N and T Series prove ideal for organic farms and peat bogs

12.07.2006

First Valtra tractors are a positive surprise for farming brothers

Their company name Kikaju Oy combines the first two letters of each of the three brothers’ first names: Kimmo, Kari and Juha. The family’s organic farm and peat production operations are currently run by Kari and Juha, as Kimmo has focused on other areas of the agricultural business since the end of the 1990s.

Organic farming introduced in 1995

The Raininko brothers do not mess about. When the time was ripe for switching to organic farming in 1995, all 300 hectares of the family’s fields were converted. Since then the area of cultivated land has been further expanded. All the fields are situated within a radius of approximately 6 kilometers from the farmhouse, which is quite a luxury for farms of this size.

The family’s organic fields in Southwest Finland are used primarily for growing clover, peas, rye and wheat. Camelina and rape are also cultivated in smaller quantities. The clover is used for plant protection and is grown in five-year intervals, one of which is also used for peas.

New challenges and lessons

“There is no going back to traditional farming, as long as economic conditions and the EU’s agricultural policies remain pretty much the same. Organic farming is certainly more challenging; we learn from our mistakes,” explain Juha and Kari in turns.

According to the brothers, there is still a lot to learn about organic farming in general. For example, soil compaction is not just the result of heavy machinery but the reduction of organic activities due to the chemicals used in traditional farming. Nitrogen fertilisation is also a major cause of plant diseases.

Land of bogs and peat

Finland has 9 million hectares of peat bogs, representing alongside forestry an important national energy resource. Around 55,000 hectares of peat is currently cultivated. The Raininko family business has cultivated peat for the past 26 years, providing the brothers with a wealth of experience and knowledge about how to produce energy and agricultural peat efficiently.

The Raininko’s peat team produces each year an average of 150,000 cubic metres of energy and agricultural peat. The target for this year is almost 170,000 cubic metres, of which 70 percent had been produced already by the first week of July thanks to excellent weather.

Kikaju Oy employs 10 tractors and 15 to 16 drivers to cultivate peat. The machinery includes two vacuum trailers, of which one is the biggest in the world currently produced. This tandem model sucks up to 80 cubic metres of peat at a time into its container. Other equipment includes four 9-metre production millers, three 18-metre harvesters, a conveyor loader and five trailers. Around one inch of peat is taken at a time, and each harvest produces around 40 cubic metres per hectare.

First Valtra N and T Series tractors

At least half of the Raininko’s tractors have thus far been heavy-duty US models. A caterpillar tractor with rubber treads has been used by Kikaju for the biggest tasks on fields and in bogs alike since 1998. The brothers have always used a variety of different makes, and this year they took delivery of their first Valtra tractors.

Kikaju ordered a total of three Valtras last spring: two T190s and one N141 to replace three 190-horsepower American tractors that weigh more than Valtra’s T Series. All three Valtra tractors were driven straight to the peat bog, with field work reserved for later. The brothers soon recognised the much improved fuel economy of their new tractors. At the time of this interview, the T Series tractors had already run for 500 hours and the N Series for 700 hours.

Light but powerful

“The light weight of our Valtra tractors is a big advantage – they are ideal for peat work. In fact, the Valtra tractors can be used for all agricultural and peat bog tasks. The weight distribution is also good – our old American tractors tended to have a heavy rear bias. Peat work requires ground speed PTO, which is available on Valtra tractors, so the trailers did not have to be specially adapted. What other 200-horsepower tractor offers ground speed PTO? The cooling system of the tractor also has the capacity to handle dusty peat bogs. The engine’s air intake is very well designed and does not get clogged. Valtra may well be “the best tractor in the world for peat bogs”, at least based on our own experiences compared with other brands,” claim the brothers.

“So far we have not experienced any small problems or leaks. An efficient spare parts service is also important to us,” they add.

The Raininko brothers admit that they have been positively surprised by Valtra. The new Common Rail engines offer a lot of power with relatively low fuel consumption. Power and torque are available in sufficient quantities from as low as 1000 rpm. The quietness of the cabs has also been appreciated.

The T190 has already been used to pull a heavy 6-metre fertiliser driller on the organically cultivated fields. Thanks to its excellent power to weight ratio, the Valtra leaves the soil unmarked; tyre tracks could not be seen on the ploughed field. Unfortunately the brothers did not take a photo to prove this!

New technology adopted, but with caution

“We try to be far-sighted. The machinery we buy has to suit the intended purpose and be functional and long lasting. We usually keep our tractors at least five years. We always need more efficiency, but the tractor should still be agile. I doubt that we will ever stick to one single brand with our demands, simply because we do not believe that wheeled tractors with over 200 horsepower are better than caterpillar tractors. Valtra has been a positive surprise for us.”

Back