First, you need to harvest the wheat at the right time and aim for a moisture content between 16.5% and 18.5%. If it’s too wet, the wheat will be fragile and prone to mechanical damage. If it’s too dry, the risk of disease and downgrading increases.
Contrary to what one might think, the cost of drying during the warm season is much lower. Ultimately, we’re talking about energy savings of about 75% per tonne.
So, if your grain is high-quality and you can earn a premium of $30 to $40, it’s worth considering. Risk getting caught in the rain and losing your premium? Or dry a few tons of wheat and maximize your harvest income?
The combine harvester’s settings are decisive. A threshing speed that is too high or a concave that is too tight increases grain damage. Conversely, settings that are too gentle leave grains in the ears. A balance must be found based on the grain variety and conditions (moisture, straw, yield). Regularly checking for ground loss and grain quality in the hopper helps identify the source of the problem.
One factor that is often underestimated is the management of diseases and sprouting in the field. If rain falls toward the end of the growing season, the risk of sprouting increases rapidly, which can significantly affect shattering rates. To avoid downgrading, it is sometimes preferable to increase the airflow to improve grain cleanliness. Ultimately, diseased (lighter) grains will be rejected by the combine, and you will improve the quality of your grain (higher specific weight, higher concentration of good grain, absence of fusarium-infected grains) and thus its grade.
Sometimes, it’s better to invest to harvest more!
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