SMART HARVESTING ▶▶▶
being held and select where it is to be stored. Another function is the blending estimator. This screen allows the operator to automatically com- pute the result of blending grain from two or more storage systems into another silo. Sliders allow the operator to quickly adjust the tonnes of grain from each storage system that are to be placed into the collection storage system. For example: 29 tonnes of wheat with a protein content of 12% when blended with 70 tonnes of wheat from the mother bin with protein content of 10% would produce 99 tonne of wheat with an average protein content of 10.6%. In effect the Australian Standard White (ASW) wheat from the mother bin was blended up to Australian Premium White (APW) wheat. There is a blending calculator in the system that is intended to take the guesswork out of the infield blending.
CropScan made a great change for Broden Holland
Farmer Broden Holland from Young, in the Australian state of New South Wales, has been using the CropScan 3300H for three years. “We do a lot of blending to get the protein levels right when we are stripping wheat.” He thought the AUD$ 20,000 (US$ 13.500) was very reasonable. “Mean- while we realise that blending is not the only way to use it. The protein maps are real- ly practical too.” He explains that the analys- er has changed his way of working quite a bit. “In the past we used to run around with a little handheld reader to get samples and work out what the protein levels were in each block,” he says. The CropScan made a great change. The machine told them what their protein levels were in all the different areas of each block. Straight away they were able to blend areas, send the crop to a different area or keep it aside to harvest later if necessary. CropScan has delivered Mr Holland and his family an increase in the payments they get for their grain. “It is always very hard to put an exact figure on it,” he says. “But I would say that it makes us about AUD$ 15,000
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Complete management “The software in the computer offers in fact the complete management of the grain,” says Mr Clancy. “The feedback we get is exception- ally good. We have a strong twitter following and we talk to each other about many events.” He says that only 20% of the CropScan users actually use the agronomic side of the system. “Most of them are using it for the grain man- agement and the blending. But once the penny drops, and people start to see the rela- tionship between protein and yield, they start to make some simple adjustments to their fer- tilisation rates. And that’s when they get the big increases.” The CEO explains that Next Instruments will fo- cus more and more on showing farmers the ropes of this kind of yield management. “Be- cause all farmers stand to benefit from yield
increases,” he says. “Protein payments are often a regional thing. Not every country in the world makes these payments.” Farmers can also use the CropScan as station- ary analyser. “The instrument costs about US$ 20,000. It is not a huge amount but it is a significant amount. If you want to make more use of it, you can take the sample head, the spectrometer and a computer and use a grain auger for stationary purposes. For instance you can use the system to control grain blending from one silo to another or truck. You can also use it as a benchtop instrument.” The interest in the CropScan is growing quite rapidly. “We are increasing our sales probably about 50% per year,” Mr Clancy says. “We would love to reach 100% per year but we are limited by the size of the company and the resources that are available...”
When Broden Holland clicks the field map button, he can see a real-time field map for protein, moisture or oil in his cabin.
every year: AUD$ 20 dollar per hectare extra over 3300 hectares.” The farmer uses the scanner for both wheat and canola. “In canola because it is very good in measuring the moisture content. We could combine/harvest for an additional ten hours last harvest because we had very accurate moisture readings. We noticed that other farmers had to bring their samples in to the silo to get their information. We just pulled into the paddock and knew straight away if
▶ FUTURE FARMING | 1 november 2019
we could keep going or not.” The Brodens also used their protein maps to figure out the best urea application in the following season. “A low protein area will get a higher rate of nitrogen and a high protein area will get a lower rate of nitrogen. We probably need two or three consistent years to work out how to make the most of this. But our pro- tein levels are a very good indication for what our nitrogen levels will have to be for the following year.”
PHOTO: NEXT INSTRUMENTS
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