CEOInterviews.AILEMKEN Digital Event "Azurit - Want more yield?

F

Franken0:00

Azurit - Want more yield? That is the motto of today's 2nd Digital Event here at LEMKEN. And at this point I would like to say a warm welcome to all of you who have clicked into the AgroForum in Alpen. And before we get right down to business with our experts, I have a coffee appointment with Nicola Lemken. She is part of the seventh generation of the Lemken family. She is a partner and part of the management. Hello Ms Lemken!

N

Nicola Lemken0:40

Hello Ms Franken!

F

Franken0:40

How are you?

N

Nicola Lemken0:40

Fine, everything's fine!

F

Franken0:40

Ms Lemken, the year 2020 - actually an anniversary year, because the 240th birthday will be celebrated this year but without a party.

N

Nicola Lemken0:48

Yes, so first of all we are happy that the company is so old. 240 is a huge number and also a bit abstract. But it has already moved me this year. Of course, first you look back, you see the photos, the old forge, the first forge, the forefathers, the developments that the company has taken. And that is really something special. And we have also honoured that this year.

F

Franken1:24

2020, even though the year is special, it has of course also brought many new ideas. For example: the Digital Event, today already the second episode. How was the feedback from the premiere?

N

Nicola Lemken1:36

It went down really well and I'm glad that our staff had this great idea and also implemented it very well. To be honest, I would have preferred it differently, that we could get up close and personal with the customers. And it's a pity that the trade fairs and events can't take place. Because that's important for us, to get in touch with the customers and to have a direct exchange. But nevertheless, we are adapting and I think we did quite well the first time.

F

Franken2:01

As long as it's not live, in this form, definitely a new idea. You've just mentioned it. The employees, who always come up with great ideas, here at LEMKEN it's all about teamwork, of course.

N

Nicola Lemken2:17

Yes, I am happy and grateful, and just to mention this Corona year again! It makes you appreciate what you have even more and you can see that everyone really gave their best this year and made an effort to continue working even under the circumstances. And we managed quite well. We produced a lot and were able to maintain operations. And I think also the service and the support of the farmers.

F

Franken2:46

So absolutely proud of a great team. I'm about to meet two experts from your team! One more question first! If you look at all the machines, all of them have a special name, how do you actually go about naming them?

N

Nicola Lemken3:02

That's a difficult field. We name the products after gemstones. It's a tradition and sometimes it's not easy to find a new one. But if you think of Azurit, I think we've succeeded quite well again. The word Azurit, precision seed drill, already fits. It is a blue gemstone, a special gemstone and yes, we found that well, that fits.

F

Franken3:28

If you could tell us a little bit about what we can look forward to today, what would you tell us?

N

Nicola Lemken3:28

Lots of technical details for the agricultural professionals! That always goes down well when you get into the details. Most of the time, the spectators are not aware of this. The LEMKEN machines always have something special and a lot of technology with which you can make your life easier and also achieve good yields. And the Azurit has a lot to offer. It's worth taking a closer look.

F

Franken3:56

In any case, I am looking forward to it and I am curious. Who will open door number 17?

N

Nicola Lemken4:02

We're still discussing that!

F

Franken4:02

So I'll come back in a moment and make my way to the experts now. Hello Bernd, hello Lukas! We'll start with you. Lukas, you are an agricultural trainer at LEMKEN. Actually, you're usually at home at the AgroFarm in Bönninghardt, I'd say. You spend a lot of time there. How do I have to imagine it when you train there? It will be both theoretical and practical, right?

L

Lukas Icking4:30

Exactly! At our AgroFarm we actually do all the training and further education for our trade partners internationally, i.e. worldwide, and train on all our machines. From sales training, i.e. the normal details, to service, where we go deep into hydraulics and electrics. And we do all this training ourselves, that's my job. Especially in the area of drill technology and today's topic, single grain technology. Today, of course, we don't have so much time to learn everything that you normally pass on at the AgroFarm. What is our focus today? Well, our focus today is actually on explaining the special points that make our Azurit so unique. To show that and, of course, to capture it in pictures, so that all the people watching us today will have a picture of it afterwards and will also ask us interesting questions. That is also an important point.

F

Franken5:27

Exactly! A good keyword! Asking interesting questions! Maybe I'm forgetting one or two questions, or you on the screen have completely different questions. Then you have the opportunity to ask questions right now and all the time. Your colleagues, the other experts, are already sitting in the chat. You will also join them later and answer the questions. So don't be shy, ask questions! Bernd, let's talk about you. You are a construction group leader in the area of precision seed drill technology. If I were to translate that, it would mean group leader of the Azurit construction engineers?

B

Bernd6:04

Exactly, that sums it up very well. With my team, we develop the precision seed drill technology at Azurit, for example. We have a very young team, which is very afin and comes from the field of agricultural engineering. We all have a background in agricultural technology and know very well what our customers expect from us and from our machines.

F

Franken6:27

That is, what is your background?

