Harvest Loss
09/09/10 4:35:12 PM
Harvest loss costs farmers hundreds of millions of dollars per year in the U.S. alone! You’ve spent time, effort, and lots of money trying to raise a great crop. When it comes down to the final day and the combine is rolling through, do everything you can to put the grain in the tank rather than leaving it in the field.
There are 3 basic types of late-season loss that I can think of... pre-harvest loss (deer, birds, etc.), header loss, and separator loss. While there’s probably not much you can do about the wildlife in your area, you can sure reduce header and separator loss, so here are my very simple suggestions.
First, occasionally stop your combine and back up 10 feet. Check everything in front of the combine, because that will only be header or pre-harvest loss. The best suggestion I had from a professor at South Dakota State was to build a 1 foot by 1 foot square out of PVC. That will last a long time for you, and it’s very easy to throw down on the ground in a few spots and quickly determine harvest loss.
Second, check for separator loss by looking behind the combine and subtracting off what you calculated for header and pre-harvest loss. It’s very important to determine where the problem is at during harvest. Is it at the header or is the problem inside the combine?
Finally, make adjustments as much as you can to minimize grain loss. Check with your equipment dealer for tips.
Now, this will vary, but roughly here’s what it means in terms of yield loss when you find kernels in the field:
CORN - 2 kernels per square foot equals approximately 1 bushel loss per acre.
SOYBEANS - 4 beans per square foot equals approximately 1 bushel loss per acre.
WHEAT - 16 seeds per square foot equals approximately 1 bushel loss per acre.
You’ll never eliminate harvest loss, but if you can reduce harvest loss you’ll quickly add yield and profit for your farm.
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