This April 2022 interview with Eric Raby, then CLAAS senior vice president for the Americas, captures how the farm-equipment company was thinking about supply constraints, farmer costs, biofuels, the war in Ukraine and machinery technology. Its comments about prices, moisture and company operations describe spring 2022—not current conditions.
Who is Eric Raby?
Successful Farming described Raby as a western Kentucky native who grew up on a cattle and tobacco farm. He began his equipment career as a service apprentice at a local dealership, then moved into sales after deciding service was not his strength. At the time of the interview, he had more than 30 years of industry experience and had been with CLAAS for six years. Successful Farming’s April 4, 2022 Q&A provides those details.
A separate 2021 profile by Progressive Farmer says Raby joined CLAAS of America in 2015 and had served as president and general manager of sales before taking on the Americas role. The 2021 profile is separate biographical context.
How was CLAAS managing the supply chain in 2022?
Raby said CLAAS asked dealers to forecast farther into the future to improve visibility among the company, its dealers and customers. The forecast horizon grew from 12 months to 24 months. He stressed that this was the forecasting window, not the company’s manufacturing lead time. “We were forecasting 12 months out and now we’re 24 months out,” he told Successful Farming in April 2022.
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Constraints Raby identified
In that interview, Raby pointed to shipping and container logistics, rubber, and electronics—including cables and electronic control units—as supply concerns. These were his examples of challenges at the time, not a current inventory report.
What were farmers concerned about in spring 2022?
Raby said farmers were focused on fuel and fertilizer costs, other rising input prices, and moisture conditions in the Midwest. Those remarks reflect what he was hearing in spring 2022; they do not establish today’s farm-input prices or crop conditions.
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What did Raby say about biofuels?
He framed biofuel adoption as a relationship among three groups: engine manufacturers, fuel providers and lawmakers. Raby said CLAAS supported ethanol and that the industry needed greater collaboration on biodiesel. He described farmer sentiment as generally positive, while emphasizing that fuels must perform consistently and be commercially viable. His comments were about the conditions needed for adoption, not a comparison of fuel pathways or a claim that every machine can use every blend.
What did CLAAS say about the war in Ukraine?
At the time of the April 2022 interview, Raby said CLAAS was focused on humanitarian support for employees in Ukraine and Russia. He said the company’s Kyiv office was closed and shipments to Russia had been paused. These are dated statements about the company’s response in 2022, not a description of its present operations.
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What machinery technology did Raby expect to develop?
Raby anticipated machinery that could make more automatic adjustments as crop conditions changed, along with diagnostics that could alert dealers or customers to issues. He also expected telemetry-enabled remote service and diagnostics to remain important, saying, “I think remote service and remote diagnostics through telemetry are going to continue to be big players.” He pointed to continued development of autonomy as well. These were directions he expected technology to take, not promises about specific products or launch dates.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What later reporting says about CLAAS
Later coverage provides context beyond the 2022 conversation but should not be read back into it. On September 16, 2025, DTN / Progressive Farmer reported that CLAAS introduced the Jaguar 1000 forage harvester series at the Farm Progress Show. The report discussed tariff pressure affecting European-made forage harvesters and CLAAS’s Omaha investment. It said the Omaha facility was sending 600 machines a year and work had begun on a 44,800-square-foot research and development center. Those figures belong to the 2025 report, not Raby’s 2022 interview. Read the September 2025 report.
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Separately, a Farm Equipment interview published August 25, 2024 recorded Raby’s “wait and see” outlook for the rest of 2024 and into 2025, amid concerns including interest rates, commodity prices, crop conditions and inventory. That was a dated outlook, not a forecast for 2026. Read the 2024 interview.
RFD-TV published a January 2026 item about Raby previewing the docuseries CLAAS: Made for More, described as covering company history, people, values and its North American presence. The RFD-TV item offers limited later context; it does not establish further details here.
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