News
Technology gives farmers real-time forage data at harvest time
New harvester technology is helping dairy and livestock operators precisely manage feed.
Bergen Nelson is John Deere’s market manager for combines and self-propelled forage harvesters. He tells Brownfield their new F8 and F9 choppers have many technological advancements, with one of them being a sensor on the discharge chute. “And that sensor can measure moisture, NDF, ADF, protein, and starch for our customers and so they get real-time data as their harvesting, whether they are doing pick-up work or harvesting corn silage.”
Nelson says the sensor takes hundreds of measurements per second, allowing farmers and nutritionists to make real-time decisions about varieties and how to use the feed, while saving time and money on lab forage testing.
Nelson says the data enters John Deere’s Operations Center software, where farmers can also monitor machine usage, maintenance, fuel consumption, and other things to make the farm more efficient and profitable. He says the Operations Center data can also be shared or combined with data from more than 200 other software systems used on farms. It can also help manage logistics with a device connecting trucks and machinery to monitor locations, fuel levels, idle time, operation speed, engine hours, cutter head hours, and more.
The Harvest Lab 3000 sensor also supports auto length of cut adjustment to adjust for moisture and inoculant doses. The same sensor is available for measuring manure and as a table top device.
AUDIO: Bergen Nelson and Brownfield’s Larry Lee discuss new John Deere technology incorporated into the new F8 and F9 forage harvesters, which will arrive at dealers early next year.
