Campaign review of the 2024 potato harvesting season
This year's planting season for potatoes is about to begin. A perfect moment to review an exciting but also challenging 2024 potato season in Europe. According to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Germany, over 289k ha of potatoes were cultivated in Germany in 2024, i.e. the largest area cultivated in the last 20 years!
The year was extremely wet at times, which made planting in spring a challenge and kept the haulm density unusually high, but was followed by a surprisingly good harvest.
Our Keilers proved themselves under various harvesting conditions and, according to our customers, delivered a consistently reliable harvesting performance.
Particularly enthusiastic were the customers who had already used one of around 40 RK22s produced in the previous season. The new Keiler impressed them thanks to its agile hydraulics in conjunction with the upgraded harvesting assistance systems and the new user interface, including redesigned, ergonomically shaped controls.
The farmers were also enthusiastic about the powerful soil cleaning system of the ROPA overloading bunker, the digital video system and the new machine design combined with the usual user-friendly access and maintenance.
Further praise was also given to such details as the redesigned haulm chain and equipment options like TwinClean or DoubleSelect, which significantly increase the separation performance.
Here some customer statements and impressions of the 2024 harvest campaign:
ROPA Keiler 2 RK22 DoubleSelect at Binder GbR in Gerolsheim, Rhineland-Palatinate
Interview with Gerald and Andreas Binder
‘We run our family farm in the region of Anterior Palatinate and cultivate new potatoes and onions. The clod separation performance of the RK22 Double Select completely convinced us, especially on surfaces with a slightly higher clay content.’
ROPA Keiler 2 RK22 DoubleSelect - the highest separation performance:
The DoubleSelect is basically constructed like a standard Keiler 2. However, an additional triple UFK on the pintle belt 2 significantly increases the separation performance on cloddy and stony soils. The Keiler 2 RK22 DoubleSelect is optionally available with an additional sorting platform, incl. a trash track.
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.
All functions of the RK22 separation unit can be conveniently adjusted from the cabin as usual. In addition, a further terminal is installed at the rear sorting platform.
Learn more about the Keiler 2RK22 DoubleSelect at Binder GbR
Keiler 2 Classic with overloading bunker at the Wolkenburg farm
Keiler 2 Classic at the Wolkenburg farm: a special Keiler 2 harvests around 220 hectares of table potatoes every year in the south-west of Saxony. The Wolkenburg farm uses a RK22, equipped with deflector rollers instead of a rotating finger comb on the pintle belt 2 and an overloading bunker. Jens Wendler, ROPA area manager, and Axel Drescher, from service and sales partner LTZ Hartmannsdorf, provide support and service for the machine.
Wilhelm Stassen, who originally comes from the Rhineland, took over the business in the Zwickauer Mulde almost 30 years ago. Today, he runs the farm with ten permanent employees, cultivating crops on the fertile loess-clay soils and annual rainfall of 650 to 700 mm.
The potatoes are distributed via Friweika, a cooperative society involved in the processing of table potatoes, in which Stassen's company also holds a stake. A particular interest relates to the storage method used by the members of the cooperative...
Learn more about the Keiler 2 Classic with an overloading bunker at the Wolkenburg farm
Keiler 2 RK22 - Kartoffel Olligs, Kirchherten - North Rhine Westphalia
Heinz-Georg Olligs in the interview
"The fertile Cologne-Aachen-Ruhr Valley 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.'
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 color harvest the potatoes.
Potatoes are always grown in Kirchherten since the soil near Jülich is very fertile. The ROPA Keiler delivers impressive performance, efficiency and crop protection.
Keiler 2 Classic RK22 - Honsel Agrar, Rhede - North Rhine Westphalia
Georg Honsel in the interview
"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."
Further impressions of the new Keiler 2 RK22
ROPA sales and service partner J. Hundahl A/S from Denmark
The Hundahl team was busy demonstrating the Keiler 2 RK22 in the 2024 season. The demonstration machine is equipped with an overloading bunker and a drive wheel, making it perfectly capable of handling a wide range of harvesting conditions.
