer.” James Faulkner, Essex, 2023

FARM FACTS Farm

Robert Davidson and Son Ltd, near Colchester, Essex

Farmed Area 1,497 ha

Better for business With a range of both forage crops and combinables spread across some 1,500 ha, the team at Robert Davidson and Son are making the most of the information delivered to them via yield mapping and crop quality monitoring. Central to this are the QUANTIMETER and NIR sensor system fitted to the Essex firm’s CLAAS JAGUAR 970 forage-harvester. While the former records both fresh weights and dry matter tonnages in real-time, the Near Infrared (NIR) spectrometer fitted to the spout of the machine constantly analyses what’s going into the trailers to provide up-to-the-minute read-outs on dry-matter, protein, starch and other crop quality parameters.

QUANTIMETER

Winter wheat 810 ha Forage maize 300 ha Grain maize 60 ha Forage rye 113 ha Grass for hay 80 ha 40 ha let for potatoes Stewardship schemes

“When we first started with the QUANTIMETER I wasn’t expecting it to be that accurate compared to the weighbridge. But actually we found that it was within 1-2% and we quickly learnt to trust it,” explains James.

Staff

James Faulkner, Victoria Cook, Ben Hull and David Hunt full-timer and up 12 others brought in for silage and arable harvest

CLAAS

JAGUAR 970

“The other key thing it helps with is planning how we split our forage and grain maize harvests. If at the beginning of chopping it looks like it’s going to be a bumper season we can afford to put aside more for the combine. Conversely if it looks like it’s going to be tight for the AD plant and the growers contracted to supply it, we can plan to chop more of the total acreage.”

Cropping

“With the dry matter adjustment from the NIR sensor we can give our customers an early indication of how many tonnes they can expect in the clamp by the end of the day and plan accordingly.

NIR Sensor “Being able to analyse the crop as we go along means we get thousands of data points from any given field, which provides a much more accurate average than a few spear samples out of the clamp. “For our livestock customers in particular that means they can see exactly how much protein and energy there is in the clamp and plan their rations accordingly. “But even simple dry matter monitoring helps in the harvesting process – at the start of each crop we go round a number of fields with the forager and chop a trailer load. That gives us an indication of where to go first and where to leave until last. “It helps even on the most basic level in minimising effluent. If it looks like it’s coming in too wet our customers can ask us to hold off or layer it in the clamp with drier material.”

TELEMATICS App “During the working day we can all access the CLAAS TELEMATICS app on our phones to check average dry matter, tonnes harvested, chop lengths, etc… While this helps ensure we’re meeting the spec. required by the customer it also acts as a valuable aid in managing logistics, whether it’s how many trailers are required or when the forager is next going to need topping up with fuel.”

Data transfer “Getting all the yield and NIR information from the forager to the office computer couldn’t be easier. Once the field boundaries are set up from the office, our forager operator Victoria has nothing to do in the field, as the system then just automatically transfers it to the cloud. “Back at the office I can then see everything at my fingertips and create reports for different customers as required.

“Critically the CLAAS system talks without glitches to other third party software and is set up to automatically transfer data to create maps for planning future fertiliser regimes, variable rate drilling, etc…” “Yield recording and the NIR sensor are now incredibly important tools in our armoury that we rely on heavily. Because we do a lot of trials with different forage crop varieties, fungicide treatments and fertiliser regimes, it means we and the other growers we look after can accurately see how different approaches will influence not only tonnes per hectare, but also how each tonne breaks down in terms of its nutritional make-up. “By comparing all the information across our own crops and our customers’ we can make assessments of why certain areas have yielded better, or why they analyse differently, and make adjustments to how we treat our crops in the future.”

The future? “We’re still learning what information the AD plants and livestock producers need. The CLAAS TELEMATICS system is an impressive tool in the range of things it can measure but we still have a lot to learn. “Right now the most critical feature it provides is dry matter sensing but there’s so much more data available that we need to be making more use of it. Alongside or on-farm trials I can see us providing different areas of the field with bespoke disease control programmes and fertiliser regimes. “Our latest sprayer is capable of variable application rates through individual nozzles, so in theory we could be applying different quantities of chemical, fertiliser and even trace elements to each crop row.”