B

Bernd6:27

My parents also have a farm at home, where I grew up and where I am still very regularly on the road. Also with our machines, which I then also use myself and always get a picture of the stocks.

F

Franken6:40

That means you know exactly how things start in the field, what is important, you try out the machines yourself and simply know what is important to the farmers.

B

Bernd6:50

Yes, exactly! And beyond that, we are in intensive direct contact with our customers and of course also try to incorporate their needs and wishes into the construction. And I then take on this work with my team.

F

Franken7:04

What is so special about the Azurit now?

B

Bernd7:04

Special is that we place the grains in a DeltaRow. The grains are placed in a triangular formation so that we have a larger distance between the grains. That is also the case in the current situation, the distance is what counts. And that's how we generate advantages for our customers.

F

Franken7:25

I will definitely ask you more about this DeltaRow in a moment. I'm interested when you start tinkering: how do you come up with the idea of researching, tinkering and constructing on a certain topic? How does that work for you?

B

Bernd7:37

We always try to create added value for the customer and to implement the customer's needs as much as possible and also to go beyond what our competitors do, so that we really generate added value for the customer. What is the most important added value? The most important added value at Azurit is the DeltaRow, because it simply generates more space for each individual plant. And we also offer the advantage that the rows are closed more quickly. Especially in the last two years we had a very dry summer with little rainfall. Because of this and our system, the rows are closed more quickly. This means that the plants cover the entire soil and thus we have less loss of moisture, which evaporates from the soil for example, due to solar radiation.

F

Franken8:24

If I have understood this correctly! If I as a plant have more space, then I get more sun, then I get more nutrients, then I get more water and I grow bigger. Have I understood that correctly?

B

Bernd8:39

Exactly!

F

Franken8:39

So I also understood it correctly. Lukas, now we are in front of the machine. Your colleagues have told me a lot about you. But that needn't frighten you! They just said that you're so deep in the subject that I could wake you up at any time, that I could wake you up at night and you could still answer any question for me.

L

Lukas Icking9:03

Basically I'd love to, so like I said, actually I'm not at a loss for an answer. Especially in the spring season, when we're in the middle of sowing, it's actually very unlikely to wake me up at night, because even then we're still very active at night, because with an azurite like that there's no end to the day.

F

Franken9:18

Yes, of course I am lucky that you are here today. Lukas, I would ask you to really take me with you to the most important elements, so that we can take a closer look. Yes, just go into the machine. Let's start, as it is, from the front to the back, and just walk around the machine.

L

Lukas Icking9:40

I'll follow you.

F

Franken9:40

If we look at the machine from the side, we see that we have a central seed tank. Central means: everybody knows the classic precision seed drill. Here we have the seed tanks at the back of the individual units. We have this centrally and this gives us certain advantages, which I will explain in detail in a moment, why we have done it this way.

What are the advantages for the farmer or contractor?

L

Lukas Icking10:07

Big advantages: we have a central tank. Nowadays, a lot of seed is delivered in big bags, this means in large units. So we can fill conveniently because we have a central tank and no longer these small containers. What is the filling volume like? Is it also larger than with conventional ones?

F

Franken10:27

Yes, compared to the conventional single grain unit, also here with the 8 rows, for example on the machine, we have 600 litres of volume here. 600 litres of volume is enough for about 20 hectares with one filling.

L

Lukas Icking10:44

This means that the contractor or the farmer can fill the tank directly from the Big Pack and get by for a long time and save time! Exactly! I save an incredible amount of time when filling, because whenever we stand still the machine doesn't earn any money and at the end of the day that's not what we want. So we just create more productivity. Just because of this little feature, the central tank. But another point why the central tank is so important nowadays: everybody talks about driving with section control. Explain it to me briefly!

F

Franken11:12

Section Control describes by GPS shutting down the rows where there is already seeding. So we don't have any so-called overlaps. We have really only sown where we want to sow. As a result, however, the rows always have different seed requirements because they switch off differently. If we have a conventional precision seeder, we also have different seed levels afterwards. We don't want that! Okay, I'll just summarise that again. Because it's central, I can actually control each row individually and not have one tank already empty when the other one is still full.

L

Lukas Icking11:49

Exactly! And in fact, in our dosing, I'll come back to this in a moment when we go to the back, we have what's called 'seed on demand' control. The individual metering units only request their seed from the central hopper on demand. So there is never too much or too little seed at the back. This means that we never have different levels in our metering units, especially with these innovations such as Section Control.

F

Franken12:12

This again means the advantage: the driver, the farmer, the contractor does not have to look in between, he can simply rely on it.

L

Lukas Icking12:16

Exactly, he can rely on it and can thus optimally drive the machine evenly empty until the end. That was our seed tank. But if you look at the difference between this and a conventional precision seed drill, if we consider the fertiliser supply for maize, for example, with the Azurit, then it is always the case that we have to supply the fertiliser externally. For example, we have put our Solitair 12 SW, or seed wagon, here for this evening. A pure fertiliser vehicle, that is, a vehicle that is only there to deliver the fertiliser to us. And then we have the individual distribution of fertiliser here above the seed wagon.

