Gleaner Handles Tough Crop Conditions

When Ryan Brodersen first walked through the door of Manzer Equipment in Osmond, Nebraska, the young producer hardly had two nickels to rub together. But he had a dream.

His great-grandfather, grandfather and father had all been farmers here in northeast Nebraska. When Ryan was 14, the family left the profession behind, but the seeds of agriculture had already been sown in the young man’s heart. He was determined to continue his family’s farming legacy.

On this day, a 21-year-old Ryan was in search of a bigger tractor. Dealership owner Steve Manzer recalls the encounter.

“I didn’t know Ryan all that well, but I knew the Brodersens, and I knew he was just getting started,” he says. “So, to help him out, I rented him a big tractor from our used fleet so that he could get his work done. We always try to put the customer first in everything we do.”

Nearly 20 years later, Ryan is still coming to Manzer for his farm’s equipment needs.

“They’ve played a huge part in helping us get to where we are,” Ryan says. “We try to be as efficient as we possibly can with the machinery we have, and Manzer helps us get the most return from our investment. Plus, their service is phenomenal.”

In addition to relying on AGCO for tractors, hay tools and seeding and tillage equipment, Ryan trusts his harvest to Gleaner combines. He’s owned no fewer than six different models, most recently the Gleaner S97.

“It’s a high-capacity machine,” declares Ryan, who will take possession of another S97 in 2022. “Its ability to handle tough crop conditions is incredible.”

With an operating weight considerably lighter than competitors’ machines in the same class, the Gleaner makes more horsepower available for harvesting crops that might bog other combines down. In recent years, green stem syndrome has become more prevalent in Ryan’s soybean fields. However, his S97 equipped with a 40-foot 9255 DynaFlex draper head hasn’t had any trouble harvesting the beans.

“It can just hammer right through them,” he says, noting that the machine even has the power to evenly spread residue across an entire 40-foot swath. “It’s the same with high-moisture corn. Thanks to the large grain tank and fast unloading rate, we’ll run close to 5,000 bushels an hour on a typical day, which truthfully is about as fast as we can haul it away.”

Long days in the field don’t fatigue the combine operator thanks to the amenities found inside the Gleaner Vision cab.

“Hands down, it’s the nicest cab on the market. It’s super quiet and really comfortable,” Ryan says. “I’m never going to own anything but a Gleaner.”