A new Vervaet Q-616 sugar beet harvester has been producing impressive results for Norfolk-based contractor Jeremy Green, who took delivery of the new machine at the beginning of this campaign from UK importer J Riley Beet Harvesters (UK) Ltd.
Mr Green, from Bressingham, South Norfolk, originally started his contracting business 26 years ago with a Massey Ferguson 3125 tractor and Landquip 3,000-litre, 24m trailed sprayer. This outfit successfully covered a considerable area of contract spraying, and it wasn’t long before baling was also offered thanks to customer demand.
The business continued to expand, and stubble-to-stubble agreements naturally followed. Today, the company employs six full-time staff and expects to perform about 1,500 acres of whole farm contracting as well as offering individual services from beet drilling with RTK through to baling and even bulk haulage.
Sugar beet harvesting was first offered in 2010, when a round was taken on following the death of local contractor David Scarfe.
“I had often worked with David,” Mr Green said. “I took on the harvester as well as Owen, who had driven it for David, and together we went to see all of the customers. He was running a 2004 Vervaet 17T, which we ran for two years before replacing it with a younger version.
“We then moved over to a very low-hour Beet Eater 617 with steel depth control wheels and long share legs that Jeremy Riley had suggested would be the ideal machine for us. It was a very good harvester and we used that for four years.
“We have a very good working relationship with Rileys,” Mr Green added. “The service is fantastic and they’ll work with you”
With Vervaet harvesters consistently proving to be the right machines for Mr Green’s business and the knowledge that he could rely on Rileys for backup, it was only logical that he looked closely at the newly launched Q-series when the time came to purchase a new harvester.
“We went to a demo last year and were impressed with the new models, and then had them on demo here too,” Mr Green said. “A number of my customers had signed up to a three-year beet contract, so I thought it was the most secure time to invest and I placed an order for a new Q-616. We then went over to the factory and saw our new harvester being built.
“The harvester has worked very well. I’m pleased with the extra output of the machine – we’re lifting somewhere around 2,000 acres and doing it comfortably now. It’s gone a dream on sticky land – we’ve been working faster than we expected, and customers have also commented that it’s an impressive harvester. They also like how level it leaves the field after lifting.”
The new Q-616 is usually supported in the field by a 20-tonne Bailey Beeteaper trailer, which was also new for this beet campaign and is perfectly matched to the harvester, reports operator Owen Page.
“The Q-616 holds more than our previous harvester and works well with the trailers, especially with a decent crop,” Mr Page said. “It has more capacity, so you can harvest between 1.0 and 1.5km/hr faster, even on our heaviest land. Everything on the machine is very well thought out, the new lifter has better visibility and beet flow. It’s also kinder on the beet, you can clean it just enough to take all of the soil out.
“The manoeuvrability is impressive, you can turn back on yourself and work up and down without shunting on the ends, which is handy when doing short work,” he added. “It’s comfortable to drive and quieter, quite a few people have commented about that, and the lights are also better. It’s also capable of 40km/hr on the road, which takes a bit of getting used to!”
For more information visit: www.jrileyagri.co.uk.
