Every four years, the Swiss Strickhof Education and Competence Centre changes its main fleet tractor brand. At present, apprentices, students and attendees of advanced training courses drive Fendt machines. We went along to the centre near Zurich and saw for ourselves that regardless of Swiss neutrality. everyone seems to like Fendt tractors!

Four sites make up the education and research department of the state competence centre for training and services in agriculture and the food industry. The three Fendt tractors are used mainly on the main Lindau site, where most of the 4,549 students and advanced course attendees are trained. Alongside the administration buildings, campus and halls of residence, the site houses the new innovative “AgroVet-Strickhof ” livestock centre. A state-of- the-art agricultural education and research facility with dairy, fattening and other cattle sheds, which is used for research and educational purposes by Strickhof trainees as well as students from the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich. Around 45 hectares of arable land, 20 hectares of grassland, a four hectare orchard, and a vegetable garden make Strickhof Lindau an ideal place for study and research, and the perfect place to put the three Varios to good use.

Most tractors have three main tasks – pulling, shunting, transporting, and that’s just what they do at Strickhof, though the competence centre itself has one main purpose – to teach, educate and inform. The small Fendt 211 Vario, the Fendt 312 Vario and the powerful Fendt 716 Vario therefore also act as training and demonstration vehicles for trainees, students, and conference and course attendees.

What are the advantages of these machines for students? “Oh that has to be the continuously- variable gearbox,” says Robert Sonderegger, operations manager for crop cultivation. “I recently did some mowing with a student, and all he had to do was adjust the machine and speed,” says Robert Sonderegger. “He only needs to put his foot down and then concentrate fully on mowing.”

The three Fendt tractors are mainly used in normal agricultural operations at Strickhof Lindau. With 1,108 running hours, the Fendt 211 Vario is among the most frequently-used tractors at Strickhof. “The Fendt 200 series can more than hold its own in this weight class,” thinks Michael Möckli. “Indeed, the continuously-variable gearbox, the front axle suspension and compressed air system were all unique selling points for this size of tractor when we were looking to choose one.” The 211 is closely followed by the Fendt 312 Vario with 926 running hours. This is also used for a range of applications, mostly with the 3-share plough, mower combination, muck spreader or for transport work. The Fendt 716 Vario is preferred for transporting liquid manure, drill combinations, or sugar beet transport. Sometimes lots of power is required even in small countries like Switzerland.

An internal selection committee makes the decision on which brand will constitute the main fleet at Strickhof for four years. Using a points system, the impartial and lengthy selection process determines which machine brand can best meet the needs of the centre for the next four years. “It is of course a considerable challenge to keep on changing the tractors,” explains Strickhof director Ueli Voegeli. “However, as an educational institution, we are also obliged to remain impartial and want to show our students different brands and the latest technologies, and the same brands don’t always have the latest technology.” In two years’ time then, Strickhof will again decide to “rent instead of buy”, so that it always has state-of-the-art machines as part of its tractor fleet.