Are you busy preparing for your next harvest and you want to gather your crops without delay? You need to maintain your farm equipment properly in order to prevent a breakdown or injuries. By adding grain carts and other farm equipment, you can bolster your reaping efficiency.
The United States is the leading agricultural producer in the world. The country’s agriculture sector achieved inflation-adjusted revenue of $374 billion in 2018. It is the biggest producer of corn, with a 90-million acre of land allocated for corn farming in states like Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, and Indiana. The other grain crops produced in the country include wheat, soybeans, sorghum, and barley.
Best Practices to Achieve a Successful and Safe Harvest Season
There are multiple things that you need to do during reaping time to avoid stress and potential losses. Here are some things you may consider to prepare adequately for the harvest season:
- Create a plan to prepare for equipment maintenance and safety – Make sure all your agricultural machinery like tractors, combines, and trucks are in tip-top conditions to prevent breakdowns and delays. Also, prepare your grain bins and dryers and train all your workers on farm safety to avoid injuries and fatal accidents.
- Keep an eye on your field’s moisture levels – Monitor your crop’s moisture levels carefully to facilitate harvesting. For corn crops, the recommended levels are between 22-25%. For soybeans, the moisture content should be around 13-15%.
- Observe traffic safety rules and regulations – Always follow road safety practices to avoid unnecessary delays and accidents while moving your equipment from one farm to another. Re-study your state laws on the use of vehicle signs, the number of allowed implements to be towed, among others.
- Make sure your harvest data is accurate – Calibrate your equipment before use to ensure all collected data are correct. Use your data to plan for the coming seasons and improve your yields.
- Use grain carts to improve harvest efficiency – The use of grain carts during harvest will bolster the capability of your combines. According to farmer Dave Horvath, a grain cart allows the continuous operation of your combines.
- Develop a fertility plan for the incoming farming season – Create a fertility strategy using your gathered data for the incoming season. You may conduct field trials of your fertility programs in test plots to determine the best for your farms. Also, use established technologies like the in-furrow system to boost your yields.
Benefits of Grain Carts During Harvest Season
The use of grain carts in harvesting crops like corn and soybeans is growing in popularity due to their advantages. Here are some benefits of grain carts during harvest:
- They increase the harvest efficiency of combines significantly. According to farmers, a grain cart is equivalent to the operation of one combine.
- They can navigate soft fields without getting stuck easily due to their flotation tires.
- They are cost-efficient alternatives to buying another combine to facilitate the harvesting process.
- They can handle external factors like farm topography, weather conditions, and moisture levels.
- They facilitate the unloading of your combine on-the-go.
Preparing for your harvesting activities will help you avoid potential delays and production losses. Your efficiency can be improved further by buying harvesting equipment like grain carts.
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