CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS
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TALK RESULTS
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RECOMMENDED by DAVE HULA
Corn Yield World Champion @ 616BPA
calmer upgrade kit Testimonials
We love to see pictures from your farms and hear about your in-field experience with Calmer Products. These testimonials come from our neighbors and fellow farmers. We would love to hear from you on any of the social media platforms – just inbox us your testimonial or question in whatever format you prefer:
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“I was very impressed with Calmer Corn Heads’ 1615. We harvested our 15″ row corn at 20-28% with the 1615 in both standing corn and down corn conditions. The 1615 was able to minimize the losses of down corn by operating in a non-row sensitive manner and traveling at whatever angle was necessary for those conditions. The 1615 was also equipped with the Calmer BT Choppers that sized the heavy corn residue preparing the field for the following planting season.“
Randy Dowdy
Valdosta, GA
Soybean Yield World Record Holder; NCGA Champion and 1st farmer in history to grow 500 bpa corn
I don't Brag
Honestly, I don’t brag about any of our equipment, heck I complain about most of it. However Calmer rolls are one of my best purchases. Marion is great to deal with. I have run their BT Chopppers on two 893’s. The life of them has been longer than they said. Our life has gotten so much better in the fall after spending the money. Been running them for 6 years now I believe. Do yourselves a favor and attend a farm show and spend 5 minutes with Marion, you wont regret it.
Posted by: “bum farmer”
11/22/2017 17:09 (#6382050)
“In my humble opinion, Marion Calmer’s technology has changed the way corn will be grown worldwide for the rest of time.”
– Charles Klipfer, New Lebanon, OH
“Baling behind the BT Chopper is great. Green stalks dry very quickly so you’re not waiting long for the stalks to dry. Wait 3 days or so and v-rake the residue and you’ll be getting the best feed and bedding quality out of the plant.”
“Put them on a 2208 4 years ago and they still run like new! Haven’t had to worry about plugging and it saves a tillage pass.”
“I’m pretty stinking happy with my Calmer Corn Heads products!”
“Best money I ever spent to manage corn stalks.”
“We put the Calmer BT Chopper on our 2208. Half way through Harvest, we purchased a 2212. We were so pleased with the performance of the Choppers that we put the ones off the 2208 onto the 2212, and hurried to pick up the extra 4 rows needed from Calmer. These work extremely well!”
“We do 150-200 cornstalk bales a year behind the BT Chopper for bedding and roughage. I really like the benefit of the smaller pieces for bedding and also the manure spreads more evenly. “
“The product does exactly what they say it does. I ran a 1/2 inch piece of rod into one (BT Chopper Stalk Roll) and it just about chopped it in half before it stopped the row. I got out and pulled it out and never hurt the roll!”
“We had 2,500 acres of down corn. We used two corn heads – one with Calmer rolls the other without. The Calmer head was way superior to the other one!”
“I’ve been no tilling for over 20 years and the stalk stance and weed control are superb! The confetti residue stays put where it is and my earthworm population is eating it right up! I recently looked at an old book on corn production, which showed a guy going into the fields to chop his stalks to get the desired organic matter; however BT Choppers® do exactly that, but better!”
“I picked 1600 acres of down corn that you could not even see the rows in. I installed Calmer rolls on my custom built corn head, no auto steer, just head control. My agronomy guys were so impressed on how my field looked, how little corn was on the ground, and how the stalks were chewed up.”
“We’re able to run 5.5 mph and doing a nice job of chewing up the stalks.”
“We run two combines now, one with Calmer BT Crushers and one that was new to us. We ran 3 to 4 rounds, stopped and walked for 10 minutes. We called and ordered a Calmer BT Crusher Kit for the new head! We didn’t run the new head until the Calmer order arrived and was installed.”
“Over the past 6 years I’ve been upgrading to the newest Calmer Trash Reduction Kit parts, and each year it just keeps getting better. The Calmer BT Chopper really made the stalks disappear, making planting easier.”
“Aerial seeded cover crop wheat program in their area. “The wheat flown on a week ago, and the residue from the Calmer BT Chopper is covering the seeded area perfectly as I pick corn. No need for a vertical tillable tool because it is covering it, so I am done. The grainery noticed the clean grain with no trash.”
