As harvest comes to a close, we’re reminded once again of nature’s power. The drought in Texas that devastated crops and livestock. The excessive spring moisture that prevented 30 percent of Manitoba from even being seeded.
Yet something else also stands out in the 2011 harvest reports from throughout North America. And that is, thanks to continuous innovations in big iron, farmers are increasingly able to work around Mother Nature. Obviously we’ll never defeat her completely, but we’re definitely winning more battles.
For example, really dry conditions and low moisture corn can lead to ear shatter during harvest – unless you have an Axial-Flow combine . This fall, the Case IH combine product specialists helped a lot of customers set the corn head for dry conditions to prevent shelling loss and maximize grain savings.
Another advantage is the auto header to ground speed in 20 Series Axial-Flow combines. As you speed up, the corn head automatically speeds up, so it’s always running at the optimum speed for the conditions you’re in. You don’t have to make adjustments.
If the problem is shatter loss in dry beans, there’s the Case IH 2162 draper header. They did a great job of saving soybeans this fall – as much as 3-bushels an acre, based on in-field demos. The gentle, even feed is a lot easier on the crop when bringing it into the combine.
If a wicked windstorm or driving rain knocks down your crop, there’s the biggest Case IH 9120 combine, with extra horsepower to lift up a down, tangled crop, and process the extra material that comes with it. The 9120 also has the largest cleaning system in the industry (10,075 square inches of cleaning area).
When you’re harvesting several thousand of acres, you may face varying moisture conditions as the season progresses. With Axial-Flow technology, you can adapt machines to go from higher moisture to lower moisture and back again, and still maintain the same grain quality and savings.
Another increasingly common scenario – especially in Canada, where farm sizes range from 5,000 to 10,000 acres – is the need to harvest five or six different crops, from tiny canola seed to corn to sunflowers. Once again, that’s where red iron shines.
The ability to take the same machine and harvest in multiple conditions and various crops and make it work every time, that’s the hallmark of Axial-Flow combines. It’s how some North American farmers are increasingly able to kick Mother Nature in the shins.
We’d like to hear your harvest report.
Did yields come in as you anticipated? What were the challenges? How did harvest end up for you?
Below are links to our Harvest Reports from our Case IH combine product specialists:
