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A show of power farming

By Staff | Feb 11, 2011

Iowa Power Farming Show visitors look over the latest in ag machine technology on this, one of three show floors available.

DES MOINES – Thousands of Iowa farmers and FFA students flocked last week to the Iowa Power Farming Show, held at Hy-Vee Center and at the Iowa Events Center.

Exhibitors throughout the six acres of displays told Farm news they are sensing increasing optimism among producers with more looking to upgrade machinery, after several years of maintaining their existing implements.

Growing yields requiring bigger vehicles to haul grain, plus farming more acre, requiring bigger machinery; plus new technologies in managing crops throughout the growing season, were bringing farmers out to the show to see what may work for their operations.

The three-day event was sparsely attended on Feb. 1, said Jason Hebert, sales representative for Lexion. A huge winter storm with blowing snow kept so many people away, Hebert said, “there were more exhibitors than farmers.”

Wednesday’s attendance was better and Thursday’s clear skies and roadways brought farmers out in force.

Iowa Power Farming Show visitors get up close and personal with machinery, in foreground, displayed by Hagie Manufacturing, of Clarion.

Hebert was talking to farmers about several tractor and combine models on display by Lexion and other Caterpiller products, especially the Lexion 750 Terra Trac combine from CLAAS.

Aside from being the fastest tracked combine on the open road, at 25 miles per hour, it also features rotary threshing, and gives the operator the ability to adjust threshing speed, with separating speed independently of each other.

When asked about farmers as buyers of equipment in 2011, Hebert said this year he’s seen farmer interested in buying in January.

“By now, anyone serious about buying a combine has already bought.

“But this year I’ve never seen so many saying, ‘We’re interested and we are going to buy something.'”

Over in the New holland corner, sales rep Brent Prauner was showing the CR9070 combine, which features a self-leveling shoe, that keeps the machine level with the field even on slopes.

Inside the combine are twin rotors that keeps the feed width consistent through the machine. An increased interior capacity creates more centrifugal force for shelling corn, but is more gentle with corn so there is less cracking and grain dust.

Prauner said he, too, has seen more serious interest among producers who considering equipment upgrades this year.

Under the intimidating height of the Brent 1394 grain cart, a monster that holds 2,000 bushels, sales rep Joe Terpstra, explained about the 11-foot tracs on the cart.

These have hydraulic tensioners that make it faster for producers to correct trac tension. Former models had manual se plates which required tools and time to adjust.

When asked about producers’ seriousness to finance new equipment, Terpstra said, “Every good year you stack on top of each, it increases the number of people looking to upgrade.

“And there have been several good years now.”

There were over 1,600 total exhibitors at the power show, with seminras, displays and equipment on six different levels in the two buildings.

Contact Lary Kershner at (515) 573-2141, Ext 453 or at kersh@farm-news.com.