Yield Monitors and Their Applications to Todays Farmer

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Yield Monitors and Their Applications to Todays
Farmer
www.caterpillar.com
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Introduction

• Yield monitors have been used for a decade but
  now the applications are being utilized for
  farmers benefits.
• Technology advancements and individual efforts to
  better yield are key to monitors unlimited future.

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Outline

• Yield monitor components
• Yield monitor displays
• Uses of the monitor
• Key decisions made with collected data to better
  yield and increase profit.

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Harvest Setup Calibration
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Components of Yield Monitors
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Flow Sensor

• Measures grain flow coming off the paddles at top
  of clean grain elevator
• Utilizes load cell technology
• Polyurethane impact plate
• Reduces buildup
• Longer life

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Flow Sensor Installation

• 3\8 to 5\8 inch clearance
• Once top shaft is adjusted, always adjust chain
  tension from the bottom!
• Check for wear on paddles, impact plate, and
  deflector plate.

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Clean Grain Elevator Adjustment
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Clean Grain Elevator Adjustment
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Elevator Mount Unit

• Mounts on the side of clean grain elevator for
  all brands of combines
• Quick and Easy installation
• Gravity filled chamber through large inlet hole

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Elevator Mount Unit

• Proximity switch activates auger to exchange
  grain sample when chamber is full
• Constant grain sampling at all flow rates
  provides an accurate moisture measurement

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Moisture Sensor

• Mounts on the side of the Elevator Mount
• Sensor measures moisture and temperature
• Easily calibrated at the monitor

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Header Sensor

• Turns area counting on and off
• Mounts underneath cab
• Arm attaches to the feederhouse
• Stop Height is set from the cab

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Pre-Harvest Checklist

• Copy Data to Card and Make Backup
• Upgrade Monitor/Modules
• Clearing Data From Card
• Clearing Loads/Create New Season
• Change/Create Field Names
• Change Grain Type For Each Field
• Set Swath Width
• Stop Height Calibration
• Vibration Calibration (For Each Grain Type)
• Temperature Calibration
• Distance Calibration

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Calibration Procedure

• Use the same weigh scale each time
• Harvest four to six loads
• Record the actual weight for each
• Harvest about the same amount of weight in each
  load
• Best weight is between 3000 and 8000 lbs
• Dont use Semi loads with smaller cal loads

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Calibration

• Proper calibration can actually be less time
  consuming than other brand monitors, and the
  results are typically more accurate

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Yield Monitors

• Utilizes technology to reach higher yields and
  lower growers cost
• Increases crop uniformity, the key to higher
  yields
• Helps predict production grades for targeted
  markets
• Helps avoid repeated mistakes continuous
  improvement

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John Deere Monitor
www.johndeere.com
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Agleader Monitor
www.agleader.com
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Higher Yields Lowers Costs
/Bu. To Produce a Bushel of Wheat
ag.systems, July, 2002
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The Purpose

• Allows the producer to analyze specific practices
  in a field and on his whole farm and compare it
  to a community of producers.
• We boundary each field, in order to utilize the
  maps to record anything we do to the field, such
  as soil or tissue testing.
• Capturing a specific set of input variables that
  are deemed critical by the growers is highly
  important. It is very important that these inputs
  be recorded consistently for each grower.

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Agronomic Support

• Constantly updating crop specific production
  systems based on the information we pull from the
  system.
• Soil and Tissue Test

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In just one year youll gain knowledge that
would have taken many years of trial and error,
and you can apply that knowledge to the next
planting season, year after year (Bodenstine).
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We generate yield maps for those customers who
own yield monitors and GPS systems. The yield
maps give the customer a permanent record of
that fields performance for any given
year. Locate problem areas within your fields
and limiting quantify the affects of those areas
that may be production. .
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The Process
Yield Monitor
Crop Variables
Grower Results
Analysis Interpretation
Harvest Data
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Conclusion

• Yield monitors will be essential to farmers in
  the futures market.
• Analyzing yield and input data will give key
  points for next years production.
• Using the most advanced technology on the market
  may be expensive but if used properly will gain a
  growers profits substantially.

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Bibliography

• AFS. 09 Oct. 2007 lthttp//www.johndeere.comgt.
• Insight Monitor. 9 Oct. 2007 lthttp//www.agleader.
  comgt.
• Bodenstine, Paul. Why DSS? Agsystems Consulting.
  Mechanicville Agsystems Consulting, 2003.
• "Lexion." 9 Oct. 2007 lthttp//www.caterpillar.comgt
  .