“TELEMATICS acts as a valuable aid in managing logistics, whether it’s how many trailers are required or when the forager is next going to need topping up with fuel.” 37

“Being able to analyse the crop as we go along means we get thousands of data points from any given field, which provides a much more accurate average than a few spear samples out of the clamp.”

Operator’s view Having had experience of a number of different breeds of precision farming systems and interfaces, forager, combine and sprayer operator Victoria Cook is impressed by how well integrated the yield monitoring and NIR sensing functions are within the CLAAS CEBIS terminal. “At any given time I can see how the crop is yielding and what the dry matter is as we’re going along,” she explains. “That’s critical particularly for the AD plants as they want to know how dry the crop is and what they can expect in the clamp at the end of the day. Meanwhile all that information is being recorded and sent to the farm office without me having to do a thing. “The CEBIS touchscreen is very intuitive to operate and I like the way I can access the various settings screens via either the armrest paddle switches or the on-screen forager silhouette. It makes it incredibly quick and easy to make changes to things like chop length, header height, etc.. “AUTOFILL is another really useful feature that means every trailer is loaded to the brim, especially on the headlands. Generally I’ll let it do its own thing until I take over to top the trailer off manually. Even then it helps me out, limiting spout swivel to ensure nothing spills over the sides. “When we’re opening up in maize with a trailer tucked in alongside the forager I can just concentrate on where we’re going and not worry about where the spout’s pointed.”

“At any given time I can see how the crop is yielding and what the dry matter is as we’re going along.” 40

Get the most out of yield mapping Sensors on the harvester record the yield and grain moisture by measuring the amount of grain, the distance travelled and specified working width. A yield value is recorded every one to two seconds. Geographic coordinates can be added to the yield measurement points by linking the yield measurement to accurately corrected GPS signals (georeferencing). Yield mapping provides a complete picture of the real spatial yield potential for the whole field.

“One benefit of the yield mapping facility is in helping to identify compacted areas in our grassland. It really highlights poorer performing patches.” Charlie Steer, Cheshire, 2023

Find out more about yield mapping 42

Better connected foragers 2023

“The NIR sensing system gives us instant feedback on not only how well different areas have yielded, but also the quality of what’s coming off.”

Every kilo counts

Charlie Steer, Cheshire, 2023

FARM FACTS Farm

Grosvenor Farms, Alford near Chester

Farmed Area

2,345 ha

Cropping

Wheat, Barley and OSR 1,497 ha Maize 324 ha Grass 324 ha Stewardship schemes

Stock

2,650 Holstein milking cows (av. 12,500-litres/year) plus 1,800 followers

CLAAS JAGUAR history 2004 JAGUAR 870 with PU300 HD and 6-row maize header 2017 JAGUAR 870 with PU300 HD, DD 500 and 8-row Orbis 2022 JAGUAR 880 with PU300 HD, DD 500 and 10-row Orbis

With over 4500 hungry mouths to feed, the team at Grosvenor Farms in Cheshire need to know they’re making the most of every kilogram of forage. To aid in this their latest JAGUAR 880 is equipped with NIR ingredient monitoring and GPS-linked yield mapping. Delivered midway through last season, the forager is already helping inform decision making around cow rations, manure applications and fieldwork operations. At the most basic level it is used to precisely identify the optimum interval between mowing and picking up the crop, but it’s also proved a timesaving tool in various field trials. “On a day-to-day basis we’re predominantly using the NIR system to monitor dry matter. That gives us a really accurate indication of what we’ll end up with in the clamp and whether we need to let the mowers get ahead a bit,” explains Grosvenor’s Charlie Steer. “In addition to the moisture content we can also get a precise picture of protein, fibre and sugars which is extremely useful in planning ahead for cow rations, and making decisions about which clamps will be fed to youngstock, dry cows and milkers.”

“In addition to the moisture content we can also get a precise picture of protein, fibre and sugar, which is extremely useful in planning ahead for cow rations and making decisions about which clamps will be fed to youngstock, dry cows and milkers.”