Due to a very positive reaction, we can proudly report, that many Keilers will work on new customers' fields in Denmark's this year.
RK22 at Papen GbR in Surwold
The potato harvest in Lower Saxony. Henning Papen harvests potatoes using his RK22, equipped with an overloading bunker and a drive wheel.
The starch potatoes are transported directly to a pile in the field by a Case Puma with Emsland LoadMaster. These are then covered with fleece.
Demonstration of RK22 at our partner Claas Weser Ems in Lower Saxony
Impressions from October near Rastdorf.
The RK22 with a tray filler and a bunker articulation, for particularly gentle loading of the sensitive tubers, is towed by a Claas Axion 830.
RK22 Silver Edition - visiting our customer Ludger Hermes in Lehe
Holger Christians enjoyed harvesting with the Keiler for years. In the 2024 season, he operates the RK22 Silver Edition and a Case Optum 270.
Silver Edition offers such advantages as reduced soil adhesion, corrosion- and wear-resistant stainless steel bunker walls and, of course, an outstanding design.
First operation of RK22 at Bachmaier
On August 23, 2024, we had an opportunity to accompany another Keiler on its first mission in the Eichstätt district. The RK22, fitted with a bunker increase and black rims, started its first potato harvest under optimal conditions. The Keiler and the JCB Fasttrac teamed up perfectly.
Christoph Bauer (ROPA) and Christoph Arnold (Gebr. Bachmaier) launched the machine, which is serviced by our sales and service partner, Gebrüder Bachmaier Landmaschinen GmbH.
RK22 Classic - demonstration at Lohmann Landtechnik
The team of our partner Lohmann Landtechnik from Scheeßel was also busy demonstrating Keiler in the 2024 season, here some impressions from October 18, 2024.
The demonstration machine is equipped with a sunshade canopy and the optional grader rollers for comfortable and effective sorting. Four plastic rollers on the picking conveyor, which allows up to 8 people to sort, can be infinitely adjusted from 25 to 40 mm.
Furthermore, the RK22 Classic has been fitted with the new all-round pickup.
With this pickup, the ridge drums can be folded away to allow harvesting without ridge pressure, using only the guide wheels. This means that onions can also be harvested on light sites without having to change the pickup.
Alternatively, depth guide, ridge pressure and automatic ridge centering can be controlled as usual via the ridge drums. Furthermore, the drums can run only with their own weight and thus control the automatic ridge centering.
RK22 DoubleSelect at Thomas Mohr in Frankenthal
First operation at our partner RWZ Mutterstadt
Another Keiler 2 shows its capabilities! On cloddy soils, the new DoubleSelect is fully in its element. Superior separating performance! Florian Schmitt (RWZ Mutterstadt) and Rainer Anhäuser, ROPA's local area representative, handed over the harvester to its new owner on July 25, 2024.
Thomas uses his Keiler to harvest potatoes and load onions.
Impressions of the long-proven Keiler 2 type RK21
Keiler 2 DoubleSelect at the Rath organic farm in Pfatter, Bavaria
We could release another Keiler 2 into the 'wild'. Martin Rath values the combination of high efficiency and outstanding separation performance of the DoubleSelect.
The Keiler 2 DoubleSelect was handed over to the Rath family by Roland Huber, Gruber Landtechnik, and Maximilian Wallenberger, ROPA representative.
Keiler 2 Double Select at the Krapp family from Elsdorf
ROPA team accompanied the next new machine during its first harvest. This time we were out and about with a Keiler 2 DoubleSelect, which demonstrated its strength here. Despite good soil conditions, one can already see how wet the past year was. The ground is very poorly compacted and therefore has relatively little fine soil structure. Thanks to the DoubleSelect, despite these conditions we were still able to harvest very clean tubers. Many thanks to the Krapp family from Elsdorf and best wishes for a successful harvest with the new machine.
RK21 at work in Brandenburg
Keiler 2 and Fendt Vario harvesting under the best conditions. The RK21 with half ridge drums and central share owned by our customer Lutz Wercham at Johann Gerdes' farm.
