Harvest Smarter This Fall

9 Ways to Harvest Smarter

A job worth doing is worth doing right — and when it comes to harvesting crops it couldn’t be truer.

Before taking to the field this fall, consider these tips from crop consultants, Extension specialists and professional harvesters to make your harvest more efficient and less stressful.

1. ASSESS FIELD HEALTH.

Dwight Koops, Crop Quest western region vice president in Ulysses, KS, recommends that growers evaluate late-season crop health to make sure they harvest fields with potential standability problems first. “Producers will also want to watch for potential stalk rot, corn borer or stem borer problems in soybeans. Be aware of which hybrids dry down more quickly than others,” Koop says.

2.CALIBRATE YIELD MONITORS.

Taking the time and patience to calibrate a yield monitor properly can go a long way when it comes time to make important decisions from your yield data, says Randy Taylor, Extension machinery specialist at Oklahoma State University.

“You want to know how well it’s doing at both high and low flow rates, and make sure that the impact plate and moisture sensors are clean before you start,” he says. “The information is extremely valuable, so make sure it’s as accurate as possible.”

3. WATCH MOISTURE LEVELS.

“Fishing around for dry corn can cost money, especially at today’s fuel prices,” Koops says. “Therefore, taking the time to find out which fields are ready to harvest before all the equipment is brought to the field should help efficiency.” He suggests having a quality moisture tester on hand to avoid hauling excess water to town and taking a dock.

4. EVALUATE FIELD LOSS OFTEN.

Checking behind the combine to determine field loss is important, says Mark Hanna, agricultural and biosystems engineer at Iowa State University. “Many of the losses occur at the head of the machine; making sure that you have things adjusted appropriately is valuable,” he says. “In reasonable operating conditions, loss is approximately 2 kernels/sq. ft., which equals about 1 bu./acre of loss. Combine operators should be striving for that figure — or less.”

Adjustment and clearance on deck plates is important, as well as making sure that the ear savers are present and in good repair to keep ears from bouncing out of the head, Hanna says. Losing entire ears adds up in a hurry.

5. OPTIMIZE MACHINERY WITH ADJUSTMENTS.

“Make the adjustments on your combine one at a time in order to evaluate what’s going on,” Hanna says. “Be prepared and allow time to check on settings in the field. Ordinarily, you want to start at the lower speed setting and then adjust up while maintaining grain quality.”

The idea is to get as much crop-on-crop threshing as possible. When the kernels rub against each other to loosen from the cob, it’s much more gentle than rubbing against steel.

Crops have the potential of being higher in moisture this year, Hanna says, which puts a premium on machine setup. “Corn cobs are going to be higher in moisture content, as well, and could be spongier,” he adds. “It’s going to put a focus on making sure you get the rotor cylinder speed and concave clearance set appropriately.”

6. CAPITALIZE ON TEAMWORK.

Communication between the combine and cart or truck drivers is critical to maximize efficiency, says Lance Johnson, CEO of Johnson Harvesting Inc., Evansville, MN, a business with 48 years of harvesting experience. “The combine driver has to assist the cart driver in their operation. Both operators need to know where they will meet next and the most efficient way to make this happen,” he says.

“The best combine operator is one who knows how to run a grain cart efficiently. Any time you can have a full grain cart at the end of the field where the truck is located makes the cart much more productive and reduces field compaction considerably,” Johnson says.

7. THROTTLE BACK WHEN POSSIBLE.

While your combine has to run wide open, there is opportunity to throttle back your tractor, Taylor says. “If you can, throttle back a bit. You can still get a lot done if you’re not overloading the engine and you’ll use less fuel. Think about logistics — the location of your grain cart, your truck and how you harvest your fields — so that you spend less idle time with the machines running.”

8. CONSISTENCY TOPS HURRIEDNESS.

One major harvest blunder Johnson notices is that haste often makes waste. “Hastening harvest doesn’t make things go faster; in fact that is when problems and accidents occur,” he says. “Any employer who tells an employee to ‘hurry up’ simply made the mistake of not managing his operation efficiently before they got behind schedule. Steady and consistent always wins over fast and furious at the end of the day; it also puts the most bushels in the bin.”

9.TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND RELAX.