Yield mapping “We’re able to use the data generated through CLAAS’ TELEMATICS system to see how different areas of the farm are yielding. Currently we use soil mapping to help us determine the rates at which we apply our separated slurry solids which provide decent quantities of nitrogen, phosphates and potash. But our hope is that over time as we gather more data we’ll be able to combine that information with yield maps to provide an even more accurate picture. “One unexpected benefit of the yield mapping facility is in helping to identify compacted areas in our grassland. It really highlights poorer performing patches and so we can go out, dig a hole and make a decision about whether to pull the subsoiler through. “Likewise, when short-term leys are beginning to run out of steam we can look at the yield data and decide whether we’ve reached the threshold for a reseed or not.”

Trials “We like to trial different things here on the estate and regularly question ourselves on why we’re doing things a certain way. Part of that is conducting field trials looking at clover and non-legume swards, liquid and solid fertiliser regimes and applications of separated dirty water and slurry solids. “The NIR sensing system gives us instant feedback on not only how well different areas have yielded, but also the quality of what’s coming off. Previously we’d be relying on laboratory analysis for that which not only has significant cost implications but also involves a considerable time delay.”

Why CLAAS? “The principle behind running our own forager is that we produce the best quality silage, cut at the optimum time,” explains Charlie. “Because of this, when we go mowing it’s got to be picked up in good time with the result that our team has to put in some long hours. They need to be happy with the machines they’re driving and have the peace of mind that the forager is capable of covering the acres. We’ve tried other makes of chopper but with a JAGUAR we know we’ve got that capability. “Of equal importance is the back-up we get. The team at our local dealer – MORRIS CORFIELD – is just superb. Even though we have our own fitters to do all the servicing, their guys will come out to help with problem solving and give a hand if there’s something we can’t deal with ourselves. “Generally they’ve got any parts we need on the shelf and if they haven’t it’s always impressive how quickly they can get them to us from either CLAAS UK’s HQ in Suffolk or the factory in Germany.”

“The principle behind running our own forager is that we produce the best quality silage, cut at the optimum time.”

DataConnect All your machines in one cloud. Just what your mixed machinery fleet has been waiting for. DataConnect created by CLAAS, John Deere, CNH and 365FarmNet is the first direct, multimanufacturer and industry-wide open cloud-to-cloud solution. With the TELEMATICS function DataConnect, all machines can transfer their data in real time to your chosen system. To view the telemetry data for your mixed fleet in TELEMATICS, just connect it to the portals of DataConnect partners. Connecting your TELEMATICS account to a third-party system is simple and intuitive. It’s supported by step-by-step video guides.

Find out more about DataConnect 52

Better connected tractors 2023

“TELEMATICS provides us with the opportunity to drill down into our own costs and look really carefully at where we’re making money and where we’re not.” Richie White Co. Tipperary, 2023

FARM FACTS Farm

Slievenamon Agricultural Services, Co. Tipperary

Work undertaken Silage – grass, wholecrop, maize, slurry – umbilical and tankering, round and square baling, combining, grass reseeds Staff

Richie, John and Martin White plus five others full-time and another 10 part-timers at peak times

CLAAS machines Foragers JAGUAR 970 & 950, Mowers DISCO 8500 triple-mower Rakes 2 x LINER four-rotor 3600s, LINER 2900 twin-rotor Combine LEXION 540 Tractors AXION 850 & 810 CMATIC, 840 CEBIS, ARION 660 CMATIC & 650 CEBIS

Keeping the records straight When you’ve sometimes got two silage outfits out working as well as two teams on slurry spreading and others out baling it can be hard to keep tabs on exactly what’s been done each day. To help keep the records straight Tipperary-based contractors Slievenamon Agricultural Services use CLAAS TELEMATICS to document every hour worked. Running two CLAAS JAGUAR foragers – a 970 and a 950 – a fleet of five CLAAS tractors, a LEXION 540 combine and a whole raft of green and white grass kit, the White brothers rely heavily on the record-keeping functions of the TELEMATICS system, using it for invoicing, traceability and to analyse the efficiency of various operations. “I first saw how the TELEMATICS system worked at Agritechnica in 2013 and was immediately convinced that it would be a valuable tool in our business,” explains Richie White. “We can have up to 16 guys out doing six or seven different jobs at once and so keeping track of how many bales they’ve made, how many gallons of slurry they’ve pumped or simply how many hours they’ve worked can be a challenge. “I could see that we could really benefit from having CLAAS’ automated recording facility to help us keep tabs on all that essential information for billing our customers. So often little bits would get overlooked or forgotten – TELEMATICS means every minute is accounted for and can be traced. “TELEMATICS also provided us with the opportunity to drill down into our own costs and look really carefully at where we’re making money and where we’re not – we simply can’t afford to be working for free.” 55

