Measuring losses, MOG, and the impact of sunshine — a combine loss Q&A LIVE! with Bryan Lung

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Intuitively, you likely know the combine runs more smoothly in a dry crop on a clear day, but you might be surprised to learn just how large an impact cloudy, cool, damp weather can have on combine losses.

For today’s RealAg LIVE!, host Shaun Haney is joined by Bryan Lung, director of project management with PAMI, to talk about the impacts of weather conditions on combine losses, how to work with the sensors and settings you’ve got, and why older equipment can deliver lower losses.

Don’t miss the RealAg LIVE! segment most Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday afternoons at 1 pm Mountain/3 pm Eastern on your favourite social media platform — Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Twitch! 

SUMMARY

  • PAMI stands for Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute
  • PAMI gets some funding through government, but also works on a case by case basis
  • You do all the work that gets a crop to harvest, and then — boom — we stop protecting yield by not measuring/managing harvest losses. It’s the second last stop on protecting total yield (bin storage being the last)
  • A recent study looked at measuring losses and what conditions impact harvest losses
  • This latest PAMI combine loss study builds off that past research and quantifying existing losses under different conditions
  • The role of ambient temperature, weather conditions (sunny vs. cloudy), and relative humidity on losses
  • More moisture in the MOG (material other than grain) means more losses
  • Temperature has a real impact. Cooler than 23 degrees C and losses can increase
  • Humidity really impacts how the material flows through the combine
  • Sunny conditions means less loss! Sunshine warms the crop, man
  • Remember as the day goes on, you might have to adjust combines. No set it and forget it
  • Straight cut vs. swathed canola — is there a major difference in combine losses? More study needed
  • Should we be re-circulating hot exhaust?
  • Is this work combine colour specific? No.
  • BUT age of combine was looked at, and the answers may surprise you (though only loss, not as a function of throughput)
  • Older combines have lower losses, but likely because of driver decisions
  • Do we depend on auto settings too much? Settings are as good as the sensors
  • Do check losses often
  • It’s part art, but mostly, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Don’t change all things in one go. Change one thing at a time, starting with the manufacturer settings and working your way through
  • There are some good resources, too, on how to measure losses (Check it out here)

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RealAg LIVE! (view all)Season 1 (2020) Episode 63
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