corner talkLEXION wins ASABE engineering awards

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CLAAS technology leads the way in meeting biofuel demands

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APS is key to power and productivity

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APS Means Power and

Productivity

s u m m e r 2 0 0 7corner talk

© 2007 CLAAS Omaha Inc. All rights reserved. LEXION is a registered trademark of CLAAS Omaha Inc. CAT and Caterpillar are registered trademarks of Caterpillar Inc. Mudhog is a registered trademark of Tuthill Corporation.

www.lexioncombines.com

LEXION combines have once again been recognized by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) for their unique and industry-leading features in the combine market.

The AE50 awards program is the only one of its kind, recognizing companies for engineering achievements in agriculture, food and biological systems engineering. This year, LEXION has won awards for the Mobil-Trac System and VARIO headers.

The Mobil-Trac with suspension system is available on LEXION 500R series combines. Mobil-Trac provides more flotation than any tire combination in the industry today. With the addition of the industry’s first combine front axle suspension, the ride of the Mobil-Trac is as smooth as any rubber-tired wheel version. Compared to dual tires, the suspension system provides a narrow 14-foot width with increased machine stability for managing those uneven harvesting terrains, bridges or roads.

The LEXION VARIO is a new small grain header that provides excellent feeding and very low header losses that can occur while harvesting canola, wheat, barley and other small grains. The header’s hydraulically adjustable table improves feeding and crop flow of small grains into the combine feeder house in a variety of conditions. The cutting table can be extended forward eight inches or moved back four inches on-the-go from its center position, improving the header crop flow as the height of the crop warrants. For direct cut canola harvest, optional vertical knives

driven from the header allow it to cut through the standing crop and minimize shatter.

“These award-winning features were developed by engineering teams who leveraged knowledge from around the world and across multiple market conditions and product platforms,” says Jeff Gray, LEXION senior product specialist. “We are honored to be recognized by our engineering peers for the LEXION’s advanced technology and innovative engineering.”

winning engineeringwinning

CLAAS Omaha Inc.8401 S. 132nd StreetOmaha, NE 68138

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Platform Headsup to 40-ft working widths utilizing industry-leading MaxFlex system, a clean cut in even the roughest conditions.

Talk to almost any grower who owns a LEXION combine and they will tell you one of the keys to the combine’s power and productivity is the LEXION’s Accelerated Pre-Separation (APS) System.

The APS allows growers to harvest more crop at one time and achieve greater productivity through increased capacity and throughput.

“APS is the key,” says David Geraets of Humboldt, S.D., who along with his brother Louis, owns a LEXION 585R.

“It allows us to harvest at a steady pace and provides a consistent crop flow throughout the machine.”

The LEXION’s exclusive APS cylinder separates up to 30 percent of the grain upfront, before it even reaches the combine’s main threshing system. As a result, threshing is faster, more efficient and produces higher quality grain.

Jeff Gray, LEXION senior product specialist, says the LEXION’s tri-cylinder threshing design allow growers to achieve greater consistency during harvest.

“This means crops can be harvested at a consistent speed and rate regardless of variables such weather, weeds, yield or stand,” Gray says. “The tri-cylinder threshing system allows growers to harvest all day at

a comfortable, consistent pace, resulting in greater fuel economy and less wear and tear. That is the key to increased productivity on farms today.”

In many cases, these industry-leading features have allowed growers to go from two mid-sized combines to one LEXION, and with larger headers.

“When we bought our LEXION 585R, we were able to go with a bigger corn head, from eight to 12 rows, but still harvest at the same speed as our old combine. We’re happy with the power, capacity and throughput of our machine,” Geraets says. n

“APS is the key. It allows us

to harvest at a steady pace

and provides a consistent

crop flow throughout the

machine.”

David GeraetsHumboldt, South Dakota

power and productivityAccelerated Pre-Separation System

“The tri-cylinder threshing

system allows growers

to harvest all day at a

comfortable, consistent

pace, resulting in greater

fuel economy and less wear

and tear.”

