Despite having faced numerous challenges in recent years, including the global pandemic and the supply chain shortages, Vaderstad claims it has seen a 25 per cent increase in its turnover during the past 12 months, with growth increasing by 40 per cent in Canada and Eastern Europe.
Henrik Gilstring took over as president and chief executive of Vaderstad AB in February this year. One of 13 family members who work in the company, he has been instrumental in the firm’s continued expansion, including building a new facility at Wahpeton in North Dakota, USA.
Mr Gilstring says: “The acquisition of the AGCO-Amity JV [AAJV] at Wahpeton in 2021 brought with it an existing business infrastructure. Integrating AAJV into the Vaderstad Group has allowed us to gain access to a network of distribution outlets and a manufacturing facility in the USA, supported by the strong reputation already established by the Wil-Rich, Wishek and Concord brands.
“Following our success in Canada during the past 30 years, we see huge potential for Vaderstad products in the USA, including the Carrier, Tempo and Seed Hawk product lines. We have already orchestrated several product concept launches in the USA which have debuted the Tempo K seed drill and the Vaderstad Carrier 30 and 40 Series.
Supply chain crisis
“On a global scale, orders for the next 12 months are very strong. More than half our forecast sales for next year are already in the order books. The post-pandemic supply chain crisis is still ongoing, however it is beginning to stabilise, particularly in Sweden.”
In terms of new products, much of what was being demonstrated at the 2022 press event could be regarded as product developments as opposed to completely new innovations. These included the debut of a new aggressive Vaderstad Cross-Cutter disc and some updates to the Carrier XT and XL ranges to provide greater versatility, in addition to heavy-duty eight-lug wheels rated for 40kph travel speeds.
Machinery Need-To-Knows When Trying No-Till
The launch of the new Cultus HD 425 and 525 linkage-mounted cultivators could be contrived as contradictory. Vaderstad is a leader in the market for min-tillage sustainable farming equipment, so the launch of an all-new heavy-duty soil-buster was not entirely anticipated.
Designed for mid-sized farms with heavy soils, the new Cultus HD follows a long-standing Vaderstad tradition for producing lightweight, high-strength folding cultivators which mount close to the tractor.
The Cultus HD introduces a new frame design, which is claimed to be 30 per cent stronger. It also integrates a new folding wing design. Capable of working at depths of up to 300mm, the Cultus HD features new heavy-duty tines which offer a wide range of point options borrowed from the popular Top Down cultivators.
The tines, which are attached to the frame using a new expanding bolt, are available with a powerful double-coil spring breakaway protection system. With 680kg of spring pressure, the tines are allowed to break back when they hit an obstruction in the ground, then return to full-depth operation without interruption.
Soil levelling
Vaderstad’s new hydraulic Dynamic Control soil levelling system is also integrated into the Cultus design. The soil is levelled using a combination of the firm’s star discs and a packer arm, which is available with a multitude of single and double roller options.
The star disc and roller arms operate independently. Having established an initial operational setting, using Dynamic Control will move the discs proportionally in relation to the position of the roller. This will provide a consistent levelling action as the cultivation depth is adjusted by the operator, without the need to leave the cab.
Launched virtually last year, the new Proceed drill has been developed specifically for precision seed placement. This was the first time a pre-production version of the drill has been seen publicly and the manufacturer was keen exploit the merits of its design.
Seed rates
Working closely with companies including Syngenta, trials with the drill have proved seed rates can be reduced as low as 150 seeds/sq.m, or 65kg/ha for winter wheat.
The new drill features a two-point linkage, with pivot packer wheels to support the drawbar when tractor tyre pressures are reduced. This also serves to support the drawbar and maintain it in a parallel position in relation to the ground.
By using two rows of coulters, the Proceed provides row spacings of 250mm, 500mm or 750mm. Easy to reconfigure with seed metering discs which can be quickly changed, the heart of Proceed is its high-precision row units.
Prior to seed placement, individual pre-seeding wheels consolidate the soil in front of the coulters to ensure the same conditions for each seed. The wheels are individually mounted and use hydraulic downforce to maintain consistent performance.
As the seeds reach the row units from the 2,200-litre hopper, an adapted version of the Vaderstad PowerShoot singulation system, introduced on the Tempo seed drill, takes full control of the seed as it travels to the soil.
Inlike the Tempo, which features large yellow hoppers that are filled manually, the Proceed uses small buffering hoppers which are filled on-demand from the main seed hopper using constant air pressure. From this point onwards the seed is metered into the ground using the Tempo precision seed metering wheel system.
To provide the driver with full control, each row unit is electrically driven and controlled via the Vaderstad E-Control iPad-based control system. Functions include row-by-row section control, variable rate application, dynamic tramlining, individual calibration and real-time precision control monitoring.
Andrew Gamble, market development manager at the manufacturer’s UK division, said: “Trials with farmers in the UK growing oilseed rape and wheat have so far proved very successful.
“The Proceed has proved it can significantly reduce input costs without compromising yields. Trials and testing are continuing throughout Europe, however no official launch date for the new drill has been confirmed.”