Jim Gleason, Crop Quest eastern region vice president in St. John, KS, encourages producers to slow down a little and be safe. “Taking short breaks throughout the day will aid in staying mentally alert while fighting off fatigue,” Gleason says. “It is a proven fact that more accidents happen when you are worn out or distracted. Also, the driver should always be aware of his surroundings and pay special attention when children are in the area.”

 

Send it on down the line

Mounds Of Once Golden Grain Remain On The Ground

Grain elevators around the country are surrounded by mounds, piles and bunkers full of grain still waiting to be shipped out by rail, and a surprisingly large harvest this fall is expected to test the system even further. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that farmers will produce the second-largest corn crop and fourth-largest soybean crop in history.

Some agribusiness groups worry that the bottlenecks could hurt the United States’ standing as a world food provider as other nations, such as Brazil and Argentina, compete for a lucrative share of the market.

The following is a story by the Associate Press about this exporting bottleneck.

What’s Driving Food Prices? (not only ethanol)

Ag Economists Analyze High Commodity And Food Prices

In case you haven’t heard, food prices are going up. Go ahead… protest, panic, point fingers. It’s that evil ethanol industry that’s doing this afterall, how dare they use corn to make fuel, taking away from the supply and making the grocery bill go up.

Recent studies of Purdue University ag economists show that in fact the food prices are drven by a combination of factors… not only ethanol. High oil prices, the weak dollar, world production and consumption trends all add a little ‘push’ to the price. But that’s a side of the story less often mentioned.

The following is a excerpt from the press release from Purdue University about the findings:

— In a Farm Foundation commissioned report, the Purdue economists – Phil Abbott, Chris Hurt and Wally Tyner – highlight key factors gleaned from examining 25 recent studies plus their own analysis. Their conclusion: a complex combination of factors is fueling agricultural commodity price increases and rising food costs.

 Tyner, an expert on energy and policy issues, said the price of oil is an important factor that has increased the demand for biofuels. “About $3 of the corn price increase is due to the higher oil price and $1 to the ethanol subsidy,” he said.

 As high oil prices spur demand for biofuels, the increased corn production stimulates demand for fertilizer, diesel, propane and other agricultural inputs. Prices for these inputs have also risen due to the “demand pull” from more corn being produced and subsequently the “cost push” due to the fact that petroleum products are key ingredients in many of these inputs.

Strip-Till Videos

Videos On Strip-Till Tactics

Want to find out if strip-till pays and whether it’s tough to get into? Then don’t miss these videos on what you should consider to be successful.

Videos were recorded at the University of Minnesota Strip-Till Tour near Windom, MN.

http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/tv/

USDA Releases Acreage Report

USDA’s June 30 Acreage Report

Summary:

 

Corn Planted Acreage Down 7%                 

Soybean Acreage Up 17%                         

All Wheat Acreage Up 5%

All Cotton Acreage Down 15%

From the USDA: Extensive rains and flooding during June caused producers in several Midwestern States to change their harvesting intentions for crops already planted, modify planting decisions for the small percentage of acres not yet planted, and consider replanting options. NASS collected most of the data for the annual Acreage report before the majority of the flooding occurred. In an effort to more accurately determine how many acres producers still intend to harvest for grain, NASS re-interviewed approximately 1,200 farmers June 23, 24, and 25 in the flood-affected areas. As a result, it was determined that U.S. farmers intend to harvest 90.4 percent of their planted acres of corn for grain. This is a change from 92.4 percent as measured during the first 2 weeks of June. U.S. farmers intend to harvest 96.8 percent of their planted acres of soybeans. Without this additional survey data, historical averages would have indicated 98.7 percent of soybean acres to be harvested. NASS will conduct a more extensive acreage update survey during July. Findings from this study will be incorporated in the August Crop Production report.

*****

The interesting part of the June 30th USDA Report was the large increase in planted corn acreage for 2008, given the significant planting delays in much of the Midwest, and the severe flooding in Iowa, Illinois, and other States. It should be noted that the June 30th USDA Report is based on crop conditions on June 1st, and the planted acreage does not reflect harvested corn acreage. USDA did a secondary crop survey in late June to determine preliminary changes in harvested corn acreage for 2008. Based on those results, it would appear that an estimated 90.4 percent of corn acres will be harvested for grain in 2008, compared to a normal of 92.4 percent of corn acres, obviously reflecting the floods and excessive rainfall in many areas of the Midwest in early June. Similarly, based on the late June crop survey, the percent of planted soybean acreage to be harvested for 2008 was listed at 96.8 percent, compared to a normal of 98.7 percent.

