RCIS RCIS Home (current) About Products Producers Agents News Resources Careers Contact Us Log In News All News September 14, 2021 Calibration: The Key to Harvest Data Utilization By CAMERON JODLOWSKI, Precision Ag Specialist, RCIS As harvest quickly approaches, many things are on the minds of farmers. Questions arise like, “Who is going to be running the grain cart?” and “When is the best time for each field to be harvested?” Farmers are chomping at the bit to start harvest. However before the season starts, it's important to address a critical step in the precision ag cycle: machine calibration. What is Calibration? Harvest calibration is the act of baselining a machine's sensor to a standard measurement in order to have the most accurate yield detection system. Though there are multiple types of calibration that can be performed on a machine based on its technology, they all are based on utilizing some type of measurement to compare actual harvested weight against the actual rate in the combine's display. Calibration may also be referred to by some equipment manufacturers as “truing up” the machine. First, locate which sensors need to be calibrated. For example, the moisture temperature sensor is very easy to calibrate for most machines. Additionally, mass flow vibrations and sensors need to be cleaned and dialed in. Lastly, while combining the first few rows, a calibration for the moisture sensor needs to be done. Please refer to your manufacturer's manual for exact specifications for all specific machine calibrations. The calibration of the mass flow sensors on yield monitoring systems is done by taking the weight from one source (e.g. a grain cart) and entering that weight into the yield monitor of the combine to make sure that all of the grain is hitting the mass flow sensor. This process tells the monitoring system to calculate the loads correctly for the field. There are three different types of yield calibration systems in modern combines: a single point calibration, a multi-flow calibration, and a self-calibrating combine. A single point calibration uses normal harvest speed to calibrate while a multi-flow calibration uses at least five different speeds to calibrate the machine. Self-calibrating combines do just that, they calibrate themselves while on the move. As always, please refer to your manufacturer's specifications to calibrate all of your machines. Why Calibrate Your Machines In precision ag, we have an old saying that rings true no matter what type of farm data is being collected: “garbage in, garbage out.” If the machines are not set up correctly, the data that is being collected will not be of good quality. Without good data quality, the map data that is collected from harvest is useless in making decisions for the next year. Furthermore, it makes some later uses for the data unusable, including crop insurance uses and prescriptions. Many times farmers say, “I don't have time for calibration. I just post-harvest calibrate my data. “Post-harvest calibration is the process of calibrating the data after the fields are harvested with scale tickets or load logs of each field. Post-harvest calibration can be a great tool in the toolbox, however it does not allow data to be allocated to specific areas of the field. Post-harvest calibration does not allow for more site specific management of areas in the field and in non-irrigated/ irrigated areas of fields, like pre-harvest calibration can. You'll actually save yourself time in the end when you calibrate your machines ahead of the harvest season. Have calibration or other precision ag questions? The RCIS Precision Ag team is ready to help you make the most of these beneficial technologies. You'll get increased efficiency and data accuracy that can benefit your entire operation. We wish everyone a safe and bountiful 2021 harvest! .st0 { clip-path: url(#SVGID_2_); fill: #FFFFFF; } Terms of Use Privacy Policy Non-Discrimination Statement Data Subject Request Do Not Sell My Personal Information zurichna.com © 2021 Rural Community Insurance Company. All Rights Reserved.