REGINA — Degelman Industries will officially launch its heavy duty staggered rippers for compacted soil at Canada’s Farm Show in June.
Marketing manager Derek Molnar said the Regina-based company wanted to make a product durable enough to do a job that producers across North America increasingly need. Heavier tractors and other equipment are contributing to the compaction problem.
The result is the HDRS series.
“And you know, what better time to introduce it to Western Canada (than at) one of the premiere farm shows,” Molnar said during a news conference to announce this year’s show.
Degelman will launch the line on opening day June 18.
The company has been exhibiting at CFS for more than 40 years.
Show organizers said last week they expect nearly 20,000 visitors, including about 100 international delegates.
The show focuses on agricultural technology and include the return of Cultivator’s 24-Hour Start Up|Ag Tech and the Global AgTech Summit.
It will also include an address from Premier Scott Moe on the state of the province’s agriculture sector. The 2024 Innovation Awards will be presented during this event.
Roberta Engel, acting president and CEO of the Regina Exhibition Association Ltd., or REAL, said there was never a doubt the show would go ahead this year, despite challenges at the organization.
“Agriculture is extremely important to our province, to our city and to our organization,” she said. “It’s really the pillar of REAL … and we will continue to deliver on an amazing show.”
Engel comes from a farming and innovation background. Her father worked for Degelman and farmed in the Gravelbourg and Lafleche areas for years. He also established the farm repair shop, Creative Enterprises.
Agriculture minister David Marit and Regina mayor Sandra Masters spoke to the connection between agriculture and the city.
Marit said he has always been inspired by the ingenuity of farmers, particularly the evolution of no-till. He said everyone at the show looks at new inventions, and the world continues to look to Saskatchewan for the latest technological innovation.
At Degelman, Molnar said there is an interesting dynamic between no-till and the company’s tillage equipment.
When Degelman developed Pro-Till, its high-speed disc, the company didn’t think Western Canada would be a primary market given the prevalence of no-till and concerns about carbon sequestration.
However, the wet years of a decade ago required solutions that the disc could provide and farmers saw the benefits of occasional tillage.
“Whether it be residue management in fields, lots of straw management, or even just cleaning up sloughs or their headlands, or cleaning those ruts from wet seasons,” he said.
Fields usually have heavy traffic areas where vehicles and equipment enter to load and unload grain. There are yield benefits to working those areas, Molnar said.
The HDRS goes 24 inches deep, is up to 27 feet wide and requires a lot of horsepower to get through the ground. However, he said it’s better than an inline ripper because the shanks are on offset rows.
He added that it’s important for farmers to attend shows and see machinery they might use rather than just watch videos on line.
“You can’t beat going down to see it, see how it’s built, the size of the cross joints, the pins, the tires,” Molnar said.
The show runs June 18 to 20.