F

Franken12:58

In combination, that is, the fertiliser is fed directly over here.

L

Lukas Icking13:04

That is exactly one possibility. We also have other possibilities. If you look to the right, you will see our Solitair 23 front tank, which is an alternative. If I don't want towed machines, but want to split the process apart, that's the alternative.

F

Franken13:18

But the Azurit always has several options?

L

Lukas Icking13:25

Exactly, at LEMKEN we have four possibilities to provide the fertiliser. We have two here today. The seed wagon and the front tank. But we can also combine our Solitair 25 or the Compact-Solitair 9 combination with the Azurit in combination with soil cultivation. So from LEMKEN alone there are four possibilities to combine fertiliser, tillage and Azurit.

F

Franken13:47

Okay, so this combination is totally flexible, depending on what you want to use. Okay, so we have seen the seed hopper and we have seen the fertiliser. What are the other important elements that I absolutely have to see?

L

Lukas Icking14:00

Yes, exactly, we have mentioned fertilisation, but we have not yet explained the details. With fertiliser application, we at LEMKEN have done it in such a way that, for example here with the 8-row machine, we supply two rows of fertiliser via one large hose. This means that no matter which system we use to feed the fertiliser, it is also possible to switch part-width sections here. In other words, Section Control can also be switched for the fertiliser.

F

Franken14:27

Okay, let's go slowly again. The fertiliser is distributed to the individual rows and I can again choose whether fertiliser is to be applied here or there.

L

Lukas Icking14:33

Exactly. In this case, not for each row individually, but always for two rows together. This is distributed here! That is why we also have the option of working with section control here. This means that we can comply with all the regulations that are given to us, for example on water bodies. Or, with Section Control, we generally do not have any overlapping of fertiliser and thus save money. And that's with all our equipment that we hang in front. Because all the implements with which we apply fertiliser, from the seed wagon to the front tank, also have the technology available to be able to switch the sections. This means that we have a lot of fertiliser with us, but we can also save a lot of fertiliser.

F

Franken15:15

Yes, important keyword.

L

Lukas Icking15:15

Exactly, but we are not finished yet. With our fertiliser nowadays, one important thing is always, every farmer knows, I have to place seed at different sowing depths. Whether it's dry, whether it's wet, whether I have heavy or light soil, it's just the fertiliser that many forget. It is always placed at the same depth. Convenience! Here our constructors, together with Bernd's team, have come up with a great feature. We have a central adjustment for the fertiliser placement depth. Some people don't even think about it, why do I have to adjust the fertiliser centrally or adjust it at all? Every little plant wants to get to it as quickly as possible. If I place the fertiliser at different depths, the plant should also get to it as quickly as possible. And that's why we've come up with a feature here: we can adjust the spindle by hand or with the tool supplied.

F

Franken16:05

The tool is hidden right there.

L

Lukas Icking16:13

Exactly! These are also just little things on the machine. I always have a toolbox hidden somewhere. I can then conveniently adjust the fertiliser centrally.

F

Franken16:18

And this is done for each row?

L

Lukas Icking16:24

No, centrally! Half the width of the machine. And if you just look from the side, you can see how the disc slowly moves up. This means that we would now reduce the deposit depth and do it centrally and conveniently. I no longer need to climb into the machine, I can comfortably adjust for the machine half here. The same on the other side. Lukas, you have just explained to me how the fertiliser gets into the soil. What's next? And what is that?

F

Franken16:46

We have now placed the fertiliser exactly in the middle between our sowing unit or between our trapeze packer segments. And I would actually like to show that again on the next machine. Just come afterwards and I'll show you there!

L

Lukas Icking17:13

I'm really looking forward to it!

F

Franken17:13

If we look here at the machine now, you can see it really well. We have our fertiliser disc at the front, we've just seen it, and it doesn't run just anywhere, it runs the way it usually does when sowing maize. For underfoot fertilisation, so a little bit next to the seed rows and a little bit deeper. In our case, it's right between the next element, our trapeze packer segment. We have installed these trapeze packer rollers in the machine here. Welded-on trapeze rings. And we have distributed the entire weight of the machine on these rings. So the big difference to the competition is that we don't have any tyres or wheels in the machine over which the weight is carried, which also leave traces. The entire machine, regardless of the working width, runs on these trapezoidal rings.

L

Lukas Icking18:00

And that is also the advantage. That is precisely the big advantage, because these rings have several advantages. Clods or stones are pressed down and this ensures a clean transition and shock-free or barrier-free passage for the seed disc. But not only that! Because the trapezoidal ring is welded on and presses a little deeper, we make a so-called row pre-consolidation, that means an optimal position in terms of capillarity for the seed. Once we are there, the seed will of course enter the soil at some point. And for this we go a little further back. Here we have the actual sowing unit. It starts at the front, as you can see, is decoupled from the frame, because this whole unit here runs in a so-called parallelogram. Explain this a bit more.