View the entire acreage report.

 

 

More than food & fuel

Getting More From The Kernel 

 

We often think of corn as a simple commodity, limited to either food or fuel. However, corn can be processed to utilize any or all of its four major components — starch, protein, oil and fiber — in thousands of applications, products and alternative uses.

Corn processing continues to find new uses, which benefit consumers around the world and create new markets for producers.

“As corn prices go up, there becomes increased interest in getting more out of it,” says Larry Johnson, director of the Center for Crop Utilization and Research at Iowa State University. Johnson says that while high corn prices have not had an effect on the amount of research being conducted, it has affected the focus.

“We believe you can produce both food and fuel from corn,” Johnson says. “Edible oil, high quality feed, stillage conversion, bran conversion, all of these things, we’re trying to get more out of corn than we used to get.”

 

Getting more out of corn is something that is the specialty of NatureWorks LLC. Using biopolymer technology, the company manufactures a plastic called polyactide (PLA) and Ingeo fibers, which are licensed to other companies that provide consumer goods. Because these products are corn-made, they use up to 68% less fossil fuel energy than traditional plastics and can break down into compost.

 

“Consumers are now brutally aware of how oil-based our economy is, not just in terms of what goes into our gas tank, but the products we buy,” says Steve Davies, global marketing director of NatureWorks LLC. “The consumers now get that we need better options. They are driving huge demands for these products today because they are so much more aware of the impact of what they buy and it’s influence on the environment.”

 

NatureWorks PLA and Ingeo can be found in a variety of products such as packing materials, carpet, hygiene products, fresh food packaging, cleaners, disposable tableware and apparel. Other products becoming more common included plastic gift cards, weed-blocking landscape covering, durable plastic electronic housings and baby diapers.

 

“Consumer reaction is typically surprised but positive,” Davies says. “Consumers have the idea that doing something good for the environment means giving up something. It’s viewed as something that wouldn’t work as well or look as good, and we’ve taken a lot of trouble to work with downstream manufacturers to make sure the product performs well, looks good and is good for the environment.”

 

While the acceptance and growth of these corn-based products has been impressive, Davies says the industry has more development to come. “NatureWorks LLC started in 2003 the world’s first and largest bio-plastic facility, and yet it’s still tiny in terms of the global plastic and fiber market,” Davies says. “What we see going forward is PLA, Ingeo and other bio-plastics becoming a fact of life and the norm.”

 

This growing market which offers new uses for corn will also benefit producers, says Nathan Fields, director of research and business development for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). “If we can diversify the use of corn it will create more marketing opportunities and ultimately help corn growers,” Fields says. “Technology and research in terms of processing is continuously developing, there are a lot of promising applications to be excited about.”

 

Interested in these new value-added corn products? Check out some of the merchandise on retail shelves that started in a corn field.

 

-“We milk the cows and grow the bottles” is the motto of Naturally Iowa, Inc. The company packages its certified organic dairy products in PLA containers through a partnership with NatureWorks LLC. For more information visit www.naturallyiowa.com or call 712-542-MILK.

 

-Mohawk Industries and DuPont’s SmartStrand carpeting is made of readily available agricultural materials, including corn. Stylish, durable and environmentally smart, you can enjoy your corn crop year round right in your living room. For more information visit www.mohawkcarpet.com/carpeting/smartstrandor call 800-2MOHAWK.

 

-Looking for a unique company promotional item? Corn-based biodegradable plastic mugs, pens, letter openers, rulers and golf tees are available at www.cornmug.com, or call 425-681-2460.

 

-Get a good night’s sleep with Ingeo fiber pillows and comforters. Available at home stores, these bedding goods offer superior performance and insulation, luxurious comfort, lasting, springy loft and exceptional durability. Visit www.target.com, www.cozywinters.com, or www.bedbathandbeyond.com for more information.

