Kellan Heavican, anchor and reporter for Brownfield Ag News, recently traveled to Germany to visit the global headquarters of CLAAS.
“We got to see different facilities, and their parts hub,” Heavican said. “This basically included all of the technology and robotic equipment that helps build the products they sell.”
Heavican works for Brownfield Ag News, and CLAAS America is one of the clients with whom he works directly in his position.
“I have traveled a lot to their headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, for events and news stories,” Heavican said.
CLAAS invited Heavican to go on this international trip to learn more about the company and how they produce the heavy machinery many farmers around the world use. This trip was especially beneficial for him to connect with his audience better.
“I don’t think you can pass up an opportunity to go overseas,” Heavican said. “I engage regularly with their customers, so to have that insight is priceless.”
He said there were similarities and differences in the agricultural practices of Europe compared to America.
“We get so focused on what we do here and within our own lives that we forget there’s so much more to agriculture than just where we live,” Heavican said. “It helped me create a better understanding of how the world works and what it really takes to produce food across the globe.”
The international experience changed the way Heavican approaches his job and how he interacts with his daily duties.
“It helps me better understand the industry and how things are built,” Heavican said. “That makes me a better reporter and more knowledgeable, and I think it allows me to ask better questions.”
He is grateful for the opportunity to travel to a different country and learn about how the agricultural industry of that country operates.
“I’m really appreciative of CLAAS asking me to come along,” Heavican said. “It was a privilege to be able to see different cultures and immerse myself in that culture, whether it’s through food, agriculture, or the economy.”
