Applying Precision Agriculture to Harvesting

Transcription

1 Applying Precision Agriculture to Harvesting Presented by:

2 Background Facts: SK = 33 million acres of grain harvested per year SK Production is about 1 billion plus bushels / year Estimations: 2,500 acres / combine = 13,200 combines in SK! About 76,000 Bushels / combine Just 1 bu/acre less loss = 33 million bushels At an average of $7 / bushel = $231 million

3 Western Canada harvesting challenges Short Harvest Season Shortage of Experienced Manpower Wide Variety of Crops Canola small, light seeds, high MOG to grain ratio Tough threshing crops like wheat and flax Easy threshing crops like dry canola, peas, and lentils Wide variety of conditions High variability in some areas Long, green straw Lodging Short crops that pod low Weather

4 What does harvesting have to do with Precision Agriculture? Source: Claas.com

5 What does harvesting have to do with Precision Agriculture? Seminar Advertisement: Precision Ag is continually advancing technologies and tools to help the producer get more bushels from the same land unit with the same or less inputs. Source: travelpod.com

6 Are we practicing Precision Ag during harvesting? Wikipedia Definition: Precision agriculture (PA) or satellite farming or site specific crop management (SSCM) is a farming management concept based on observing, measuring and responding to inter and intra-field variability in crops.

7 Harvesting: Are we observing variability? Operator sees crop height and density changes Combine sees variability too late (loss sensors) Some combines sense crop load at the feeder or rotor / cylinder The combine can t see the variability ahead yet

8 Harvesting: Are we measuring variability? Yield and moisture meters Improvements needed: Calibration of yield and moisture meters Grain loss sensing In the future: Look ahead crop density and height sensors

9 Harvesting: Are we responding to variability? Manual operation not precise enough Some combines have automation of feed rate and some settings Improvements Needed: Loss sensing Returns composition analyzing Straw and chaff MOG rate sensing Grain sample analyzing (imaging tech) In the future: Autonomous combine

10 Why is loss important to Precision Ag? Yield maps input into variable rate prescriptions Trend to base inputs on nutrients consumed the previous year (yield) Good chance the yield reported is incorrect due to loss and or non-calibrated yield monitors Source: Wikipedia

11 Sources of loss Nature shatter (ripening, wind, rain, hail, wildlife, heat) Cutting windrowing or straight cutting Combine Leakage feeder, separator, grain tank, elevators, shoe seals Combine Processing Feeding Threshing Separating Cleaning

12 How bad can losses be? Current losses typically 1-5 Bu/acre Can be 5-15 Bu/acre! Loss increases as MOG feedrate increases About 10 Bu/acre!

13 What s Happening? More power! Since 1990 combine HP has more than doubled Significant material handling improvements Maximum throughput is greater than capacity of the processing and cleaning systems in some conditions. Modern spreaders and choppers hide the loss Improper settings or non optimum configuration for W Canada crops and conditions Source: strawchopper.com

14 What s Happening? Assumption that the latest combine has X% more capacity than the previous model in all conditions. Assumption that if the combine can send it through the grain will end up in the tank Similar ground speeds with wider headers Yields have increased Non-informative loss monitors

15 What s the cost of loss? Canola at $10/bu 160 acres 40 ft 3 mph (14.5 ac/hr) loss = 1 bu/acre over mph (19.4 ac/hr) loss = 3 bu/acre over 8.2 hrs Reduced harvest time by $300/hr = 3 mph cost of loss = $1,600 or 4mph cost of loss = $4,800 or $585/hr Loss Increased by $440/hr by going 1 mph faster Cost $2,360 to go 1 mph faster for 160 acres Plus the cost of dealing with the volunteer plants

16 Online loss and cost calculator! By Weight By Seed Count Cost Calculator

17 Loss Curves Explained

18 Can we be more precise with settings?

19 Can we be more precise with settings?

20 Can we be more precise with settings?

21 How do we apply more precision to the harvest operation? Next 5 years: Awareness and Education Operator feedback of what s happening inside the combine Calibrate yield monitors! Check Losses! Invest time in optimizing the combine Utilize automated features

22 Right Extension Rear * Mid * Front Pre-Cleaner #2 * Pre-Cleaner #1 * * * * * * Left * Air Velocity - m/s How do we apply more precision to the harvest operation? 5-15 years: Advancement of sensors Air velocity sensors under the sieves More accurate and meaningful loss sensing Sensors under the rotor and sieves to indicate how far back the seeds are getting Upper Sieve Air Velocities - Shields Removed 1100 rpm Fan - 18 mm Upper Sieve - 8 mm Lower Sieve Air Velocity Legend - Meters per Second

23 How do we apply more precision to the harvest operation? 5-15 years: Further advancement of automated features: Sensors to look ahead at crop density Indication of amount of clean grain in returns Normalize settings and indications across combines Fully automated settings

24 How do we apply more precision to the harvest operation? years: Autonomous combines Optimal settings Optimal feed rate Optimal route planning

25 How do we apply more precision to the harvest operation? years: Real time decision management system Targets entered by farm manager Telematics that reports yield, loss, and productivity Suggested actions to autonomous combine based on many factors Weather Machinery operating cost Crop price Fuel cost Acres remaining

26 Applying Precision Agriculture to Harvesting Questions?