Jeff GrayLEXION Senior Product Specialist

corner talk s u m m e r 2 0 0 7

CLAAs LeADs

THe WAY

4

LEXION Technology at Work

The drive to find efficient fuel alternatives and reduce dependence on petroleum has intensified over the last several years and the agricultural industry finds itself right in the middle of this global issue. From the biofuel research being done to create corn seeds that produce higher amounts of ethanol to the development of biomass, agricultural producers are connected to this issue not only as fuel consumers, but as a major source of the solution.

Today’s LEXION Technology Helping Tomorrow’s Fuels

Underlying the high level of harvested materials needed to create these alternative fuels is the issue of production capacity. A New York Times article from January 5, 2007 stated that because of the growth of the ethanol industry, a full 50 percent of the U.S. annual corn harvest will be used for fuel production by 2008. Between 2001

and 2005, ethanol production increased by a striking 120 percent.

In 2005, there were fewer than 10 biodiesel plants in the U.S. In 2006 that number jumped to 65. There are currently another 58 plants under construction in the U.S. Feeding these plants enough to produce a biodiesel blend of just two percent per gallon would take about 20 million acres of soybeans, or 25 percent of current annual soybean production in the U.S.

If a five percent per gallon blend is required by 2012, an estimated 50 percent of soybean production will be required. This high level of demand also brings with it serious ethical questions. As prices rise on crops that are traditionally used for food and livestock feed, and if producers are unable to increase their production capacity, the agricultural industry is left to determine whether crops will go to fuel or food.

Several CLAAS machines

already on the market are

leading the way in meeting

the sharp increase in

demand for base materials

of all types.

biofuel demand rising

The second generation of biofuels, which include BTL (biomass to liquid) fuel, is also raising new questions for the agricultural industry. BTL is a synthetic fuel that can be engineered into what are often called “designer fuels.” Chemical engineers can produce fuel that has very specific properties: it works at certain temperature extremes; it meets stringent emissions standards and so on.

Research is currently being done on a variety of base materials for BTL, including certain grasses and other forage material. Using these base materials not only expands the potential for biofuel production (the first generation fuels can be made from a limited number of crops), it would also eliminate the dilemma of crops for food versus fuel. Grasses and other forage material, however must meet very specific requirements such as length of cut.

For several years, CLAAS has been collaborating with researchers and developing machinery that will support these needs, according to LEXION Product Manager, Joe Stiegemann.

“The pressure to find even more efficient fuels intensified earlier in Europe because of higher fuel taxes and overall fuel costs to producers. European suppliers responded by increasing their research into the development of fuel options that would cost less while still providing the power needed and meeting stringent

European environmental and fuel efficiency standards. CLAAS has been approached by those who are running fuel development programs to see what we can provide. Our technology can be instrumental in finding new ways to enable agricultural producers to meet the demands for base material for new fuels, and to increase the ratio of fuel input to fuel output in the process.”

Several CLAAS machines already on the market are leading the way in meeting the sharp increase in demand for biofuels. They are also helping agricultural producers expand capacity and boost productivity – both vital to reducing the energy input to output ratio – key to creating as much net energy as possible.

“When it concerns the biofuel industry, producers must be concerned with the number of gallons of fuel they can produce per bushel. This is the most important assessment. For society to benefit from biofuels, the input has to be lower than what you’re getting out of it,” explained Stiegemann.

For more information about how LEXION technology is helping agricultural producers take an active role in producing tomorrow’s fuels, contact your local LEXION dealer. n

Innovation

�LEXION.�The�LEXION�series�combines�from�CLAAS,�produced�in�a�variety�of�sizes�and�models�to�accommodate�local�farms,�give�farmers�the�ability�to�boost�production�capacity.�The�LEXION�590R�and�595R�are�the�largest�in�the�world.�According�to�Steigemann,�“When�set�properly�using�a�16-row�corn�head,�the�combines�are�the�most�efficient�way�to�harvest.”

