I saw one of these bad boys at the POET Project LIBERTY field day recently although I didn’t get to speak with anyone at Vermeer about it. It is the Vermeer CCX770 Cob Harvester, a wagon-style corn cob collection system which enables farmers to harvest corn and cobs simultaneously.
The Vermeer CCX770 Cob Harvester is designed to tow immediately behind select corn harvesting combines to collect and unload the cobs.
“This new patented Vermeer cob harvesting machine is a solution for supplying corn cobs for cellulosic ethanol production,” says Vermeer Product Manager Jay Van Roekel. “It’s easy to attach to the combine, is self-contained and cost-effective. This innovative product can help farms by diversifying their harvest 
in collecting bio-mass materials for resale or reuse as well as supporting our country’s efforts to produce home grown energy.”
The cob harvester concept was originally developed by an innovative Midwest farmer who saw a need and acted on it, “much like the founder of Vermeer Corporation, Mr. Gary Vermeer, did 60 years ago in 1948.” According to Van Roekel, test harvesting will be conducted throughout 2008 to evaluate performance and efficiency. Vermeer will then communicate product launch plan and availability for the 2009 harvest season.