 

-Look good and feel good by wearing an Ingeo shirt from EcoWear USA of Eden Prairie, MN.  Available in various styles and colors these wrinkle-free, easy care durable shirts will surely make a fashion statement. Furthermore, at the end of its useful life, your Ingeo clothing is fully recyclable. For more information visit www.ecowearusa.com.

 

-Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart Super Centers now offer PLA packaging on fresh cut fruit, herbs, strawberries, Brussels sprouts and bakery products. Research indicated that with this change to packaging made from corn will save the equivalent of 800,000 gallons of gasoline and reduce more than 11 million lbs. of greenhouse gas emissions.

 

For additional listings of corn products made using NatureWorks LLC Ingeo fiber and PLA, visit www.ingeofibers.com and www.natureworksllc.com. There you can find more information about the variety of products and where to buy them.

 

For a complete listing of all products made with corn, visit the NCGA product search page at http://www.ncga.com/research/comm_dev_center/index_PG.asp.

King Corn

          This is an interesting film about the corn industry. If done properly it could have been a great tool to educate society about the true story of corn producers.

 

 

            Film summary:

 

Almost everything Americans eat contains corn: high fructose corn syrup, corn-fed meat, and corn-based processed foods are the staples of the modern diet.  Ready for an adventure and alarmed by signs of their generation’s bulging waistlines, college friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis know where to go to investigate.  Eighty years ago, Ian and Curt’s great-grandfathers lived just a few miles apart, in the same rural county in northern Iowa.  Now their great-grandsons are returning with a mission:  they will plant an acre of corn, follow their harvest into the world, and attempt to understand what they—and all of us—are really made of.

 

Ian and Curt arrive in the Midwest enthusiastic about their new endeavor.  Iowa’s newest farmers lease an acre of land from a skeptical landlord and fill out a pile of paperwork to sign up for subsidies.  The government will pay them $28 to grow their acre of corn—the first of many steps that reinforce the idea that more corn is what America needs.

 

Ian and Curt start the spring by injecting ammonia fertilizer.  The chemical promises to increase yields fourfold, fueling the mission of abundance laid out for them.  Then it’s planting time, and with a rented tractor, Ian and Curt set 31,000 seeds in the ground in 18 minutes.  Their seed has been genetically modified for high yields and herbicide tolerance, and when the seedlings sprout, Ian and Curt apply a powerful spray to ensure that only their corn will thrive on their acre.

 

But where will all that corn go? Ian and Curt leave Iowa to find out, first considering their crop’s future as feed.  In Colorado, rancher Sue Jarrett says her cattle should be eating grass.  But with a surplus of corn, it costs less to raise cattle in confinement than to let them roam free: “The mass production of corn drives the mass production of protein in confinement.”  Animal nutritionists confirm that corn makes cows sick and beef fatty, but it also lets consumers eat a $1 hamburger.  Feedlot owner Bob Bledsoe defends America’s cheap food, but as Ian and Curt see in Colorado, the world behind it can be stomach turning.  At one feedlot, 100,000 cows stand shoulder-to-shoulder, doing their part to transform Iowa corn into millions of pounds of fat-streaked beef.

 

Following the trail of high fructose corn syrup, Ian and Curt hop attempt to make a home-cooked batch of the sweetener in their kitchen.  But their investigation of America’s most ubiquitous ingredient turns serious when they follow soda to its consumption in Brooklyn.  Here, Type II diabetes is ravaging the community, and America’s addiction to corny sweets is to blame.

 

The breadth of the problem is now clear: the American food system is built on the abundance of corn, an abundance perpetuated by a subsidy system that pays farmers to maximize production.  In a nursing home in the Indiana suburbs, Ian and Curt come face-to-face with Earl Butz, the Nixon-era Agriculture Secretary who invented subsidies.  The elderly Butz champions the modern food system as an “Age of plenty” Ian and Curt’s great-grandfathers only dreamed of.

 

November pulls Ian and Curt back to Iowa.  Their 10,000-pound harvest seems as grotesque as it is abundant.  They haul their corn to the elevator and look on as it makes its way into a food system they have grown disgusted by.  At a somber farm auction, Ian and Curt decide to tell their landlord they want to buy the acre.  The next spring their cornfield has been pulled from production and planted in a prairie, a wild square surrounded by a sea of head-high corn.

 

For more information about the film itself, visit the King Corn Web site.