“Best job ever did! The 1st year we had the sprockets and plates. Then the next year we got the rolls – chopped the field. The best the corn head ever ran!”
“I have been using Calmer Chopper Rolls and trash reduction kit since 2010. Recently traded heads and the first thing I did was remove brand new JD rolls and put Calmer Choppers on. Since I started using Calmer products I’ve had 5 neighbors update their corn heads to Calmer product!”
“I run a JD 643 and we ran standard Deere rolls last year and those rolls were pathetic compared to your Calmer rolls! We’ve only been through 15 acres and I had to call and tell you how amazing they are! I have neighbors who run chopping heads and they don’t even compare to your rolls. We’re really happy!”
“I had no problems planting into Calmer residue this spring. There was no plugging! It was smooth sailing.”
“I want to congratulate you on keeping me out of trouble. I signed up my son for the kit and he said it was some of the best money we have spent. It works great!”
“With Calmer’s Trash Reduction Kits, harvesting in frozen fields was no problem. The stalks splinter and shatter in both directions. There were no problems with dozing at the end of the field, and the down corn was easy to pick. No popping ears! We should have upgraded our 893 sooner!”
“Stalk rolls work great for my strip-till operation. I don’t have to use a supercoulter to break down the stalks.”
“I got these the first year they came out in 2011 and your customer service has been great, very pleased there. The confetti residue pictures are the way it really looks, no matter the moisture! 25% corn doesn’t even matter.”
“I have tried other equipment through the years. I attended 2 of Marion’s seminars. I decided to buy the choppers and kit May of 2012. It sure helps to reduce ear toss and trash. The loads to the grain bin are cleaner. My fields look great and decompose well.”
“I put Calmers on a 1290 and ran it side-by-side with a competition 18 row, 20-in corn head. There was no comparison. Calmer was so much better. Better feeding and better chopping!”
“We plant wheat into corn stalks and we only disc 1 time. We can’t believe how the chopper grinds up the stalks. The ride is a lot faster now.”
“The smaller sprocket slowed the gathering chain down and that helped quite a bit with the trash reduction.”
“We are really pleased with Calmer’s Trash Reduction Row-Unit Upgrade Kit. The kit took care of every problem we had. We installed it last season and it was the first season we had without stopping once to remove trash from the corn head. We wish we had installed it years ago.”
“I can go faster through the field, and the Choppers really do a job on the stalks. Planting is easier since the stalks have decomposed.”
“All indications are that I should have switched to 20″rows sooner!”
“When we finished harvesting our 15-inch rows and pulled into the field of 30-inch rows, it looked like there was one row missing and so much wasted space.”
“We are able to pick 2000-2500 bu/hour once we switched over to the Calmer Kit.”
“I installed the Trash Reduction Kit on my 843 John Deere corn head. It is the older style with the 5 tooth drive and short chain, and while dry fluff is not often a problem in SW Ontario, the beveled deck plates and reduced chain to roll ration has been a vast improvement. I’d suggest that the slower chain speed has also reduced the number of stones that the head manages to pick but I digress.”
“We upgraded the sprockets on our 893 and love them! We are getting the chopping rolls soon!”
“Without all the trash my combine has a larger grain capacity. I’ve been very happy with the Calmer’s Trash Reduction Kits on my 893. The stalks on the ground were no problem at planting time!”
“Bragging on Calmer Rolls (chopper) like a new CaseIH. Beveled plates really work good. Bought the head with bad rolls, put Calmer’s on and we just love it!”
“I made 1 pass and I called my son and told him, ‘this thing is beautiful!'”
“I got Calmer 2 years ago. The rollers are the bomb! We go over it with a disk hog. We are switching to an 8 row soon, and we’re buying 2 more sets for it!”
“I can go faster through the field and the Choppers really do a nice job on the stalks. Planting is easier since the stalks have decomposed.”
“I did a round for the neighbor with my updated corn head, and he saw first hand why I use the Calmer BT Choppers. My neighbor’s wife says she won’t have to run the shredder now. He called right away and ordered.”
