It was a big year for the forage harvesting industry, with both John Deere and CLAAS unveiling new series this summer. Several operators across southern Idaho had the opportunity to demo these machines while on tour in September.
The CLAAS Jaguar 1000 Series featured 28 machines demoing across the U.S., with two making their way through the West. The model showcased in Idaho began its journey in California before heading north to Idaho, Washington and eventually into Canada. The John Deere F9 1000 Series is currently limited to four machines in the U.S. Tours are designed to generate interest and presales before full production begins in 2026.
Derrick Baird with Stotz Equipment says manufacturers recognize Idaho as a major forage-producing state. “We talked about that just as far as the dealership in how cool it is that in the Magic Valley that John Deere and CLAAS are letting their prototypes be in this area. It’s a pretty big deal,” he says. Cody Warren with Mountain View Equipment adds that Idaho’s strong market share keeps the state on CLAAS’ radar for showcasing new products.
Warren says CLAAS’ approach to product development impressed many local producers. When unveiling the new model in Fresno, California, in August, the company highlighted how customer input shaped the updates. Many of the improvements were directly based on farmer feedback.
Although the machine retains the core qualities of a CLAAS chopper, it has been redesigned from the ground up, featuring a 14-row header, increased horsepower, a quieter and more feature-rich cab, and other enhancements that operators had been anticipating for years, Warren says.
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“For an 1,100-horsepower chopper, the fuel efficiency is phenomenal. We’re seeing better fuel economy compared to competitive brands and similar performance to our previous 925-horsepower models,” he adds.
On the John Deere side, operators have also noted major improvements. “The new series features a larger cab and a swivel seat – something customers have wanted for years,” Baird says. The cab is much quieter and more comfortable. John Deere also added a G5 display, which represents their best technology yet. “Technology has always set John Deere apart, in my opinion,” Baird says.
Baird points to a few standout upgrades, with one of the biggest being the new HarvestMotion system, allowing the machine to operate at full horsepower without running high RPMS, resulting in better fuel consumption and a quieter cab. Ground speed automation is another big improvement. It reads the crop flow ahead and automatically adjusts the speed based on crop density, preventing slowdowns or plugging. “Those two upgrades alone make a huge difference in the field,” Baird says.
As Baird puts it, every year it’s always about more horsepower. The new John Deere F9 1000 delivers 1,006 total horsepower – about 50 more than the previous series.
Here’s what operators had to say:
Dillan Henslee, H-Chop, Hagerman
“I was really impressed with the new John Deere chopper,” Henslee says. “I had a 9900 that was only 2 or 3 years old, and it felt like I was sitting in a combine that we had on the farm 20 years ago. It was so loud I couldn’t even talk on the phone. But this one, they definitely got things figured out. It was much quieter. You could actually sit in the machine for 15-hour days and not get out with your head ringing or your back hurting.” While operator comfort has improved, Henslee felt that the machines are still difficult to work on.
“I’d seen all the TikToks, so I knew [the new CLAAS series] was going to be really impressive on its capacity and how much it can chop, especially with a 14-row header on it. But I was even more impressed with all the things that they listened to, and they fixed from the previous models,” Henslee says. Even though the 14-row header was impressive to see, he didn’t think it was practical for the terrain he operates in.
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Lason Cope, Big Sky Chopping, Gooding
Cope was impressed with the new CLAAS series, noting the increased horsepower, larger cab, 20% increase in feed throughput and updated spout. “The 14-row head was actually amazing. I didn’t think I would like it, but I did. It handled the tougher fields with ease." Cope operated the machine for four hours and had difficulty coming up with something he didn’t like.
Cope admits he isn’t the biggest John Deere fan, but he was excited to finally see a swivel seat in their chopper. He also noted the size of the cab as an improvement in this model as well as the new Scherer Xtreme 305 kernel processor.
Zach Sabala, Sabala Farms, Gooding
Sabala says his family has run exclusively John Deere equipment since the '80s, but he had seen all the hype on social media about the new CLAAS series and was excited for the opportunity to demo it. “It was truly an amazing machine,” Sabala says. “I couldn’t believe how nice it was in every way possible. I got to walk around for about an hour with the CLAAS representatives, and just the way they built everything from top to bottom, they thought of every detail from serviceability to function to ease of operator to everything.”
“I still love my Deeres,” Sabala says. He was impressed with the new cab features and comfort, as well as the new processor. Although he didn’t feel like there was more power compared to the 9900 model, he felt that it had more pull.
