Six Reasons to Calibrate Your Yield Monitor

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In today’s sluggish ag economy, the growers who manage their operations smartly and efficiently will do best.

That’s why it’s time to focus on details that can make a big difference in profitability.

According to Nick Von Muenster, operations manager at Scale-Tec, calibrating your yield monitor can be the foundation of a profitable season.

“With a grain cart scale, you can calibrate your yield monitor,” he says. And here’s why that’s important.

  • 1. Get Accurate Data
    “If your yield monitor is incorrect, it’s worthless,” says Von Muenster. Incorrect data prompts a series of miscalculations that can harm your operation.“In the past, it was interesting to just look at your yield monitor during harvest,” he says. “But today, the data collected by the yield monitor is a cornerstone of your agronomy plan.”
  • 2. Change in Crop Quality
    If the density of the grain is consistent throughout the field, the yield monitor will provide an accurate indication in yield. The reality is that there can be a large variance of test weights throughout a field, especially with change in variety, moisture and plant disease.“The only way for a yield monitor to adjust for the changes in density is through a comparison with a scale, such as on your grain cart,” says Von Muenster.
  • 3. Get Accurate Yield Maps
    Yield monitor data is used to create yield maps. “With precision ag products, farmers can build a heat map,” Von Muenster says.“Yield maps are very detailed and specific in showing the yield data of every part of every acre. A good yield map means the combine operator verified accuracy throughout the season with the use of a grain cart scale and moisture tester.”
  • 4. Create Accurate Field Prescriptions
    “Farmers and agronomists use the yield maps to create prescriptions,” says Von Muenster. “That’s why it’s so important that the yield data is accurate.” Prescriptions include seed, fertilizer and other inputs – and increasingly call for variable rate planting and fertilizer application.
  • 5. Save Dollars on Inputs, Achieve Higher Yields
    A prescription based on accurate information is as good as gold. Growers can save through precision application of inputs, which typically reduces quantities needed. Variable rate seeding and application gives farmers the tools to increase yields, as well, by delivering the best seed, fertilizer and inputs to each specific area.
  • 6. Improve Convenience With Additional Features
    Quality grain cart scales are available with extra features, such as weight recording (as opposed to just indicating), remote displays, control via cell phone and connection to a printer.And shortly, Von Muenster explained, yield data from the grain cart will be able to go directly to the cloud, where it will be immediately available to the farmer.

“Making a small investment now can affect profitability for years to come,” says Von Muenster.

“There are over 350 different models of grain carts in use with multiple scale options available. Here at Scale-Tec, we have a scale for each one with multiple options to fit everyone’s operation,” Von Muenster said. “We also have a three-year warranty and provide the industry’s best service on all scale equipment.” Scale-Tec’s new REAP app lets growers control and monitor grain cart scale activity on their iPhones or iPads. The app offers multiple reports, including field detail and summary, storage inventory detail, truckload detail and APH reports for federal crop insurance.

“The REAP app is critical for farmers that value an accurately calibrated yield monitor in the combine,” says Von Muenster. “And if you’re within 1,000 feet of the grain cart, you’ll be able to see the live grain cart weight.” REAP was designed with an easy-to-use interface.

To learn more about REAP, yield monitor calibration and grain cart scales, visit scale-tec.com or call 888-990-7046.

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