For Geoff Ruth, harvest season in central Nebraska is an exciting time –– especially since switching his corn head from a Deere to a Drago last year.

Despite the technological boom, corn heads remain one piece of farm equipment that has lagged behind. Their design has essentially stagnated since the 1980s — with the exception of Drago corn heads.

The gathering chain design within a Drago corn head helps farmers capture more yield than with competitor chains. Learn what features set us apart.

Matt Erickson, ag economic and policy advisor at Farm Credit Services of America, shares his insights on the current ag economy and recommendations to help farmers maximize their ROI this coming fall.

Olimac, maker of Drago corn heads, has focused on crafting better heads for more than 60 years. As industry leaders in yield capture and durability, their manufacturing process engineers every component for durability — down to our gathering chain idler sprockets. 

Brian Hefty, agronomist, farmer and co-host of Ag PhD TV & Radio, shares his thoughts on spring strategies that can pay off in big ways at harvest.

Farmers may be familiar with the telltale signs of yield loss at the corn head: ears bouncing out of the head or kernels pinging off the windshield. But there’s another sign that main-line head owners may not be aware of: deck plate wear.

“Our hybrid data collection relies on getting the most yield the most consistent way possible,” says Glenn Herz, Ag PhD Research Lead.

If there’s a common goal among farmers in the U.S. and those around the world, it’s getting the most yield — the most return — from every field of corn they grow. And increasingly, one of the common ways for achieving that goal is to use Drago corn heads from Olimac to harvest it.

Harvest season is the best time to evaluate your hybrids, crop fertility and crop protection, and it’s a great time to evaluate your corn head, too, says Matt Scott, national service manager for Dragotec USA.

Crops suffering from drought this season? Pay added attention to your corn head during pre-harvest preparation to minimize additional loss at harvest.

When you’re in the market for a used corn head, choosing a Drago is one of the smartest decisions you can make.

Deere customer says he isn’t afraid to try new technologies and that “Drago was unbelievable.” Check out what else he had to say about his experience.

The question isn’t why Drago corn heads have more maintenance, but why other brands don’t. Drago owners know the added yield and durability they get in return are well worth it.

Denny Bollig, Farmer, and President of Dragotec U.S.A., explains what you need to look for and when you need to weigh your options on repairing or replacing parts. Other topics covered are drive systems, gearboxes, deck plates, knife rolls, and more.

According to Dustin Bollig, farmer and vice president of sales and marketing for Dragotec, USA, the residue management decisions producers make in the fall can help set the stage for planting season.

Iowa Corn Promotion Board President, Kelly Nieuwenhuis, discusses best practices on his farm operation amidst agricultural volatility. In Kelly Nieuwenhuis’ 39 years of farming, one constant that remains the same is change.

For many producers, optimizing the performance of their combine is considered key to corn harvest efficiency, but today we know corn head performance is equally as critical.

Most attention is focused on the combine when it comes to reducing yield loss, but university research has shown that 60% of harvest loss comes at the corn head — before corn even gets to the combine.

Two decades after bringing a corn head from Italy to their Iowa farm, Denny and Darlene Bollig celebrate having the foresight to bring an innovative product to market that has grown today to become a family-owned, national company with tenured employees, loyal dealers, and committed customers.

Check your corn head now for optimum harvest performance this fall.

Do dry field conditions, cool temperatures, or slow emergence have you revisiting your 2021 crop protection and nutrient management plans? Angie Rieck-Hinz, ISU Extension Field Agronomist, shares agronomic best practices for optimizing crop health in dry field conditions.

We sat down with Matt Divis, Farm Manager, for Spring tips and best practices implemented on Bollig Farms, a multi-generational family farm operation owned by Denny Bollig, Farmer, and President of Dragotec USA.

A new growing season is just around the bend. Spring preparations are underway to ensure equipment is field-ready but do not stop there.

For the Chirpich family of Wells, MN, their farming roots run generations deep. After decades of farming and raising their children on the family farmstead, Don and Teresa Chirpich drive positive change as they integrate the next generation into their operation. 

While many producers find it difficult to consider purchasing a corn head that isn’t from a major brand, northern Iowa farmer Stewart Ohrtman, said his decision wasn’t all that hard.

For many producers, optimizing the performance of their combine is considered key to corn harvest efficiency, but today we know corn head performance is equally as critical.

“We tend to accept the fact we’re going to have yield loss every year. Well, I wasn’t happy with that.”

The farming goal of Daren Lauritsen is to be as efficient and profitable as possible. He had that goal in mind in 2004 when he purchased a Drago corn head to match his John Deere combine.

The first corn head as introduced more than 60 years ago. How have they changed since then?

University research has shown that 60% of yield loss at harvest occurs at the corn head. So, it should be easy to Google “corn head yield loss” to learn the latest technologies equipment brands offer to help save yield, right?

If there’s better testimony than a producer buying his first Drago corn head, it’s when a producer buys his second Drago corn head.

During harvest, every combine operator has a front-row seat for learning how the growing season went and what can be done to make the next season better.

“I’ve always said that for a farmer, hell would be having to combine downed corn for all eternity because there’s nothing more stressful or more of a pain point than harvesting downed corn.”

And while many producers are re-evaluating their equipment and tillage practices to limit variability at planting, Denny Bollig, farmer and president of Dragotec USA, suggests they should also be re-evaluating equipment that can reduce yield loss at harvest.

Higher corn plant populations, tougher stalks and an increase in stover yields has resulted in an overabundance of plant material, adding residue management to producers’ harvest time activities.

“We had a lot of questions and concerns. Eventually, through conversations and testimonials we decided to buy our first Drago.”

Combine optimization has often been considered the key to corn harvest efficiency, but as producers’ harvest equipment needs have grown, corn head performance has become equally as critical.

Evaluating your corn head for the next harvest season should begin during harvest in the current season, according to Fenton, Iowa farmer and Dragotec President, Denny Bollig.

University research has shown that 60% of yield loss occurs at the corn head itself.

When down corn disrupts harvest season, the potential for yield loss should never be underestimated.

“As a piece of equipment, university research* indicates sixty-percent of yield loss at harvest is credited to the “corn head,” says Fenton, Iowa, farmer and Dragotec President Dennis Bollig.

One of the dominant storylines in row crop agriculture in recent years has been the pressure bearish grain market prices have exerted on profitability.

Much attention is focused on the combine when it comes to reducing yield loss, but university research* has shown that 60% of that loss comes at the corn head – before corn even gets to the combine.

When it comes to maximizing the life of a corn head, maintenance matters.

With 45 years on his family’s Century Farm near the northern Iowa town of Fenton, Denny Bollig has seen his share of economic cycles in agriculture.

At harvest time, farmers say there is no greater concern when it comes to yield loss potential than down or wind-damaged corn.

Extreme environmental conditions and the crop management adjustments they force upon farmers are the two biggest causes for corn yield loss.

Environmental and soil conditions that create plant variability in a corn crop cause potential yield loss from the day it’s planted all the way through harvest.

In order to maximize crop yield, it’s important to know the many factors that can limit it.

Fall harvest is when corn farmers reap the rewards of their hard work. It’s also when they face major variability in environmental conditions — and potential yield loss — as they race against the clock to get the crop in the bin.

Inside a factory in northern Italy, cutting-edge production practices and personal attention converge to produce the corn heads that bear the Drago name.