PHOTO: NEXT INSTRUMENTS PHOTO: NEXT INSTRUMENTS


SMART HARVESTING ▶▶▶


Tackle grain quality and protein levels better with CropScan 3300H


C BY RENÉ GROENEVELD


EO Phil Clancy started Next Instru- ments in 1997, a business developing near infrared analysers for farmers. “We launched our first product in


2000, the portable NIR grain analyser Crop- Scan 2000G. After a while it was clear that farmers were looking for an on combine ver- sion of the analyser. But our first attempts, from 2003 to 2008, weren’t that successful,” Mr Clancy says. “In 2010 we had a bit of a change of ideas and we came up with a much better way of sampling the grain. In 2013 we had a product that really worked. Since then we have fine-tuned the device.” For the past six years, Next Instruments has been marketing its on combine NIR analyser. “We have completed about 300 installations worldwide.” At first users in Australia saw the ability to blend grain on farm as the main benefit. They can optimise the protein levels of their crop that way. Going to the next grade of grain can increase crop payments. Farmers can make an extra AUD$ 30 to AUD$ 50 per ton if they go from the lowest to the highest grades. In North America, where only in a few states farmers are paid based on protein, the CropScan is used in other ways. “Using the analyser can still be very useful in optimising yield,” explains Mr Clancy. “Agronomists have told us that yield can be increased by applying higher rates of nitrogen fertiliser when the protein content is less than 11.5% to 12%. If you are producing a crop that has only 10% protein, then you have probably not reached your full yield potential.”


Fertilisation rate Mr Clancy points out that combining the pro- tein and yield data with the GPS coordinates gives farmers the ability to create a protein/ yield correlation map. “These give you zones where the yield and protein have not been op- timised. Next season you can basically work out where you can get the best increase in yield from adjusting your fertilisation rate. It


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A growing number of farmers are investing in the CropScan 3300H, an on combine near infrared (NIR) analyser that measures protein, oil and moisture in cereal grains and oil seeds as they are stripped in a combine harvester. The Australian producer of the analyser, Next Instruments in Sydney, has seen a 50% increase in sales last year.


might be that 30% is under producing and an- other 30% might be already achieving full yield potential. So you could use more fertiliser in one zone and less in another.” Clancy says that the protein maps give the farmer information that has not been available before. “It shows the protein levels of the crops but also the nitrogen availability in the field. Those are the two major benefits. Farmers have on average a 7% reduction in fertiliser costs. But the increase in yield can be anything up to 30% or 40%. If you already have high yields, the increase might not be so significant.” Next Instruments has installed about 200 analysers in Australia and another 100 units around the world. In Australia, the users are


predominantly wheat farmers. “They get an immediate return. However, barley growers can also get a big return, if they can ensure their barley crop is within 9.5 and 11.5% pro- tein, the so called malt grade.” Wheat farmers that use the analyser usually have between 5,000 and 10,000 hectares. They can justify buying our equipment very easily, according to Mr Clancy.


Segregating and blending grain The system consists of several components. The first is the sampling head of the CropScan 3300H that is mounted on the clean grain ele- vator. As grain passes, a portion of it falls into the sampling head where it is trapped by a set


CEO Phil Clancy of Next Instruments with the CropScan 3300H that brought him an Australian export award.


▶ FUTURE FARMING | 1 november 2019


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