F

Franken18:49

When the seeding unit goes up and down a little bit due to unevenness, the field is uneven, everything goes up and down evenly. This means that we always have the same placement depth. Because that is what matters. Only when all the grains are at the same depth can all the grains start to rise at the same time.

L

Lukas Icking19:04

But this is possible in every row. That is, if there is only a hump here and not back there.

F

Franken19:10

Exactly! It will be even everywhere. If you look over the machine: each row has its own parallelogram. And you just said, we have differences in the floor. Now we don't only have differences from row to row, but also sometimes in the whole area. That is, the soil becomes harder or softer. Then we can react here. As you can see, there are cylinders installed here, which means that the machine is always equipped with a so-called hydraulic coulter pressure adjustment. I can comfortably press from the terminal and say more or less coulter pressure and thus keep the machine steady on the ground and thus achieve optimum embedding of the seed.

L

Lukas Icking19:48

Okay, so I can react from the driver's cab and determine an optimal setting.

F

Franken19:54

Exactly, because in principle we now have the fertiliser in the soil. The machine runs on our trapeze packer segment. Now comes the seed.

L

Lukas Icking20:03

Now comes the seed, now it's time to get down to business. Exactly! And for this we have here the so-called sowing discs. These form a so-called furrow in the soil, in which the seed is placed. We want to determine how deep this furrow is. Because as I mentioned at the beginning, depending on the weather conditions, depending on the soil type, we place our seeds at different depths. For this purpose, we have the so-called pressure roller here in the middle. With this I adjust the depth. If you feel, it's made of rubber, which means I can also adjust it to the soil. I can adjust the depth of this. We'll see that again in a moment. I can adjust the depth comfortably here at the back via this adjusting screw. And depending on how it is adjusted, our actual sowing disc can form this furrow deep or shallow.

F

Franken20:49

Depending on what I want.

L

Lukas Icking20:49

Exactly, that is the farmer's free decision. What kind of seed I have and what kind of soils I have, where am I in the annual period from sowing. Now we have done the sowing furrow. The grain is in the soil, then our so-called catching roll follows behind it. The whole Azurit runs on a so-called overpressure system. This means that the grains do not fall to the ground under their own weight, but they are shot. So it is an overpressure, they come at speed.

F

Franken21:23

This means that they are shot into the perfectly prepared path at exactly the right distance from each other.

L

Lukas Icking21:23

Exactly, the distance to each other is given by the fact that the two sowing discs of the DeltaRow are at a fixed distance. And we determine the distance in the row via the speed of the singling. Now the grain is once up to the ground. But to make sure it is exactly where we want it, we have to catch it. And that is why there is this soft catching roller. In principle, the grain is caught once at the transfer point, fixed and cannot roll.

F

Franken21:57

It is shot out, caught and pressed firmly. This means that I am sure that the grain is exactly where it belongs, so that the plant has more space, more nutrients, more water. Only when we place the grain in our triangle, in this DeltaRow, only then we also do have this advantage that we want. And that is one of the many key points, our catching roller. I can adjust it in different positions. Everything here is tool-free.

L

Lukas Icking22:25

When do I adjust it? When the discs wear over the years or under certain different ground conditions.

F

Franken22:31

What I see here now, you just said here you can adjust something, there you can adjust something, that means I can actually always reach everywhere, right?

L

Lukas Icking22:39

The whole machine is actually designed in such a way that the settings that we have to change in the field or from field to field, that means the placement depth, possibly the catching roller. All this can be done without tools. Only for the fertiliser, as we have just shown, we have the key with us, but it is there.

F

Franken22:58

This means that the farmer, the contractor, can react in the field and make adjustments quickly, which is also important, so that it doesn't take forever.

L

Lukas Icking23:03

Exactly, and as we all know, tools are not always where they should be in the toolbox, so everything is tool-free. I'm just incredibly fast and flexible when it comes to making adjustments. Let me briefly bring the seed to the end. We have caught it. But the seed usually wants to be covered, that means it wants to lie in a seedbed, it wants to be closed. And for that we have here at the end our so-called coating unit, that is, we have the groove lying open, the grain lies open, but we want to protect it, from the weather, from birds. So the grain has to be covered. And that's what we do here with the unit, which is spring-loaded, meaning it can also adapt to any soil conditions. It is not only spring-loaded, but can also be adjusted. I can adjust the angle here, how hard I apply, how much soil comes!

F

Franken23:55

Yes, I do that with this?

L

Lukas Icking23:55

Exactly! And here at the back, on the other position, the pressure! That is, how much pressure does the roller apply to the actual grain?

F

Franken24:02

Okay, here I set the angle, here the pressure you just said. Can this unit be used for every soil?

L

Lukas Icking24:08

We have the standard levelling wheels here. These are actually for light to medium soils, which have a good pourability. If we have relatively hard conditions later in the year, that means dry soils, or also very moist soils that are simply not pourable. For this purpose, we have another levelling wheel: the levelling wheel HD. These are active with a disc at the front and the pressure rollers behind it.

F

Franken24:38

I would then simply change them if I had a different floor?