Hydraulic disc coulters are installed to ensure that the potato ridges are picked up properly, even under unfavorable haulm conditions.
Thanks to the central share, the Keiler can also be used in combination with a swather. The standard functions, such as ridge centering, hydraulic ridge pressure regulation and relief as well as the hydraulic lifting depth adjustment can also be used in the usual way with the half ridge drums.
RK21 with an overloading bunker and Fendt Vario 722 at Schmidt's farm
Area performance as the main focus:
Harvesting with RK21 with an overloading bunker and Fendt Vario 722 at Schmidt's farm. The pickup of the Keiler is equipped with the half ridge drums and central share allowing harvesting of potatoes in combination with a swather. A weather protection canopy provides more comfort at the sorting platform. The harvester is also equipped with a stone collection box.
In order to harvest without any interruptions, a Brettmeister loading trailer accompanies the harvester in the field.
Keiler 2 RK21 Classic at LIRS Agrar- und Dienstleistungen
First harvesting in August 2024, Keiler 2 Classic at our customer LIRS Agrar- und Dienstleistngen. Classic and John Deere 8360R make a powerful team! With stone collection box, bunker articulation, half ridge drums and a central share, the harvester is perfectly ready for operation.
Keiler 1 with sunshade canopy at Agrar GmbH ‘am Stromberg’ Gröditz
The single-row harvester with a tray filler is towed by a Valtra tractor in metallic red.
Similar to the Keiler 2, the single-row harvester is fully hydraulically driven, which enables very gentle harvesting of the potatoes.
Keiler 2 RK21 in action in Saxony
Even high weed content poses no problem for our Keilers. The leaf chain reliably transports the oilseed rape and orache out of the machine.
Potatoes are filled into trays directly in the field.
Onion harvesting with the Keiler 2 RK21 in Dingelstedt
Keiler 2 loaded onions at Rüdiger and Cornelia Bothe's farm in Dingelstedt.
Thanks to the ROPA quick-change system, switching from a ridge pickup to a swath pickup takes only a few minutes!
Many thanks to Jens Wendler, our local area representative, for the great photos.
Keiler 2 RK21 in Tundersleben
Keiler 2 and Fendt Vario 722 at Tolle Knolle GbR in Tundersleben. The RK21 is equipped with deflector rollers instead of a rotating finger comb above the pintle belt 4. The deflector roller package offers a product-friendly and high-throughput alternative to the UFK, especially on loose soils with low clod or stone content. In addition, it is equipped with plastic ridge drums. Thanks to them, less ridge pressure can be applied if required, compared to normal drums. They also handle particularly sticky soil conditions more effectively.
Keiler 2 RK21 at the Plüschow agricultural cooperative society
Keiler 2 and John Deere 6R in action at the Plüschow agricultural cooperative society. In addition, a Brettmeister loading trailer accompanies the harvester in the field.
Chicory harvesting with Keiler 2 Classic
Chicory harvesting with a Keiler 2 Classic and John Deere 8360 R at SL Gartenbau GmbH in Oberkrämer. The chicory roots are harvested in autumn and then stored in a very cool place. Later they are moved to a dark greenhouse to grow shoots from the roots; these can be sold.
The roots are harvested by a pickup without ridge drums. The depth and lateral guide of this pickup is performed by means of special skids.
ROPA expands its presence in the eastern part of Lower Saxony with a new service and sales center for potato technology in Uelzen
On November 1, 2024, ROPA Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbau GmbH took over the service center and premises of PALANDT Agrartec GmbH in Uelzen. From now on, customers of the ROPA potato technology in the eastern part of Lower Saxony will be supported directly by the ROPA team. The supply of spare parts and customer support will be maintained at its usual top level and constantly improved.
Enhanced sales and consulting on site
Joachim Timm and Arne Meyer are now the contact persons for customer advice and sales. Both are based at the ROPA Uelzen branch. A generously dimensioned showroom provides the ideal setting for comprehensive consultation on machines and technology as well as for service and driver trainings and a perfect location for customer events.
Another milestone for even greater proximity to customers.