“Definitely makes harvest go smoother. Takes in less trash so you are able to go faster without machine loss out the back of the combine. Tops of the stalks look like an M-80 blew up so moisture can start the breakdown process.”
“After harvest, corn ground was disk chiseled. We had no problems. In Spring we hit with a cultivator and drilled soybeans – no plugging. Spring went well.”
“I just wanted to let you know that I am impressed with your BT Crushers. They chew up the stalks above 18″ from the base. My operator did not seem to be able to get lower except on shorter corn.”
“I do a corn/wheat rotation. I got along well, we had no problems planting into the corn residue. We were really dry in the North-East corner and the rolls did real well.”
“Chews it up, especially for spring field cultivator!”
“I’ve been using Calmer’s Trash Reduction system since 2004. It definitely reduces trash. No reason for the gathering chains to go zing’n around at high speeds.”
“Bought a kit for my JD 643 and oh my gosh does it work good! I am very happy the kit came with the sign for the road!”
“I like the system so well that I am selling my corn reel.”
“About 10 acres in I decided that I had silage for residue, not confetti! I thought I would be getting a stalk stomper, but no need because the stumps are only 6″ with exploded tops.”
“The [Choppers] were very easy to install. We really like our product. Harvest was the best we ever had. The weather was good, reliable equipment is always good. We chisel in the fall as much as we can, and run a soil finisher as well. Residue was very well broken up; the rolls do a great job at that.”
“I saw the Calmer BT Choppers at a Farm Show and decided to give them a try. Harvest was great, and I actually experienced a better performance and residue results than Calmer had advertised!”
“The performance of the two rows with the BT Chopper rolls is phenomenal. Thanks for your recommendation at the No-Till Conference. I will get the rest of my rows upgraded with the BT Chopper Trash Reduction Kit this winter. Thanks for helping me get my old equipment up to modern standards.”
“I took a disk across last fall, ran sulfur and planted beans this spring. Pretty happy with how the head harvested with Calmer rolls- it chopped them [stalks] down real good so a guy could do some tillage. I recommend it to all my neighbors.”
“We started harvest after our Calmer upgrade and it looks great. Confetti like residue is spot on. No build up either.”
“We wanted to do some testing ourselves so we ran 1 row of the Calmer BT Crushers, 1 row of brand new Deere rolls, and one row of modified Deere rolls. We would see the rusher rows with no problem. Now we want to go to the Choppers on all 8 rows because we plant beans into corn stalks—It will be even easier with “no stalks.””
“I never dreamed how good it (BT Choppers) would do. My corn head has never performed like this! Gorgeous!”
“2013 Harvest went real well. Planting into the residue the following spring was great. There was no plugging and we had no issues.”
“Bought at Custom Harvesters in 2014. Ran last fall, perfect for no-tilling. Sunflowers the following year…There was bare soil for warmth and dryness.”
“Corn is getting too tough for us and we had many problems planting through the trashy residue. We heard about your product and how it chops the stalks. We put the whole kit on both of our 6-row heads with stalk stompers. We know we’ll save a pass in the spring. They pay for themselves!”
“My biggest success thus far has come from testing and production of the [Super] Calmer BT Chopper, with the leading Crusher edges. It’s ability to simultaneously cut and shear the stalk without loosing grasp and control of the plant is amazing!”
“Harvest went great, no issues at all. Went through without running our field cultivator, and there was no plugging and the stalks were really broken up. We put them on our earlage head and everyone’s amazed at how good they are.”
“The multi-zone beveled stripper plates make for smoother feeding, are less row sensitive and great for slopes and curves. Last fall things went smooth with my 600 series BT Chopper Rolls and this spring residue was easy to manage with the planter.”
“We had to use a factory corn head last year for a while due to combine problems and will never go away from them [choppers] again. The Chopper is more aggressive at sizing up residue, and there is less trash into the combine at harvest.”
“We bought 4 rows to try out on our 2208 and by mid-August we had the other half ordered! They were easy to put on and we were very pleased with them. My neighbors have a chopping head (at 10 times the price of my rolls) and our results are better.”
“Really like them. With the stalks being so heavy it was a good season to have them. I did not need to disk up the fields, so I saved time and money. My field cultivator didn’t ball up either. When my neighbor and I went to Farm Progress, we spent about the whole day in your booth talking with the guys about the stalk roll.”