L

Lukas Icking24:38

Exactly! Without tools! Here I can pull the bolt from the other side and then change the whole unit.

F

Franken24:48

This whole unit?

L

Lukas Icking24:48

Exactly, the rear part I can swap. For any normal condition, these will do. If I have really tough conditions, then there is also a solution for that. The so-called levelling wheel HD. Exciting! Then the maize is covered. We have shown mechanically how and what we prepare so that the seed is correctly positioned at the bottom of the soil, is embedded and also supplied with fertiliser. But now the question is, how does the seed get down to the bottom?

F

Franken25:19

Yes, it is shot in, you told me.

L

Lukas Icking25:19

Exactly, but not somehow. Up here we have our so-called metering unit, also called the singling unit. I can open it, lift it once and then I can put it here.

F

Franken25:32

When do you lift it?

L

Lukas Icking25:38

Only to look inside, to clean it or to empty it. Otherwise, of course, it has to be connected. I can open this easily.

F

Franken25:44

Can I do that too?

L

Lukas Icking25:52

Of course you can. I'm curious about that. I can open this comfortably and now I can see some details here. Once, you have already had it in your hand, we have the feed hose. This means that we have our central container here, which we have already talked about. It supplies this singling unit with seed. But how does it do that? So the hose can't report or something! We have installed sensors here that tell us when the hopper is full.

F

Franken26:12

In other words, the sensor signals that I need seed.

L

Lukas Icking26:20

Exactly, and at a certain point in time, when it is no longer covered, it says: I need seed. And then seed comes from the tank to the respective unit as needed, because this sensor is in every unit, no matter how many we have. And seed comes as needed. That means it not only says I need seed, but also I don't need any more seed. It means we always have an optimal filling range. All units are only filled with the amount of seed that can actually be stocked.

F

Franken26:44

Okay, what is this all about?

L

Lukas Icking26:49

Here in the middle we see the centrepiece, the singling disc. I can also remove this without tools, just take it out, just take it in my hand. Do you notice anything other than it is LEMKEN blue?

F

Franken27:02

It is LEMKEN blue and it has two sides. Sure! That's what we need.

L

Lukas Icking27:07

Exactly. If I may take off for a moment. That's exactly the know-how of this machine. We want to make a DeltaRow later on. That means we want to place seed exactly two different distances apart in the so-called DeltaRow triangular formation. And we do that right up here, in the heart of the metering unit. And that is, do you see the holes here? I see them! And there are some on the other side too! And they're probably staggered! Exactly! And they are always offset by half to each other. That's why our grains don't fall at the same time, but always at intervals. Left, right, left, right. And that's also the point, we don't let the grains fall, as already mentioned, but we shoot them with pressure. Because only then we can also determine that they all arrive at the bottom at the same time. And that's how our DeltaRow is created. Relatively simple. Holes staggered on a drum. Now we have just been talking about maize all this time.

F

Franken28:04

Exactly! That's what this singling disc is for.

L

Lukas Icking28:04

The singling disc that we have now installed here in the machine is a so-called singling disc with 2 x 25 holes and a diameter of five millimetres. That is a classic corn singling disc. But in our construction we have also thought of a few other things for other seeds. Does that mean there are other possibilities? Can I see the other singling disc? Yes, of course! Hello Bernd!

B

Bernd28:32

Of course we have also brought singling discs for the other seeds or different seeds. This is a singling disc for soybeans, for example. I'd be happy to give it to you. Maybe you'll notice something! I'm really being asked something today, people. It's got a lot more holes. It has 80 holes twice. That's simply because with soybeans we have a much higher seeding rate. With maize, we have about 80 to 85,000 grains per hectare. With soybeans, depending on which region we are in at the time, we plant between 350,000 and 550,000 grains. This means that we lay down significantly more grains, which means that this drum should run much faster.

F

Franken29:09

But still in the DeltaRow system?

B

Bernd29:14

Exactly in the DeltaRow system. And also with a distance of 12.5 cm between each other. And so that we can easily keep up with the speed, this one has two more holes. These holes have a diameter of 4 mm. Now we come to the latest thing. These are the singling discs for sunflowers. In Europe, very, very many sunflowers are also grown using the single-grain technique. Especially in Eastern Europe, in markets like Bulgaria, Romania, but also in Germany, this is an issue. In the last few years, we have also carried out very successful trials in Germany, near Lake Constance. That has also worked very well. The difference to the maize singling disc is essentially the hole diameter. The sunflower seed is much smaller and for the separation of the sunflowers we need a hole diameter of 2.5 to 3 mm. Whereas with maize we are more on the way with 5 to 6 millimetres. Maize, sunflowers, soybeans.

F

Franken30:20

Right! Are there still plans?

B

Bernd30:20

Of course we will continue to expand our portfolio in the coming years. We are thinking above all of sorghum, millet, which is also very much in demand in markets like Italy at the moment. There, of course, we are always on site with the validation, on the road with the customers and continue to develop our portfolio.

F

Franken30:42

So you always look to the future, ask where what is needed.

