Case IH, a brand of CNH Industrial, and Northmec, its distribution partner in South Africa, highlighted a range of new equipment and technologies during chose Nampo 2019 from 14-17 May 2019
Their exhibit included a range of Case IH equipment and state-of-the-art technologies. In addition to the new Case IH SoilXplorer sensor/mapper and latest Early Riser 2000 high-precision planter, it featured 140 and 240 Series Axial Flow combines, a full range of tractors from the JXT to the flagship Quadtrac 600, together with Patriot 250 and 3230 sprayers.
Organised by Grain South Africa, the event at Nampo Park near Bothaville is the country’s premier agricultural exhibition, as well as being the largest agricultural machinery/livestock show in the southern hemisphere.
“NAMPO 2019 was a great success for both companies, which have enjoyed a very successful and long-standing partnership over the last 30 years, during which time Case IH has become a leading brand in South Africa,” stated Jaco Prinsloo, product marketing at Case IH. “Northmec, our distributor for South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia, has developed market-leading levels of sales, service and support which benefit customers across many Case IH product lines and has contributed to our continuous strong growth in this region.”
Northmec imports and distributes agricultural equipment, predominantly in grain producing areas, through an extensive network of 13 branches and 37 dealers, together with one subsidiary (shareholding) in Zimbabwe. It sells and supports an extensive range of Case IH products, including Axial Flow combines, grain and corn headers, windrowers, tractors from the 60hp/36kW JX45T Compact to flagship 600hp/447kW Steiger 600 and Quadtrac 600 models, together with Patriot self-propelled sprayers, LB Series big pack square balers and Tiger-Mate 200, Ecolo Tiger and True Tandem tillage equipment.
New soilxplorer on show
One of the highlights of Nampo 2019 for Northmec was the latest addition to its technology offering, the new Case IH SoilXplorer sensor/mapper. This forms part of the innovative AGXTEND range of precision farming technologies which complement Case IH’s existing Advanced Farming System (AFS) products and will eventually include a full range of precision solutions and connected services.
SoilXplorer is a contactless soil sensor which uses electromagnetism to measure soil conductivity at four different soil depths: 0-25cm, 15-60cm, 55-95cm, 85-115cm. Working independently of weather conditions and vegetation, the unit is light, easy to handle, can be mounted on a tractor’s front linkage and has two key functions.
Firstly, it can be used for mapping fields, to record soil heterogeneity, determine the soil type and relative water content, the information it gathers being stored in field maps, with SoilXplorer SXTS software included in the package. Secondly, it provides information on the presence and depth of compacted areas, thereby allowing variable depth soil cultivation to be practised with compatible equipment.
High-tech planter attracts interest
Case IH also displayed the latest Early Riser 2000 high-precision planter lineup, which was the first to factory-integrate industry-leading seed placement technologies from Precision Planting into a completely new system featuring a best-in-class, all-new, rugged row unit.
Designed for modern seed types, treatments, populations and conditions, the Early Riser is not only extremely accurate but also robust enough to deliver precise seed placement across all terrains, soil tyres, crops and speeds for faster, more uniform emergence.
Case IH has now expanded the capabilities of its Early Riser planter lineup for 2019. New layers of high-definition (HD) data are available through the Climate Corporation FieldView Cab app with FieldView Drive technology that meets the high-tech needs of producers to help them make informed agronomic decisions.
The new setup removes the need to purchase a display exclusively for FieldView and allows for row-by-row data visualisation, mapping, autoguidance line sharing and more. It is available for producers who operate a 2000 Series Early Riser planter paired with a Case IH tractor that is equipped with Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) AccuGuide™ autoguidance system, comprising the NavII/III controller, AFS 372 receiver and AFS Pro 700 display.
The new technology enables the singulation and liquid fertiliser layers to be visualised directly from the planter to the FieldView Cab app. With compatible equipment and a FieldView subscription, all that a producer needs to do is to plug the FieldView Drive hardware into the Case IH AFS Pro 700 display and start planting.
Standard map layers include hybrid variety, population and planting speed data. Additional map layers available for 2000 series Early Riser planters include singulation, spacing, DeltaForce hydraulic downforce, liquid fertiliser and granular chemical layers, making Case IH the first original equipment manufacturer to deliver liquid fertiliser and granular chemical data layers to the FieldView app.