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News
Column
Paul C Hay, Extension Educator 
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News Letters: http://gage.unl.edu/news/news.htm
Harvest Safety & Harvest Handling Tips
At this time we can see what faces us in this harvest season. One
look in a dryland corn field at the stalks going down shows us the
potential for real problems. Combining down stalks with light test
weights and molds will not be fun. Milo fields look better in terms of
yields, but stalk rot in milo is closely tied to soil temperatures.
Soil temperatures on bare soil in mid-August were over 90 degrees.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS producers can use to minimize further income
losses:
- Combine settings are important to get the grain (even
some of the lighter test weight grain), while leaving the fines and
unfilled kernels in the field. Seed coats on this grain are likely
to be think and checks and cracks from extra combine threshing
action should be avoided. Review your cylinder settings and vein
adjustments (rotatory) with the book and your dealer. It is easy to
plug headers with downed stalks even when they aren't all that
thivck. Make sure that all systems are shut down and safety locks in
place before cleaning out plugs. After cleaning make sure all tools
and clean-out equipment is put away before restart. Make sure
helpers are in a safe place before restarting equipment.
- Start bin fans as soon as filling begins. Evening the
temperature and moving moisture fronts can't start too quick on this
grain, which will likely have plenty of fines. As soon as filling is
complete level bins. This may need to be done several times for crop
insurance measurements. Be sure you have safety rope and help with
cell phone at hand when going up, down, or into bins. Take two loads
of feed or grain for sale out of full bins. This helps in leveling
and gets fines out of the bin center for improved air flow.
- Run aeration fans for at least 72 hours after filling and
leveling are completed. This insures uniform temperature and
moisture in the stored grain. Repeat this as outside temperatures
drop (about once a month). If the in-laws are troublesome, use
Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas for grain aeration dates.
Communications with the wife may suffer, but the grain will be safe!
- If the season suddenly turns moist, drying may be needed.
Drying light test weight grain is ore challenging than milo. Use
lower temperatures, monitor the dryer carefully, and use frequent
full dryer cleanouts to be sure the fines don't buildup and catch
fire. It will be very easy to over-dry this grain and cause extra
stress cracks.'
- TAKE YOUR TIME! It is frustrating to get low yields and
have to combine short soybean plants. Make sure you don't compound
the problem by leaving 5 bushels/acre in the field or on the side
damaging the header on terraces or sucking rocks into the machine.
Grain prices are going higher and we still need to harvest as much
of a good clean crop as possible.
View other Gage County News Columns &
News Letters: http://gage.unl.edu/news/news.htm |
