The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Technology that helps gain premium markets
More manufacturers are making harvest mapping technology available in the field
The potential for recording and mapping forage and grain constituents at harvest is growing as more manufacturers make this technology available on their field machines.
Installing a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) analyser on a forage harvester, baler or grain harvester makes it possible to evaluate constituent characteristics such as moisture, dry matter, crude protein and fat, starch, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF).
The immediate results can influence harvester and baler setting decisions and subsequent feeding programmes to optimise dairy and beef production from forage crops.
On a combine, having immediate proof of the quality and nutritional value of harvested crops gives growers more selective storage and marketing options, and greater opportunity to pursue premium markets with confidence, suggest manufacturers.
New Holland has already introduced an Evo NIR analyser as an option on its FR Forage Cruiser self-propelled chopper to match the HarvestLab installation on John Deere 8000 Series harvesters.
But the device built by Italian company Dinamic Generale is also being introduced for the New Holland BigBaler line to analyse forage packed in big square bales, and on its rangetopping Revelation combines to analyse grain.
Collected data can be transferred to the farm’s office computer using a USB device or wirelessly by wi-fi, and yearly calibrations can be carried out remotely using an internet connection.
Being able to map the nutrient value of crops across fields can help in deciding variable rate fertiliser prescriptions to encourage optimum yields and fertiliser usage.
On a forage harvester, information provided by an NIR analyser enables operators to make on-the-go adjustments to maximise feed quality, while automatic length-of-cut adjustment linked to moisture content can help in making maximum use of silage bunker capacity.
Similarly, it can optimise silage inoculant dosing based on sugar and dry-matter readings, and tracking of the quality of silage stored in different clamps can help with dairy ration decisions.
With the latest-spec John Deere HarvestLab 3000 measuring up to 10 nutrient values 4,000 times per second, the device provides permanent data that can be wirelessly transmitted to the John Deere Operations Centre for analysis, planning of crop and nutrient applications and for archiving field and crop history.
New Holland says the high sampling rate of its Evo NIR system results in field mapping accuracy that can help fine-tune field inputs and provide better management of forage and grain resources with the prospect of improved productivity and profits.
On a combine, having immediate proof of the quality and nutritional value of harvested crops gives growers more selective storage and marketing options