Keiler 2 RK22 at Olligs family in Kirchherten, North Rhine-Westphalia
Interview with Heinz-Georg Olligs
"The fertile Cologne-Aachen Bay has always been a potato-growing region. Here we supply our customers all year round. We pre-sprout potato, start harvesting in May and harvest until November. The Keiler's performance always impresses us, especially under wet conditions. Its efficiency and high level of crop protection make it unrivalled. Harvesting with the Keiler is simply a lot of fun. Sometimes, we really fight over the right to harvest with the Keiler."
The Olligs family runs an arable farm in the Rhineland (Bedburg-Kirchherten) with over 250 hectares. This farm has a long tradition and is now being farmed by the third generation. Potatoes have always been cultivated in Kirchherten thanks to the very fertile soil of the Jülicher Börde. The ROPA Keiler delivers impressive performance, efficiency and crop protection. As a result of soil points between 80 and 95, a loess soil depth between 5 and 10 metres and rainfall between 750 - 900 mm, it is possible to grow not only high-quality potatoes, but also other crops thrive on the high-yield soil of the Jülicher Börde.
ROPA Keiler 2 RK22 and John Deere with black rims at Kartoffel Olligs
The Olligs family runs an arable farm in the Rhineland (Bedburg-Kirchherten) with over 250 hectares. This farm has a long tradition and is now being farmed by the third generation. A ROPA Keiler 2 RK22 and a John Deere with rims painted in the special black colour harvest the potatoes.
Potatoes have always been cultivated in Kirchherten thanks to the very fertile soil of the Jülicher Börde. The ROPA Keiler delivers impressive performance, efficiency and crop protection.
Keiler 2 Classic RK22 at Honsel Agrar in Rhede, North Rhine Westphalia
Interview with Georg Honsel
"We run a potato and onion farm on organic basis and focus particularly on crop protection, as marketing quality is our top priority. Highly positive factors are the low operating costs and the incredibly responsive control of the entire operating hydraulics. This is another area where ROPA has outdone itself."
Georg Honsel also talks about his farming business in Rhede, North Rhine-Westphalia, which has steadily expanded in recent years.
The business consists of two main branches: conventional farming and an extensive organic farming. Both branches benefit from ROPA's advanced technology, especially the Keiler 2 Classic, which perfectly meets a variety of requirements in harvesting.
ROPA Keiler 2 RK22 DoubleSelect at Binder GbR in Gerolsheim, Rhineland-Palatinate
Interview with Gerald Binder
"After the factory tour last year, we knew it was going to be yellow! We tested all possible brands and finally chose ROPA. The Keiler DoubleSelect was simply the most convincing. Another feature in its favour was the hydraulic disc coulters. Four pieces in the front centre. We have to harvest in any weather conditions when we get orders.All four hydraulic disc coulters are really great and we haven't had any problems yet."
Binder GbR from Gerolsheim is located one hundred metres above sea level. With good to excellent soils, this region is known for growing a wide range of crops. The Binder family's hybrid farm cultivates grapes as well as sugar beet, cereals, onions and, as a key crop, early potatoes.
ROPA Keiler 2 RK22 DoubleSelect
The DoubleSelect option for better separation performance on cloddy and stony soils will be available for the RK22 in series from the 2025 season. With this option the harvester has an additional triple UFK on pintle belt 2 with a separate trash track and a retractable sorting platform next to pintle belt 3. The additional UFK can be precisely adjusted in height on both sides of the RK22 DoubleSelect thanks to electric lifting spindle motors.
Improved separation performance
Early separation of clods and stones in the crop flow significantly reduces damage to the potatoes later on, thus ensuring that the potatoes are harvested even more gently. Each UFK can also be optionally equipped with rotating brushes (UBK).