The Farm Progress show is the premier outdoor show in the Midwest and a launching point for a lot of new farm machinery offerings. We stopped by to see what was new.

Acres of parking, all on alfalfa. A rainbow of high-horsepower tractors tilling the same field. A tent city popped up on the corn-covered horizon. Those things mark the path to each year's Farm Progress Show. Back in September, we followed that path, driving north to Alleman, Iowa, to park in the alfalfa and head into the tent city for a look at what was catching the attendee's eyes.

For chopping flexibility
The Woods BW180 flexible-wing rotary cutter is shaped for good trimming ability. Shown here with the standard equal-angle driveline, a CV option is available. Lubrication points are positioned at critical pivots and the gearboxes feature alloy steel gears, tapered roller bearings and a 5-year gearbox warranty. A sloped top deck sheds water and other debris, helping to prevent the deck corrosion that has claimed the appearance and sometimes viability of many choppers. The underside features full-length, 1/4-inch replaceable side skids with formed anti-scalp angle for smooth running. The BW180 weighs approximately 3,920 pounds and uses 45 to 160 PTO horsepower. For more information, call (866) 869-6637. E-mail: info@woodsonline.com or visit www.woodsonline.com.

Ready for high-residue
Sunflower's new 5000 field cultivator series features a single-point depth control and lift adjustment arm to provide easy and accurate adjustment in high-residue fields. The lift adjustment arm is specific to individual sections. Rock shafts include polymer sleeves in high-wear areas. These sleeves don't require greasing. A 42-foot model (as seen here) retails for a suggested price of $26,000. Add a 4-row high-residue spike drag and the retail price is $29,000 to $31,000 depending on shank options. Recently, AGCO announced its intentions of a Sunflower buyout. The announcement said that AGCO intends to operate Sunflower as an independent business and retain the current management and employees. For more information, call (800) 748-8481. E-mail: sales@sunflowermfg.com or visit www.sunflowermfg.com.

It lifts, it rotates, it plants
Frame-fold planters and drills are expensive. So for 6- and 8-row models and 20-foot drills, White offers the LR-20 and LR-30 Lift and Rotate Carts. They bring transport widths under 10 feet, making for less stressful road time at planting season. The carts are equipped with a 3-point quick hitch and accept rigid or versatile flex-frame mounted planters. To operate, drivers back the cart up to the planter, attach hydraulic lines and connect the 3-point hitch. The rest is done from the tractor seat. During the swing operation from field position to road position, the tongue of the cart extends to allow room for the implement. With 10,000 pounds of lift capacity, the cart can go from road ready to field ready fully loaded with seed and fertilizer in optional liquid tanks.The unit accepts either row units or planter-frame mounted tillage attachments. Suggested retail price for the LR-20 is $14,660. The LR-30 lists for $17,525. For more information, call (800) 767-3221 or visit www.agcocorp.com.

Old name new product
Grain handlers are accustomed to the Sukup name when they're working around bins. But the name has traditionally been on grain moving equipment inside of the bin. A salesman at the show told us that the company had seen enough bins that it decided to make its own. Sukup offers 18- to 60-foot diameter bins and plans on making larger ones in the future. Some features include a large manhole (for "today's sized" farmers, according to our salesman). It's 20 by 39 inches. The Sukup bin roof is high ribbed and ridged for added strength and includes multiple safety rings. Side walls are 4-inch wide corrugated, high-tensile steel. Suggested retail price for a 6-ring, 30-foot bin (bin only) is $10,650. For more information, call (641) 892-4222. E-mail: info@sukup.com or visit www.sukup.com.

More storage, more convenient
Friesen of Iowa is making those small, flat-bottom bins you have spread over your farm a little more attractive for use. With Friesen's bolt-together hopper bottoms, you can convert hard-to-empty, flat-bottom bins to unload through a centered, coned hopper. The kit features a 40-degree cone slope for easy clean out, heavy tube steel legs and a 24-inch outlet clearance-tall enough to get a hopper and grain auger under. The kits are manufactured for bin sizes ranging from a 15-foot diameter 2,500-bushel, to a 24-foot diameter, 10,700 bushel. The cones add from 350 bushels of capacity for the 15-foot diameter to 1,300 bushels for the 24-foot diameter. Suggested retail price for an 18-foot kit is $3,240 FOB from Iowa. For more information, call (800) 437-2334 or visit www.friesenofiowa.com.

Vacuum and spread
The Better-Bilt slurry spreader from Unverferth uses vacuum pumps to load as well as provide agitation inside the tank. Vacuum loading saves use of an external pump. The standard pump is 250 cfm. A 350 cfm pump is available on larger models. These spreaders are built for tough duty with quarter-inch steel tanks and an injector system of up to 6 rows. Injectors have spring-loaded shanks with sweep sizes ranging from 10 to 24 inches. Shanks can also be fitted with 2-inch chisel points. Optional equipment for the injector unit includes 20-inch, spring-loaded, fluted coulters to cut through tough residue and finger-wheel trench closers that follow injector knives to seal furrow and minimize odor. Suggested retail price is for the 4250 is $24,970. Add $4,100 for the 4-shank injector assembly. For more information, call (800) 322-6301 or visit www.unverferth.com.