GRDC harvester forums to help growers reduce grain losses

Date: 02 Aug 2021

image of harvest

Best practice harvest tactics are a grower’s greatest ally in the quest to maximise on-farm profitability at the end of the growing season.

But the penalty for not getting it right can be significant, using the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Science (ABARES) estimates of crop area and Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) research, the average farm growing 324 hectares of canola experiences harvest losses of about $24,300 each year.

To assist growers to reduce these losses and improve operations at harvest, the GRDC is running a series of half-day forums across Queensland and New South Wales.

GRDC Grower Relations Manager – North, Richard Holzknecht said the forums had been developed in response to industry needs.

“Growers have been asking us for more information about best practice harvester set up at the critical time,” Mr Holzknecht said.

“Research has shown that in some instances significant amounts of grain are being left on the ground during harvest. In canola crops this can equate to income losses of about $75/ha, while losses in winter chickpeas have been observed at about $52/ha.”

The half-day forums led by industry experts will provide information and discussion around preventable harvester losses, improvements in efficiency and output, calibrating harvester technology, reducing the risk of harvester fires and methods of harvest weed seed control (HWSC).

These practical, interactive forums will also demonstrate how harvest losses can be accurately measured and identify where losses are occurring.

Mr Holzknecht said while not all grain losses could be prevented, losses associated with machinery settings and configuration could be minimised, and these forums could give growers and operators the confidence to make changes to maximise their returns.

“Measuring harvest losses every day or multiple times a day can seem tedious to operators, but the payoff from adjusting the machine to minimise the loss is worth the hassle. You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” he said.

“We will also have experts from different harvest support services speaking at the forums and offering practical demonstrations because it is important to acknowledge that there are differences in machinery set up depending on the environment.”

The GRDC harvester forum program will cover the following topics:

  • Understanding the impact of harvest loss, how to measure it and how to change your harvester to reduce losses
  • Latest HWSC information, including how to set up for effective HWSC using mill systems (iHSD, Seed Terminator, Redekop Seed Control Unit) chaff decks and chaff lining
  • Reducing the risk of harvester fires
  • Improving harvester capacity and efficiency
  • Managing harvest operations, productivity and economics.

The forums will feature presentations and discussion by industry specialists including Dr Michael Walsh (Sydney University); Adrian Roles (JMAJ Precision); Kassie van der Westhuizen (John Deere, Goldacres); Vernon Cogswell (Harvest Support Services); Ben White (Kondinin Group); Warrick Finlay (Primary Sales); Rod Gribble (Australian Custom Harvesters) and Brett Asphar (Seed Terminator).

FarmLink will deliver the free GRDC Harvester Forums across NSW and Queensland at:

For more information contact FarmLink on 02 69801333 or email james@farmlink.com.au.

Contact details

Contact

Toni Somes, GRDC Communications Manager – North
0436 622 645
toni.somes@grdc.com.au