This week, we get behind the wheel of a 2018 Claas 970 forage harvester which was working in a storm-damaged crop of maize in Carlow.

The updates and changes we saw will take effect for all machines coming into Ireland next year.

Claas engineers are as ever designing machines to eke every last drop of performance from every litre of diesel consumed without compromising output, which was very impressive despite the conditions.

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For the majority of farmers, the harvest is finished. The task of cleaning down the combine for winter storage isn’t nice but has to be done. We give a few tips on how to make this job a little easier and how to deter pests from making it their winter home. Spending time on this job now could save you a lot of potential trouble come next year.

New range

Farmhand are importers for a number of machinery brands one of which is Amazone. This week we got to see the new range of fertiliser spreaders, sprayers and ploughs that are designed to suit Irish conditions.

Alistair Chambers gets behind the wheel of the Opel Crossland X SE. This small SUV impressed with its solid build quality and functional interior. The 120hp 1.6l CDTi engine returned impressive fuel consumption figures.

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Watch: 2018 updates for Claas 900 series forage harvesters

20 minutes with Trevor Tyrrell, Claas UK and Ireland