As fall harvest nears in Ohio, the Ohio State Digital Ag team highlights the importance of precise yield monitor setup and calibration. Accurate yield data is essential for informed decisions in precision agriculture, enabling tailored recommendations based on field variations. Yield maps provide insight into field performance and guide service providers in creating effective prescriptions. Proper yield monitor management ensures reliable data generation.
Within the realm of harvesting, factors such as grain moisture, test weight, and combine flow contribute to varying measurements, both within passes and across fields. To capture dependable data, mass flow and moisture sensors on combines must be calibrated to anticipate these fluctuations.
Why Calibrate Your Yield Monitor?
Calibrating your yield monitor is not merely a procedural step; it's a foundational practice that underpins yield data accuracy and its subsequent applications. Here's why yield monitor calibration should be a top priority:
Representative Yield Estimates: Accurate calibration ensures that yield variability across the field is faithfully represented on the yield map, an especially crucial consideration during seasons marked by expected field variability.
Precision in Recommendations: Accurate yield maps are the foundation for generating effective variable-rate prescriptions and profit maps. These maps drive variable-rate fertility and seeding recommendations, providing a data-driven approach to enhance profitability.
Baseline for Management Decisions: Yield maps serve as baseline data layers to assess management risks and allocate inputs effectively. By leveraging precision agriculture insights, farmers can refine practices and input choices to optimize their operations' profitability.
Pre-Harvest and Harvest Steps for Optimal Yield Monitor Performance
To ensure your yield monitor functions optimally and delivers accurate data, adhere to these pre-harvest and during-harvest steps:
Update Firmware and Software: Keep your yield monitoring systems up to date by installing available firmware and software updates. Reach out to equipment or technology service providers for support and access to updates.
Monitor Component Wear: Most yield monitors utilize a mass flow sensor at the top of the clean grain elevator. Regularly inspect and replace worn components to maintain data accuracy. After component replacement, recalibration is crucial to restore precision.
Configure DGPS: Ensure that your DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) is updated and configured correctly. This includes renewing licenses, updating calibrations and parameters, and confirming relevant settings for harvest operations.
Check Auto-Steer Operations: Verify auto-steer operations and the availability of previously used AB/guidance lines within the display. Adjust sensitivity settings as needed for optimal performance.
Calibrate for Specific Crops: Calibrate your yield monitor for each crop, each season, to reflect the range of yield conditions it will encounter. Periodically check calibration throughout the season to maintain data accuracy.
Account for Moisture and Density Variations: Grain moisture and density can vary within and across fields. Adjustments for these variations enhance the precision of yield estimates.
Adapt to Changing Conditions: Recalibrate when conditions change, such as component replacement or significant shifts in grain moisture. Adapt to shifts in moistures by 6% to 8% or post-rain conditions that are still suitable for harvesting.
Leverage Grain Carts for Calibration: Grain carts can be used for yield monitor calibration if their weighing accuracy is comparable to certified scales. Follow best practices for accurate calibration.
Keep Field Notes and Images: Record notes and images during harvest, especially if conducting on-farm research. These insights prove invaluable during post-harvest analysis and decision-making.
As the harvest season unfolds, precision in yield data collection sets the stage for informed decisions and optimized farm operations. With meticulous yield monitor management, you can harness the power of accurate yield maps to drive precision agriculture insights that pave the way for enhanced profitability and sustainability.
Photo Credit: gettyimage-jamesbrey
Categories: Ohio, Harvesting