�VARIO.�For�the�production�of�biodiesel,�which�uses�grapeseed�and�canola�seed�as�a�base�material,�a�combine�using�a�VARIO�head�from�CLAAS�also�boosts�efficiency.�This�special�head�can�harvest�small�grain�like�canola�seed�in�a�straight�cut�in�one�pass,�similar�to�wheat�or�corn.�It�creates�the�windrow�first�and�then�the�swath,�which�uses�less�energy�overall.�Again,�this�creates�the�desired�balance�concerning�total�energy�input�and�output.

�CHOPPING�CORN�HEAD.��CLAAS’s�new�chopping�corn�head,�available�on�LEXION�combines�in�12-�or�8-row�models�for�30-inch�row�spacing,�allows�growers�to�chop�and�shatter�stalks�at�the�same�time�they�harvest�the�corn.�This�means�saving�an�extra�pass�across�the�field�and�better�residual�management,�which�is�especially�important�now�that�we�are�seeing�more�corn�on�corn�acres�to�meet�the�growing�demand�for�ethanol.�The�chopping�corn�head�allows�stalks�to�decompose�better�over�winter�and�provides�a�smoother�spring�planting�bed.

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with the LEXION Mobil-Trac System

South Dakota Growers

harvest on their own schedule

It only seems fitting that Kentucky corn grower Jerry Griffith’s high-yielding corn crops are harvested with high-capacity, industry-leading LEXION combines.

Griffith is president of the Kentucky Corn Growers Association and has won numerous national and state corn yield contests.

“It’s a time factor for us so you have to have the capacity of a LEXION combine,” Griffith says. “We made a wise decision going with LEXION.”

Griffith and his brother, John, are partners in Griffith Farms and raise corn, soybeans and wheat on their western Kentucky farm near Mayfield. They own two LEXION 570R combines, trading up in 2005 from a LEXION 470.

Griffith Farms won two first place state awards in the National Corn Growers Association’s 2006 corn yield contest with a yield of 220

bushels an acre in the ridge-till non-irrigated division and a yield of 226 bushels per acre in the ridge-till irrigated division. Griffith Farms has won similar yield contests in previous years.

Jerry Griffith says he is especially pleased with the reliability of his LEXION combines and his dealer support.

“We really haven’t had any down time with our LEXIONs,” he says. “If we do have any problems, our dealer has been excellent and right on top of it.”

Griffith Farms purchased their LEXION combines from Whayne Supply Company, with dealer support provided by the company’s Paducah branch office. n

“It’s a time factor for us

so you have to have the

capacity of a LEXION

combine. We made a

wise decision going with

LEXION.”

Jerry GriffithMayfield, Kentucky

LEXION combines are

the only combines

designed specifically for

tracks, resulting in better

performance and longer life

in tough conditions.

David and Louis Geraets, owners of JPJ Farms of Humboldt, S.D., are big believers in the LEXION combine’s exclusive Mobil-Trac System.

“We haven’t had to leave any crops in the field with the Mobil-Trac System,” says David Geraets. “Before, we had to start fall harvest by carefully choosing low-lying fields that may have mud problems later if it rains. Sometimes we had to travel to different fields 20 miles apart. Now, it’s just one less variable to worry about.”

The Geraets purchased their new LEXION 585R combine a year ago and realized the Mobil-Trac System was a worthwhile investment. That investment has paid off with the ability to harvest corn and soybeans on their own schedule – not the weather’s.

“We’re glad we bought the tracks because they leave an extremely light footprint,” David Geraets says. “The tracks actually save money because there is less compaction and that means less deep tillage later on.”

The Geraets also chose the powered rear axle MudHog® option for their LEXION for added traction when needed.

LEXION combines are the only combines designed specifically for tracks, resulting in better performance and longer life in tough conditions.

Service and support for JPJ Farms’ LEXION 585R is provided by Butler Machinery Company, which has nine stores in North Dakota, South Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota. n

no match for LEXION combines

high-yielding kentucky corn