In the modern era, there is an app for nearly everything – except maybe an app for making silage. Yet the biggest influencers on the harvest are as old as time, and yet remain the same – factors such as the weather and the growing season affect yield and quality.

Technology has helped to get the job completed faster, taking greater advantage of shorter working windows.

GPS mowing

For most farmers, tilling or mowing requires operating on the straightest and hopefully longest ditch. Mowing grass for silage is one of those tasks that you need a really good eye for.

There is a technological solution that doesn’t cost a fortune.

Entry-level GPS systems no longer cost the earth and even the most basic system can add a new level of efficiency and productivity.

traight swaths allow the mower to work at the full width, saving on fuel and increasing efficiency in the field. Units cost from €1,200 upwards and some contractors now have auto-steer on large combination machines.

John Deere’s Harvest Lab sensor system for the 8000 Series self-propelled forage harvester range is able to measure a full range of crop constituents for the first time, quickly and accurately, while on the move.

The constituent range includes sugars, starch, protein and crude fibre content, as well as dry matter. This information can be downloaded and handed to the customer.

Real time

John Deere’s technology is a proven system for measuring both grass and maize constituents in real time.

Mounted on the forager spout is an NIR sensor taking crop readings 17 times per second. The Harvest Lab system can also be removed from the forager spout to allow it to be used for stationary feed analysis of different forage ingredients and for clamp silage analysis in the winter.

The Harvest Lab system has been independently verified by DLG, the German Agricultural Society, which regularly conducts large-scale independent testing of agricultural machinery in the field as well as in laboratory conditions – to consistently deliver from +/-0.3 to two per cent accuracy, depending on the forage constituent being measured.

Telematic controls

All of the main manufacturers are now offering telematic services on their machines, especially on their large tractors and harvesters for customers.

This allows the manufacturer to communicate with the operator in the field. Information on fuel consumption, machine output, and the general settings are all now controllable remotely by using GPS and cloud-based technology.

In addition to this service, some packages will allow the contractor to generate a yield map and invoice for the customer from the cab of the machine.

These systems can also show where tractors are located on the draw to and from the field. This helps to plan logistics in the fleet, and better utilise the tractors on the road.

These systems are good for maintenance of high-value machines, as sensors collate date on moving parts that are monitored and communicated to the driver and manufacturer. The manufacturer can only gain access to setting by the driver granting them permission.

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