B

Bernd30:44

Exactly, there are many plans, I can already see that. What are the needs of the customers? And of course we want to implement them in the best possible way. We have already seen a lot of theory, but how does the transfer into practice work? That is, how do you test it?

F

Franken30:56

The tests are carried out in-house by our own validation department, which carries out comparative tests with competitor machines every year. This year, however, we have also intensively expanded this with universities. For example, we have set up a comparative trial in Borken, in Westphalia, in which several plots with different sowing rates were examined. And in this trial we not only looked at the fresh mass that was chopped, but also immediately drew the energy content from this fresh mass. And these are very informative. We will now see this again in detail in a video by Lukas Icking.

L

Lukas Icking31:33

I am Lukas Icking and we are today, here in beautiful Westmünsterland, on the farm of my parents. The farm cultivates about 90 hectares of arable land. Of this, 30 hectares are vegetables for a local processor and around 60 hectares of maize for the biogas plant and for bull fattening. We set up the field test by creating 30 plots on 5 hectares. The plots are about 170 metres long. We made the comparisons in such a way that we alternately sowed the Azurit and single row in three sowing thicknesses of 5 repetitions each. Today we evaluate the field test. We did this by harvesting the plots, which have about 8 rows of 170 metres each, individually with a conventional maize chopper, loading them onto a wagon and then pulling them over the scales. Then we took a sample from each wagon in the silo and sent it to a certified testing laboratory. In the meantime, our results have arrived and we have adjusted them with our fresh mass results over the dry substance. We were able to determine an additional yield per hectare of 4.5 %. For energies such as net energy lactation we were able to determine up to 8.2 % more MJ per hectare. In the case of metabolic energies, we even recorded 7.9% more MJ per hectare. And for gas yield, 5.4% more cubic metres per hectare.

F

Franken33:00

Bernd, now we have just heard in the film from Lukas what the results are. But what is the advantage for the farmer?

B

Bernd33:05

The advantage for the farmer is that in addition to the fact that we have harvested more mass, we have also harvested higher quality fodder. This is reflected in the values of the net energy lactation, which is very interesting for the dairy farm. But also in the energy content for the cattle fattener. But we also scored points with the biogas plant, because our feed for the biogas plant had a higher energy content and can therefore represent a better biogas yield.

F

Franken33:39

So plus points everywhere.

B

Bernd33:39

Exactly. If we go back to this, we have already heard many, many advantages. Is there any other advantage that we haven't talked about yet? Yes, there is! With our machine, we can create very individual tramlines for any maintenance width.

F

Franken33:54

Tramlines on the Azurit are a real highlight. For this, we simply open our singling unit again. We can take out the singling disc.

B

Bernd34:05

Should I do something?

F

Franken34:05

Yes, just hold the singling disc. We have the singling unit. In the singling unit we now logically have two different scrapers. Scrapers ensure that there is only one grain per hole in normal sowing operations, scrapers ensure that there is always only one grain per hole. But wait before you put the drum away. Now we make a tramline. How can we make a tramline? My fingers just simulate the scrapers now. That means we have scraper on each side. And if we now make a tramline, the scraper is simply on one side, which scrapers off all the grains. Okay?

B

Bernd34:43

No again. We have the singling disc and we have through my fingers simulated the two scrapers. In normal operation, they minimally cover the holes. So there is always only one grain per hole. Now we want to make a tramline. Then there is one scraper that closes completely and no grains can stick to the singling disc. What do we do at the halfway point? We do not sow. So what do we do?

F

Franken35:07

A tramline.

B

Bernd35:07

Exactly, we leave a wider space between our two units. That means we have more space and that's how we generate the tramlines. We can't always do this on just one unit. We can do it on all units - no matter how many rows the machine has. A completely flexible tramline system. We can use all tracks, as far as the tyre width is concerned, but also as far as the track width of the tractor is concerned.

F

Franken35:30

This means that the contractor plans which implement I will use to return to the field for fertilisation or other purposes and plans to leave out the rows.

B

Bernd35:36

Exactly, in other words, it's quite classic, as you know it from many machines the tramline control. We tell the machine the cultivation width or the following steps and it switches automatically. Yes, and it calculates when which row has to be switched off. The big advantage of our system is that we don't need to run certain cycles, but the machine can do it with every row. This means that even crooked or asymmetrical tramlines are possible. That is a huge advantage.

F

Franken36:09

That means I decide which row I want to leave out.

B

Bernd36:09

Exactly. Now I've just explained, I close a row: What do we have on the field then?

F

Franken36:14

A tramline.

B

Bernd36:14

And what's in the tramline?

F

Franken36:21

Space.

B

Bernd36:21

And little grain. That means, theoretically, we make fewer grains per hectare. We don't want to, because fewer grains means we give away space and room. And so we thought that if we make the tramline, one side should be completely closed and the singling disc should simply rotate twice as fast at that moment, and we'll plant exactly the same number of grains per hectare, but we'll still have more space. And more space doesn't just mean the 12.5 cm we have here.