On the move “The mapping facility on the CLAAS TELEMATICS smartphone app. is a brilliant aid in logistics planning for various operations,” says Richie. “For example, during silage making I’m often on the pit and previously I was blind to how we were getting on. Now every 20 minutes or so I log in and check how many fields we’ve covered and how much we’ve got left to do. That way I can plan how I load the clamp. “Likewise the lads on slurry work can log in to the system and see live how many acres they’ve got to cover and make a judgement on what rate to go on at. “It’s brilliant the way the system links into the tractors’ CEBIS screen. Our operators just need to set up the task and the implement they’ve hooked on and then set off into work. Our office team can then see what work they’ve been doing just by what machine is hitched on to the tractor and bill accordingly. They can even see what header the foragers have got on – grass, wholecrop or maize.”

“Now every 20 minutes or so I log in and check how many fields we’ve covered and how much we’ve got left to do. That way I can plan how I load the clamp.”

In the office “We’re very fortunate to have Claire in the office who deals with our invoicing. She will constantly have TELEMATICS up on screen and will use the recordkeeping facility to cross-reference the boys time-sheets to know exactly what to bill our customers. “It’s an incredibly straightforward set-up to navigate and use. One of its biggest plus-points is how easily we can include other makes of machine on the CLAAS system. We can access and record data from all colours of kit seamlessly. “In addition, unlike other manufacturers’ systems that will only hold onto the information for 24 hours or so, CLAAS’ TELEMATICS will record all the data on work done, fuel used, etc… and store it for ever. “That way if a customer needs information for traceability purposes we can provide it and if there were to ever be any form of dispute we’ve got the records of everything we’ve done on file. On a more day-to-day level if timesheets go missing or someone forgets to write something down we’ve still got that work stored – it’s a simple insurance policy.”

QUANTIMETER This season saw QUANTIMETER yield recording added to Slievenamon’s JAGUAR 970 – an addition that will allow the brothers to drill down deeper into their exact running costs as well as providing customers with a precise picture of exactly what they’ve got in their clamps. “We’ve been really impressed by how accurate the QUANTIMETER system is. We have one trailer with weigh-cells which we use as a barometer to calibrate and there’s hardly ever any discrepancy between what the forager says and what it’s weighing in at. “Our customers often ask about tonnages as a means of winter fodder budgeting – now we can give them an exact answer. “For us it means we can now be so much more targeted with our end-ofyear analysis of our silage operations. We’ll compare running costs and total tonnages between first-, second- and third cut grass as well as wholecrop and maize and we now know exactly what we’re spending on every tonne that’s gone through the machine.” 58

The future? “As well as providing our customers with ever-more accurate information about what’s in their silage pits and what we’ve spread on their fields, I’d like to think TELEMATICS could help us move towards a fairer charging system for both us as contractors and for farmers. “Obviously with yield recording we can provide a precise count of tonnes harvested and potentially bill on that basis but we need to do some detailed investigation into what would work best. “It might be that simply charging every machine out on an hourly basis is the most straightforward option. Either way, TELEMATICS will be central to this in mapping and recording all the crucial data. “Although we run a relatively big operation, the work we do is actually pretty straightforward. The difficult task is getting the admin done, getting it down on file and getting the invoices out. “CLAAS’ TELEMATICS system has streamlined that end of the job for us and we would be lost without it now.”

“Unlike other manufacturers’ systems that will only hold onto the information for 24 hours or so, CLAAS TELEMATICS will record all the data on work done, fuel used, etc… and store it for ever.

“Our office team can see what work they’ve been doing just by what machine is hitched on to the tractor and bill accordingly. I’d like to think TELEMATICS could help us move towards a fairer charging system for both us as contractors and for farmers.” 60

Connecting with CLAAS is the biggest boost you can give your business. All you have to do is: Sign up on the platform or download the apps to your smart phone or tablet, and you’re ready to go – no payment required. Record your work data on a mobile device, then plan and analyse your tasks on a desktop.

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