The Vermeer CCX770 is the first commercially available corncob harvesting machine.
Farm Journal first reported on this machine this past December. Click here for “Catch Those Cobs.”
The development of corn cob harvesting systems has been fueled by the future of using corn cobs as cellulosic feedstock for ethanol production, as with Poet and their Project Liberty in Emmetsburg, Iowa.
Vermeer sees corn cobs usefulness beyond a single purpose.
Corn cobs can generate income through:
- Cellulosic ethanol production
- Livestock feed supplement for mixed rations
- Livestock and pet animal bedding
- Blending cobs with coal to co-generate electricity
- Gasification to create several types of energy for industrial processes
- Industrial applications including construction materials, abrasives and absorbents
Vermeer has a dozen of their cob harvesters spread across the country and these income-generating markets. Customers in Ohio, Minnesota, Texas and Nebraska will take the machines to the field.
Their design features a self-contained pull-type cart that can be towed behind certain combine models, which doesn’t require any modification to the combine’s hydraulic systems or hydraulic drive.
