Following the 2024 combine workshops the team have been travelling around the South Island meeting with growers and helping them reduce their losses and improve combine efficiency. Find out more about how you can measure your harvest losses here.
Measuring losses
Growers can do this themselves, you need to know the size of the pan you are using (catch area m²): length (m) x width (m) = m²
You need digital scales, with readings to at least one decimal place and a way to screen the good seed from the chaff. There are commercial units that do this very well, but you can make your own and buy scales for $20-30 online.
You can then use either of the grain loss links to calculate the losses:
http://farmpro.ca/ref/CombineLoss/Metric.html
https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/apps/harvest-loss-calculator
See below a homemade grain pan and the Farmpro grain loss calculator.
FAR is collecting harvest loss data
If you have data and results on combine losses from changes you have made please get in touch with Chris Smith, as we are keen to have any data that you can share. We are also looking at measuring losses on the farm ourselves, so if you want to get involved in this please also contact Chris and we will arrange to come out and measure losses on your farm.
FAR Maize grain group WhatsApp group
After the success of the FAR Combine harvester brand WhatsApp groups, we have set up a Maize grain WhatsApp group, for all makes of machine focused primarily on maize grain, if you wish to join this group please let Chris Smith know.
Combine workshop follow up workshops
Murray Skyman, Daniel Labossiere, Brett & Robyn Asphar (Primary Sales Australia) have visited over 85 growers in the South Island over the past few weeks, looking at machines and measuring losses when conditions allowed. In early March the team will be back visiting growers in the North Island who indicated on the combine workshop questionnaires that they wanted a follow up visit.