On-The-Go Yield Moitors

On-The-Go Yield Moitors PLANTING EQUIPMENT Accessories 18-2-13 You've probably heard a lot lately about Global Positioning Systems (GPS), field mapping, and site specific farming as the coming thing in farming. Now, new "onthe-go" yield monitors are pushing the new technology closer to practical application. The monitors provide visual feedback as you go through the field, unlike conventional yield monitors which provide information only when you unload grain from the combine. The new monitors can record yield and field position simultaneously, and can also be used with GPS satellite receivers and portable computers to collect data for yield maps of each field. Here's the latest on two` on-the-go" yield monitors just introduced. Ag Leader Technology - New "Yield Monitor 2000" has a key pad and 2-line display, along with a plug-in fora"memory card". Features include: • Continuously measures and displays yield, moisture, combine speed, grain flow, and acres per hour. • Calculates, displays and records aver-age yield, average moisture, area, distance, wet bushels, dry bu., harvest date and time for each load, as well as field totals. • Records field and load names for easy identification in your harvest summary. • Records data for up to 976 loads. "It's the most advanced on-the-go yield monitor on the market today," says Allen Myers, president. "It's accurate to with 2 to 3 percent. As you harvest, you can look at a yield read-out for every area of the field. It keeps data on loads organized by field. You can transfer the data to a computer to make a printout that maps yields. "We tested about 100 units in the field last year. Everyone who used them was surprised by how much yield variation they found within fields. You can use the information to apply differing amounts of fertilizer or herbicides, within the same field. In same cases it'll tell you where drainage is poor. One farmer was so convinced his yields were hurt by poor drainage that he called his drainage contractor right from the combine." Complete system sells for $3,390; $2,995 without moisture sensor. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ag Leader Technology, 1201 Airport Road, Ames, Iowa 50010 (ph 515 232-5363). Micro-Trak - Harvest Yield monitor shows the number of bu. being harvested per acre. At the touch of a button you can also view the number of acres combined, average yield per acre, yield per hour, total bu. harvested for a given area, ground speed, and distance traveled. Accurate to within 2 to 3 bu./acre. An electronic grain flow sensor mounts solidly to combine's clean grain elevator and continuously records the flow of grain by measuring the force applied to a sealed load cell. Eliminates the uncertainty of mechanical devices. A new version, scheduled to be available by June, will include Grain Trak and Data Trak on-board monitors. The Grain Trak will incorporate a moisture sensor. It will interface with a Data Trak memory card that can be downloaded into a computer to give you a printout. The memory card will be able to be linked up to a GPS receiver so you can continuously collect both yield and combine position data on a memory card. This dad' can be loaded into a mapping program to make yield maps for all your fields. Sells for $1,250. Grain Trak will sell for $2,300. Data Trak will sell for $600 (not including memory card). Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Micro-Trak Systems, Inc., Box 3699, Mankato, Minn. 56002 (ph 800 328-9613 or 507 257-3600).

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