Surrounded by a cloud of dust, a Fendt IDEAL 9T threshes rapeseed against the backdrop of the picturesque village of Dankmarshausen – in the background is a huge white manmade mountain, the 'Monte Kali' or ‘Kalimanjaro’. It's a hot day in August, with the sun burning down at 36° Celsius. “Perfect for harvesting,” says Konrad Miosge, Operations Manager of AG Dankmarshausen.

The Fendt IDEAL 9T belongs to the Agargenossenschaft Dankmarshausen, AG Dankmarshausen for short, just like the ten Fendt Vario tractors that are in use around the white potash mountain on over 2,300 hectares. The company is located in the Werra-Suhl Valley in Thuringia, in the middle of one of the largest potash mining areas in Germany.

This Fendt IDEAL 9T belongs to the Dankmarshausen farming cooperative (AG Dankmarshausen), just like the ten Fendt Vario tractors that are used around the white Mount Kali (Mount potash) over an area spanning more than 2,300 hectares. The farm is located in the Thuringian Werra-Suhl Valley in the heart of Germany's largest potash mining areas. The Fendt IDEAL is expected to harvest an average of 700 hectares per year, and the warm dry month of August brings good harvest conditions. "It means we can take our time with the harvest – that's great for our drivers," says Konrad Miosge. Often the harvest time windows are short, the weather is changeable and two combines have to do the job. "With a bit more rain during the growing season, the conditions would have been perfect." Yields from this harvest were 7-9 t/ha for wheat, 7.5-8.5 t/ha for rye and 6.5-8 t/ha for winter barley. "This is a solid result for 2020, but certainly not a record year. The Fendt IDEAL manages a good area coverage and the grain losses are also low," confirms the satisfied farm manager.

Since 2014, the farm exclusively uses Fendt combines with tracks. “It has been rather dry in the last three years, but especially when the conditions are wet, the tracks are unbeatable,” Konrad said. “Then there’s the improved weight distribution from the larger contact area. With a full tank, the combine weighs about 40 tons and the weight is mainly on the front axle. With tracks, we can reduce the ground pressure and distribute it better.” The smooth running in the cab is another plus." Wheat, rapeseed, rye, barley, lupins and peas were grown over more than 1,400 hectares this year, with the Fendt IDEAL 9T working all the crops. "It's nice and neat in the barley, wheat and here in the rapeseed, too," says combine harvester driver Martin Andres. "It only dragged a little in the barley but this happens with all combines, because the straw is so much longer." In 2019, the farm already ran a Fendt IDEAL, back then it was still a Fendt IDEAL 8T. But it turned out to be too small for the farm. "We are really happy with the Fendt IDEAL 9T," says Konrad Miosge.

"We keep our animals on straw, so we need huge quantities of it," explains Uwe Teske, Chairman of AG Dankmarshausen, calling it a decisive factor. The Fendt IDEAL has proven itself, because "The straw quality of the Fendt IDEAL is fantas tic; it can do that almost as well as a straw walker. The Fendt IDEAL gets top marks for this," says Konrad, in full praise. They produce an average of 10,000 bales a year, and this year they expect 10,500. "We re-distribute the straw as solid manure on our land, after all, it's valuable fertiliser," he continues. Two older-generation 936s spread the solid manure, and the new Fendt 942 Vario uses a Horsch Joker 8 RT to work the fertilizer. "We've been loyal Fendt customers for 20 years," says Uwe. Christian Poppe from Raiffeisen Waren GmbH Kassel in Bebra has been a huge factor in this for the cooperative. The excellent advice provided by Christian, but also the good cooperation with Thomas Stieglitz, Retail Manager for Fendt, is very important for AG Dankmarshausen. "This allows us to solve any problem quickly and easily," agrees Konrad.