“The stock rolls are fantastic! What they did for us in the fall was really, really evident in the spring tillage. The residue was reduced considerably.”
“I have run the choppers for 3 years now, harvest is always good. This spring we had a weather delay, but we got through it well. I highly recommend them to people whenever they ask what I use.”
“I farm with my brother-in-law. While I was installing the BT Chopper Rolls he would walk by and say “That’s a hell of a lot of money, they had better work.” After fall harvest and tillage, I asked him what he thought. He said “That was the best money I’d ever spent.” In all the years he has done fall tillage it was the first year he did NOT plug-up once.”
“Been running the Crushers for 8 years. Before, we had a fluff reel for our combine and now it has become an ornament, as it’s no longer needed! These products work great!”
“The best money I ever spent on aftermarket upgrades to a machine! I am able to downsize residue without buying a chopping corn head and leave the field with a more uniform residue distribution. Of the heads I saw demonstrated at the 2015 Farm Progress Show, the Calmer head was by far the best!”
“You have got the finest aftermarket products for corn heads in the industry!”
“They work just as Marion described – true facts! Saves those small ears you would lose with OEM deck plates and now we have no butt shelling. Calmer’s rolls/kits gets rid of all the husks and now just ears going through the machine. Have had them since they were available and still running strong!”
“I just want to say the Calmer stalk rolls are the best investment I’ve ever made.”
“I’ve been running Calmer’s Trash Reductions Kits since 2004 and have never had to stop for trash. Never having to stop once in all that time, I feel has increased my productivity 25%-30% due to the combine not having to sort through all that trash. It’s incredible running 6 mph while picking 200 b/u corn!”
“BT Choppers chop the stalks and now we don’t have to shred afterwards. Does a nice clean job, so it’s ready for planting.”
“I bought just 2 rows to try. We were completely sold immediately! At lunch the 1st day, me and my stubborn father called the plant to order the other 6 rows. These rolls are heavy-duty and mean it when they say they won’t wear out.”
“I’m a central Illinois farmer who participated in Stine Seeds twin 20 corn program this year. I was told a normal 20-inch corn head would work but quickly found out that I had huge feeding issues on my Gleaner corn head. Marion Calmer helped me try everything but nothing we tried seemed to work. After talking to Ladage Corn Head Sales in Auburn, Illinois, they suggested we try a Calmer 30 ft. 12-inch row width corn head and a JD S680 combine. I will be the first to say this combination works awesome and chews the stalks up great. I can shell 4 mph in any direction I choose with hardly any head loss what so ever. Wish I would of known this head would of worked as great is it is earlier. I would of had one modified for my Gleaner. You can be sure it will have a Calmer corn head on it next year. Thanks for all the help!”
“After harvest we round baled [Calmer BT Chopper Residue] and it was great. We also grazed cattle and they loved it! We are really satisfied with them.”
“I used to have Pixall rolls, but they took too much horsepower so I went to Calmer rolls. Wish I had switched sooner. I like to work with a company that’s moving forward. It really does what they say it will, with no extra power needed.”
“Bought the rolls and they are unreal. There is really nothing like these rolls. It was a night and day difference.”
“We loved the way they [BT Choppers] ate up the cornstalks. They did exactly what they said they do. They really up the deterioration process.”
“I just love them rolls! They do an excellent job chopping. The best thing since sliced bread! Does a much better job for no-tilling because the ground dries quicker. Also, shears the corn stubble so it is not hard on tires.”
“Put the chopping stalk rolls on for us in a pure no-till farm. GREAT product! Have used them for 4 seasons and they show very little wear!”
“We have a 608c corn head. The original Deere knife rolls we were very disappointed in. Calmer’s rolls really chewed up the stalks like we wanted. Very pleased! Lasted approximately 7,000 acres.”
“Just as good of a job as most chopping heads. Much lower price. Very happy with the Calmer BT Chopper.”
“One of the best investments I ever made!”
“An absolute must for no-till farmers to manage corn residue. Best investment ever for my operation concerning corn harvesting.”
