Yield monitoring clinic for farmers Aug. 3
Jul 27, 2007 11:01 AM,
By Lamar James
Arkansas Extension Specialist
As the harvest of row crops draws near, farmers need to make sure their combines are ready and their GPS and yield-monitoring equipment is properly calibrated to ensure the data are useful, said Dharmendra Saraswat, assistant professor/geospatial engineer for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
Saraswat will conduct a Combine Yield Monitor Clinic for farmers Friday, Aug. 3, at the Sherrill Volunteer Fire Department on Arkansas Hwy. 15 at Sherrill, Ark., in Jefferson County.
The use of GPS equipment and yield monitors on combines has grown in Arkansas as farmers discover they can use the data to make more precise crop management decisions.
“To reap the dividends of this technology, farmers need to take time to calibrate yield monitors,” he said. “The clinic will teach them how to properly calibrate the equipment for accurate yield data processing.”
Registration for the clinic begins at 8:30 a.m. The sessions start at 9 a.m. and end at noon.
Don Plunkett, Jefferson County extension agent, said the clinic will include presentations from extension specialists and Ag-Pro John-Deere representatives.
“Presentations will focus on components of yield-monitor and their calibration tips, proper combine operation, potential error sources, methods to filter and correct yield monitor data, and how multiple years of harvest and soils data can be used to improve crop management,” he said.
For more information, contact Dharmendra Saraswat, at (501) 671-2191, (501) 317-1329 or dsaraswatr@uaex.edu. Contact Plunkett at (870) 534-1033.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (large print, audiotapes, etc.) should notify the county Extension office (or other appropriate office) as soon as possible prior to the activity.
email: ljames@uaex.edu
