Ontario Grain Farmer - September 2021

ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 17 SEPTEMBER 2021 Don't take shortcuts that will compromise safety just to save a few minutes. Environmental loss happens, before you even step into the field. This type of loss isn’t your fault, it is caused by wind, rain and other environmental factors. Header loss could be because the reel was too fast or too slow. Barrie recommends matching your header speed to your travel speed or raise the reel. Rotor losses occur when the seed does not separate properly. You can count these seeds under a dropped windrow. Sieve loss occurs when seeds that are separated from the MOG do not fall through the sieve. You can either open the top sieve or reduce fan speed to correct this issue. How can you estimate your losses? Count the number of seeds in a unit area, and average that area. “I use my ball cap, a hoola hoop, or a bucket and count the number. I do simple math and multiply that number of seeds by the number of units areas in your target unit of measure. Divide that number per area by the number of seeds in the volume you want,” says Barrie. “Obviously, there’s a lot more technically than throwing a ball cap, but this is how I figure out my losses.” Acommon rule of thumb for losses for soybeans with the average of 60 bushels per acre would be six to seven seeds per square meters. If you follow Barrie’s ball cap suggestion, two seeds under a ball cap would be approximately one bushel per acre. Paige Miller is a communications coordinator for Grain Farmers of Ontario. l SEED YOU CAN COUNT ON. Choice of trait platforms to suit your farming operation Protection from insects and diseases with AgriShield TM Seed Treatments High performing varieties covering 2450 to 3250 CHU’s P & Design is a registered trademark of AgReliant Genetics LLC. PRIDE is a registered trademark of AgReliant PRIDESEEDS.COM 1.800.265.5280