Harvest King adds farm tire offerings

Apr 18, 2019

Producers can purchase the AR series R-1W tractor tire

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Farmers in Canada and the U.S. have another tractor tire option thanks to Harvest King’s recent addition to its tire line.

TBC Brands, a tire distributor and marketer, has unveiled the Harvest King Field Pro AR series R-1W rear radial tractor tires.

Designed with multi-angle lugs to help self-clean in heavy, wet soils, the tire also features a shallow shoulder angle for improved traction, said Bill Dashiell, senior vice-president of the commercial tire division for TBC Brands.

“When you’ve got clumps of mud in the tire, it makes things worse on the road,” he told Farms.com. “But the tire is designed to reduce slippage in the field so you’re getting the power from the tractor to the ground. The reduced slippage also helps with fuel efficiency.”

The tires in the line are standard radial designs and not IF or VF, Dashiell said.

“The design was for the footprint and to minimize the damage on the outside shoulders of row crops,” he said.

The tire is currently available in nine sizes:

380/85R24
380/85R28
420/85R28
380/85R30
420/85R30
460/85R38
480/80R42
480/80R46
380/90R46

Three more sizes – 380/85R34, 520/85R38 and 520/85R42 – will be available in June.

And additional sizes, including 480/80R50, could be added down the road, Dashiell said.

“We’re looking at expanding the line from the current size to other key (sizes) for the Canadian and U.S. markets,” he said.

Video: How farmers are protecting the soil and our food security | DW Documentary

For a long time, soil was all but ignored. But for years, the valuable humus layer has been thinning. Farmers in Brandenburg are clearly feeling the effects of this on their sandy fields. Many are now taking steps to prepare their farms for the future.

Years of drought, record rainfall and failed harvests: we are becoming increasingly aware of how sensitively our environment reacts to extreme weather conditions. Farmers' livelihoods are at stake. So is the ability of consumers to afford food.

For a few years now, agriculture that focuses solely on maximum yields has been regarded with increasing skepticism. It is becoming more and more clear just how dependent we are on healthy soils.

Brandenburg is the federal state with the worst soil quality in Germany. The already thin, fertile humus layer has been shrinking for decades. Researchers and farmers who are keen to experiment are combating these developments and looking for solutions. Priority is being given to building up the humus layer, which consists of microorganisms and fungi, as well as springtails, small worms and centipedes.

For Lena and Philipp Adler, two young vegetable farmers, the tiny soil creatures are invaluable helpers. On their three-hectare organic farm, they rely on simple, mechanical weed control, fallow areas where the soil can recover, and diversity. Conventional farmer Mark Dümichen also does everything he can to protect soil life on his land. For years, he has not tilled the soil after the harvest and sows directly into the field. His yields have stabilized since he began to work this way.

Isabella Krause from Regionalwert AG Berlin-Brandenburg is convinced after the experiences of the last hot summers that new crops will thrive on Brandenburg's fields in the long term. She has founded a network of farmers who are promoting the cultivation of chickpeas with support from the scientific community.