Harvest Resources
Harvest
For the nation’s grain growers, harvest is the most critical time of the year.
The culmination of months of carefully managing the crop to optimise yield, a successful harvest is every grower’s priority.
Thorough planning and preparation is the precursor to boosting harvest efficiency and safety, and ultimately the profitability of the farming business.
Over many years, the GRDC has invested in research, development and extension (RD&E) to equip growers with knowledge, skills and resources to underpin best practice harvest operations. GRDC continues to invest in harvest-related RD&E that delivers invaluable management recommendations to growers and advisers
The resources below cover all aspects of harvest – preparing crops for harvest, minimising grain loss at harvest, reducing harvester fire risk and farm business considerations.

Resources
Preparing crops for harvest

Maximising canola performance at harvest
Maurie Street, CEO Grain Orana Alliance, talks about windrow timing and direct heading in canola and effects on yield and oil.

Stewardship for pre-harvest application of herbicides in winter crops
The responsibility to avoid herbicide residues in delivered cereal, pulse and oilseed grains sits squarely with grain growers and their advisers.

Early lupin harvest can cut grain losses and optimise quality
Optimum harvest for lupins in WA is at crop maturity when grain moisture levels reach 14 percent. Harvest delays can increase the risks of pod drop, seed shedding, plant lodging, pod shattering and physical damage to seed, which can result in yield losses of 5-20 per cent.

The impact of harvest management in chickpeas
In recent years, chickpeas have transitioned from being generally considered a rotation option between cereal crops to becoming a ‘pillar’ crop of the northern farming system.

Timing is everything when windrowing canola
Canola growers could incur yield penalties of up to 30% by windrowing earlier than the recommended levels of 50-60% seed colour change.

Canola harvest – to windrow, direct-head or both?
Canola growers in the southern cropping region who have traditionally windrowed prior to harvest are being encouraged to consider direct-heading as an alternative option in at least a portion of this year’s crop.

Canola – Windrow on time, reap the rewards
This guide will help determine optimal windrow timing.

Online harvester forum
Online forum full of practical tips, designed to help growers measure and reduce their harvest losses, understand and integrate harvest weed seed control into their system and manage harvester fires.
Minimising grain loss at harvest
Reducing harvester fire risk
Farm business harvest
Managing pests at harvest – snails and mice
Stored grain information
Was this page helpful?
YOUR FEEDBACK