Animal rearing, protection and quality seals are the focus of consumers and farmers. As a model demonstration company in animal welfare, Heiko Ranft from the Ranft pig farm in Hesse, develops concepts for keeping long-tailed pigs under conventional pig breeding methods.

Pig rearing takes up most of the farm owner's working time, but he also farms his own land and works as a contractor. Downtime or delays are not an option for him, so he has invested in the towed field sprayer, the Fendt Rogator 355, with a 27-metre wide boom. “For me, impact on the field is crucial. A lot of tasks depend on schedule or weather. That's why I don't want to have to rely on a contractor,” Ranft explains. Especially with integrated plant protection, quick response times are important if harmful thresholds are exceeded.

In addition to the Fendt Rogator, Heiko Ranft's machinery also includes Fendt tractors, such as a Fendt Farmer 309 LS, which is used for field edging, a Fendt Favorit 514 C and a Favorit 509 C as well as a Fendt 720 Vario, a Fendt 516 Vario and a Fendt 5275 C PL combine. For their four children they have a Fendt Kettcar and two Fendt pedal tractors, for his two sons Noah and Til and two daughters Ida and Mila to happily race around on.

The tractors on the Ranft farm are put to use in arable farming, yard work and transport work, with the farm manager himself having to transport piglets. He uses one of his Fendt tractors and his own piglet trailer for this. The piglets go to direct sellers in the area, who care about locally sourced produce and animal welfare. One of his customers even has a visitor's stable so customers can form a direct bond with the agriculture, in particular with animal rearing. Heiko regularly invests in new technology so he always works with the latest machines and prevents investment backlogs. The plant representative for Fendt Plant Protection, Gerd Leopold, was decisive in the purchase of this sprayer. Heiko was impressed with his in-depth expertise and product knowledge, as well as advice that was precisely geared to the requirements of the farm. The purchase was then made through Raiffeisen Waren GmbH, based in Kassel, and its local branch in Gudensberg. “Cooperation and great service are important to us, as is the short distance of just 6 km to the workshop,” says the farm owner. “If a machine breaks down, we need a quick solution, and this partnership makes it all run smoothly,” says Timo Wyss, Workshop Foreman at Raiffeisen Waren GmbH.

When Heiko Ranft isn't working on the farm, he spends his free time with his wife and four children or with friends and family doing woodwork. This year, his woodmaking even takes him to the German Championships in firewood splitting. Heiko Ranft signed up as a team together with four other men from the village.