“We like the Calmer units. Makes a nice, clean cut in the field. Our chisel plow can get through it better and in the spring, the field equipment doesn’t clog up. It’s a lot better for No-Till situations.”
“Took a chance on these rolls. 12 Rows is quite an investment. After 4 years, we’re very happy with our decision.”
“Calmer Stalk Rolls made my 9650 STS (13 years old) run better than a new machine! Less trash going in the machine and the chopping job is phenomenal! I recommend these stalk rolls to anyone.”
“I installed your rebuild kit and followed your instructions for adjustments. Wow. Much better than a new head. No hair pinning at the top of the rolls. No ear plugging at the bottom of stripper plates. No butt shelling. Mostly whole cobs out the back of the combine. I recommend your company to anyone who wants better corn harvesting.”
“Less trash and higher ground speed. Great addition to the twin rows. We have less incoming trash now.”
“The Calmer knife rolls [BT Choppers] are the only way you will be able to manage corn residue properly in a no-till situation. Extremely happy with the results compared to JD knife rolls!”
“My field was planted with Pioneer 1197AM at 36.5 K/ac in 2018. Stalk decomposition is great and lots of bare dirt showing. What I noticed is the pith of the stalks has rotted away leaving only bits of rind, aka the “confetti”Marion talks about. Far less fodder to wash up and stack around ponded areas. What does collect is MUCH easier for coulters and row cleaners to deal with. Much easier to cover too, if you perform any tillage.”
“As an organic farmer, I needed to control residue without increasing passes. The BT Choppers did more than I expected.”
“Fantastic product! Our corn head has never done such a clean job of harvesting! The AGCO salesman was very impressed with the job they did!”
“I purchased your BT Chopper Kit and have been totally satisfied with the job it does. It eliminated the trip with the stalk chopper and also does a number on the remaining stump portion of the stalk, making that less abrasive on equipment tires. Would I buy them again? Without a doubt.”
“I’m sending this out to let you know I recently purchased your 1820 header and absolutely LOVE it! You guys are unmatched in your product line and quality. The new purchase has not only cut down on working ground time but the ease of use has been great for teaching my son (The future of continuing our love of farming) how important it is to invest in the right equipment. Again, I LOVE your products and am looking forward to purchasing more from you. Keep up the amazing quality!”
“Have had the BT Choppers on my JD 40 series corn head for 5 years and love the product. Would recommend the product to anyone who raises corn.”
“We are on an organic farm and it is extremely important for us to manage our residue in order to have good mechanical weed control for the next year. Calmer parts have made this much easier to do. Thank you!”
“The best thing I ever did to a corn head. Stalk chopper for sale! This ruined the used stalk chopper market!”
“I recently updated a JD 693 head with the Calmers BT chopping rolls. The unparalleled chopping quality was seen immediately! Not only do they chop, but the rolls also help to gather down stalks and do not push stalks at the end of the rows. The base of the stalk is exploded open, so there is no concern of tire damage. There is NO need for any stalk stompers with this roller. Any size of producer will benefit from the time savings by not having to chop stalks with a second pass. An added benefit will come in spring as well with quicker soil warm up because of the rapid decomposition of the smaller sized stalk material. The BT Choppers are truly impressive.”
“After driving 1,700+ miles round trip to get these new stalk rollers and now that I’m using them, all I have to say is wow! Not sure how the implement dealers will be able to sell chopping corn heads after they see the product you have!”
“With the Calmer Stalk Rolls we were able to see less grain loss behind our combine compared to factory installed stalk rolls.”
“I am very impressed with the product. The trash from the knives are so easily broke down, it has decreased the amount of times working the fields and maintenance is very low compared to stalk knives. We have recommended the Calmer Stalk Rolls to alot of farmers and have helped install 3 sets and think they are very well worth the investment.”
“In my 47 yeras of farming, this was 1 of the 2 pieces of equipment I’ve ever bought that the individual who sold the product told me what it was going to do and it actually did more than what I was told. I’m so very happy with the product. It does such a nice job!”
“The stalk rolls allowed us to achieve these high yields by bringing the stalk straight down through the head and not at an angle; therefore removing the ears for better stalk cleaning. Also, it helps the material break down in the fall!”
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