F

Franken36:54

You could also do it on two opposite rows and thus we create a space of 87.5 cm between two maize rows, and any common tyre width can actually cope with that nowadays.

B

Bernd37:00

That means I have room to work and still get the same yield. The same number of grains per hectare. And, what is also a very classic advantage when I do the maintenance work: I can see my tramline. I'm not standing in the woods with an axe to grind. I can see exactly where I have to drive. And that is a huge advantage for creating more productivity in the maintenance measures. Contractor Heiko Lübke also thinks this is a huge advantage, and we will now take a look at what he has to say.

H

Heiko Lübke37:34

Another advantage is of course that we can create tramlines. Here in the region, this plays a major role in some cases, and a minor one in others. Above all, it plays a major role in the area where organic fertilization is still to be applied to the corn crop. And also the time saved in crop protection alone afterwards, where you no longer have to count rows and orientate yourself on the parallel driving system, but can see the tramlines and simply carry out crop protection. The advantage of the DeltaRow method is clearly that we can switch off half a DeltaRow row and thus drive through the crop with 2.25 m track and 800 tires without any problems - without causing any major damage.

F

Franken38:13

Lukas, you have actually explained everything to me now, or is something still missing?

L

Lukas Icking38:18

Almost. We have now explained all the advantages of our tramline system mechanically and for the farmer, but we have also made the whole tramline system smart. That means I would like to show you that at the terminal. Because we can not only switch tramlines by driving up and down and the machine continues to count, but we have made it smart and can switch tramlines via GPS.

F

Franken38:40

So practically from the cabin.

L

Lukas Icking38:40

Out of the cabin, or rather, we don't need to do anything ourselves anymore. Come on then, let's go over there. Lukas, and on the way to the terminal we can also use the opportunity to tell our viewers that they should ask lots of questions, because your colleagues are already sitting there and answering all the questions...

F

Franken38:56

Yes, of course. Every question is welcome. I will also be there live and then we can answer all the questions and hope that we can give everyone an answer. So again your encouragement to just ask any question. Hand over your questions. So, now I'm curious.

L

Lukas Icking39:13

Exactly. We have now reached our terminal here. We have a CCI 1200 here. Yes, and we have a special feature here today. We're not only driving one machine, but we're controlling two machines at the same time.

F

Franken39:29

Which two machines?

L

Lukas Icking39:29

That means, once here in front, the first version in the range. Here we see the Solitair 12 SW, which is exactly the fertiliser wagon we are looking at. The second software in the picture on the right is the Azurit. Now I've just said we're going to do something smarter. First of all, we have everything here intuitively with pictures and little text. That means it is as easy to understand as possible. Every farmer or driver should feel as comfortable with the operation as with a smartphone. It has to be simple. It has to be intuitive. And we have designed our software in exactly the same way, but now you will certainly notice something: Some colours are constantly changing here, yes, something is changing up here.

F

Franken40:07

Something is moving.

L

Lukas Icking40:12

Exactly. Something is moving, and in fact a so-called simulation is running in the background, showing how a virtual tractor or machine is currently working in the field. We can enlarge it a little bit.

F

Franken40:23

This is practical here. Okay, in this case you can actually see it quite well. We are now driving simulated over a so-called application map and you can see: Based on the different colours in the map, different seed rates are applied. In this case, we are on the fertiliser map and can see here on the right-hand side how the colours are subdivided. And the way the colours are divided here is how the machine controls itself, that means depending on the colour, the selected amount of fertiliser is applied.

L

Lukas Icking40:52

And it changes in a moment. Exactly. If you see, for example: From the red area to the orange would mean we go down from 300 to 250 kilos of fertiliser. The Azurit can do exactly the same for seed, of course, which means that with this system we can really control both machines individually with their own application map. The seed rate changes accordingly. And you can see it not only in that. On the Azurit, for example, we have a symbol from the satellite. This means that at that moment the sowing rate of the Azurit is being controlled by satellite because it knows where I am driving.

F

Franken41:31

Can I then decide whether it's me who decides or the GPS?

L

Lukas Icking41:37

Of course, the human being remains in focus. I tell the machine what to do, but the machine itself does the actual controlling in the plot while driving. And if you look right here on the Azurit screen - I'll make it big for you.

F

Franken41:46

Yes. Now here comes another quiz question.

L

Lukas Icking41:52

No. Then you can see satellites in various places here. We have it once up here by the individual rows. We have it once here at the tramline control and once here at the sowing rate. This means that the Azurit can switch its part-width sections on and off by satellite using Section Control, and can - as I have just said with the tramlines - switch the tramlines more intelligently using GPS. That means I can drive individually where I want. He switches the tramlines as the satellite tells him and also the sowing rate. This, too, can be set individually by satellite, that means on the basis of the location on the map. At the very beginning we talked a lot about fertiliser and there is also a special feature, because we see two so-called booms at the bottom of the map.

F

Franken42:40

These booms?

