This is more than a catchy slogan. There is significant upside for the farmer and the contractor in taking this approach. If we look at the contractor benefits firstly, making great silage begins with the best equipment, and CLAAS products are the professionals’ choice.
Early ‘indent’ ordering is a no-brainer when it comes to getting the right equipment for the job. And in the current promotion for the CLAAS range of harvesting equipment, you get some free goodies (and I’m not talking about a bottle of wine and a gift basket).
In terms of business security and profitability, there are also savings to be had. First is the security of having the machine when you need it, in the spec that suits your conditions. Indent ordering also allows budgeting accuracy; you lock in the spec, the price and the machine arrival time to take the stress and the risk out of the business, which leaves more time to concentrate on making the best possible silage.
For the farmer, what are the key ingredients for producing high-quality silage? Creating perfect silage is both a science and an art. Also, if you’re making it in New Zealand spring weather, some luck – but let’s focus on the things you can control. It all begins with the right tools and using the right equipment at the right time to minimise crop losses and in turn, higher yield. So how do we achieve this?
New Zealand farmers are world-renowned for their pastoral farming efficiency but as margins are being squeezed more than ever, making the good silage for the same price as the bad silage makes more than just financial sense.
High quality silage retains more of nature’s goodness. CLAAS DISCO mowers create a clean, scalp-free cut to start the wilting process, which, thanks to the active float hydraulic system, ensures cut height consistency. If the aforementioned unpredictable spring weather is not on your side, enter the VOLTO tedder to significantly speed up wilting time. Once the nutrient-dense silage is ready to go, the LINER does just that, thanks to 3D ground contour following and tine adjustments, perfect for contaminant-free forage, in square rows, lined up for harvesting, every time.
Just like the increased feed use efficiency, less waste, higher productivity and in turn, increased margins farmers will achieve from high-quality silage, from a contractor’s standpoint, a JAGUAR forage harvester is also known for setting the benchmark for silage harvesting, thanks to its efficiency, precision and comfort.
One thing commonly considered a given for maize silage but often overlooked for grass silage is the use of an inoculant. Luckily, CLAAS has your back when fermentation-enhancing inoculants are needed thanks to CLAAS JAGUAR’s Actisiler 37 additive applicator. This clever piece of technology can control flow rates and application, providing on-the-go response to varying throughput and harvest conditions. Getting the correct length of chopped material to suit the farm feeding system is also easily achieved with adaptable knife configuration and on-go adjustment based on the Dry Matter of crop being harvested.
Now that the perfectly cut, wilted, raked and collected forage is at the stack, the newcomer to make the CLAAS suite complete is the TORION wheeled loader. Thanks to the indent order programme, you get the dual steering option for free, perfect for manoeuvring this efficient and purpose-built material handling machine around the stack to squeeze all of the air out, the final step of the process is completed.
From the precise cut of the CLAAS DISCO Mower, the efficient gathering of the CLAAS LINER Rake, the unparalleled performance of the CLAAS JAGUAR Forage Harvester, to the robust handling the CLAAS TORION Wheel Loader – every machine is engineered to work together seamlessly, ensuring the perfect silage every time.