L

Lukas Icking42:51

The lower one is for our DeltaRow seed. That means: Now we see the picture of the 'Seed' application map and if we now press the upper one once, we see the application map for the fertiliser. This means that we do not only switch our seed via the application map, but also our fertiliser. This means that the entire machine can individually and independently control its fertiliser to the seed rate, to the soil map. And nowadays that is simply what really gives the customer an advantage, what makes it easier for him, what encourages him to control yield, to generate yield, and that is what we want. We want to save resources and maximise earnings.

F

Franken43:30

And you teach them how to operate the system in your training courses?

L

Lukas Icking43:35

For example. Yes, exactly. Whoever comes to us for training should then have understood 99 percent of the operation and be able to use it. That is our big goal. But the most important thing is simply to get to grips with the system.

F

Franken43:47

And learning is also possible at home, because there are many tutorials with you and Azurit on YouTube, where you can simply look things up again.

L

Lukas Icking43:59

That too, of course. Nowadays, it's also standard practice to put things online somewhere so that you don't have to read through an instruction manual in the field, but can simply watch a video for quick help.

F

Franken44:09

It's fascinating what's possible with smart technology. Thanks to you first of all, Lukas. Bernd, I still have one question. Yes! We have already heard so much about sowing technology. But there is one topic we haven't talked about yet: The harvest. Are there any special features for harvesting?

B

Bernd44:33

No, there are not really. We can harvest the plants that we spread in the DeltaRow with any kind of intentions. That is exactly the reason why we pull these rows only 12.5 cm apart. This makes it very easy to harvest with a maize picker, for example, when I harvest grain maize. But even with sunflowers, this does not pose any major challenges for the technique. That also works very well. It is much more important that we have homogeneous plants, that the baskets of the sunflowers, for example, are evenly developed. And our results from the last harvest looked very good. That worked very well.

F

Franken45:10

Bernd, just before the turn of the year: Can you already tell us a little bit about what innovations there might be next year?

B

Bernd45:15

Yes, of course. I can already tell you a little bit about that. We have, of course, given it some thought and have also listened very carefully to our customers. As an example, we can mention that we have a fertiliser hose monitoring system that can be integrated into the fertiliser hoses. This can also be retrofitted for existing machines. As a further topic, we are offering for the coming season is a pilot series for micro-granulate. Here we can explicitly apply nutrients very close to the grain, directly to the grain, in the seed trough, which then provides additional energy for the grain as a starting feed. Above all, there are fertilisers containing phosphorus, which give the plant another kick in the early stages.

F

Franken45:58

So there is still a lot in the planning. So it will continue to be exciting. Of course we have seen that you are both passionate about the subject. Of course everyone wants more income, we have noticed. Many, many thanks to you for answering all my questions. Unfortunately, you're not finished yet, because you're going straight into the expert chat and hopefully you'll ensure that lots and lots of questions come in. So have fun with it. See you later. Ms Lemken, that was very exciting. I have learned an incredible amount - as you promised. A great deal of technology about the Azurit. Now we have just seen: There are only a few days left until Christmas. Is Advent also a time for you here in the family business to look back on the year?

N

Nicola Lemken46:53

A little bit, yes. On the one hand, we still have a lot to do. We try to get everything done and we also have a lot of orders that we still want to process. That's another sprint at the end. But we also try to come together again quite consciously. Yes, as a family business, it is also a family to a certain extent, and then you come together again and also wish that everyone and their families have a good time over the holidays and can start here again in good health next year.

F

Franken47:28

How did you manage this year to be as close as ever, as reliable as ever to the customer, despite the special challenges of Corona?

N

Nicola Lemken47:34

Yes, I think many colleagues have also thought about how we can do this and we are also in contact with the farmer through the service, through sales. A lot of things have become possible and the specialised dealers are also our contact persons. We developed this together and I think that if you put your heart into the technology, you will find ways to make it work.

F

Franken48:04

Then you find ways. I have a problem: I don't have all my Christmas presents yet. Have you got them all together yet?

N

Nicola Lemken48:08

Not quite yet.

F

Franken48:08

If I place another order in the LEMKEN online shop tonight, will it still be possible to get the present under the Christmas tree?

N

Nicola Lemken48:14

Of course it will. The shop is fast and you're sure to find something nice.

F

Franken48:23

I'm sure of it. But now it's time for the Advent calendar. Would you like to open door 17?

N

Nicola Lemken48:26

No, I'm happy to hand it in, of course. I'm allowed 17. I'll eat it right away. Finally, your Christmas wish, your wish for all those who clicked in there, who took part in the second Digital Event, and your wishes for next year.

F

Franken48:37

So with pleasure. I say thank you for all those who attended the format and were inspired by the technology. I hope that the spark was ignited - the fascination of LEMKEN - blue. And of course I wish all our customers a good start into the next year and that they can work really well with our technology, with the good LEMKEN technology.

N

Nicola Lemken49:14

Yes, and so we say thank you. Of course there is still one possibility now, because there is still the possibility to ask questions in our chat. Our experts are still there for you. So don't be afraid to ask questions. Stay healthy and see you soon at LEMKEN. Bye!