Crop production has gotten really competitive over the past few years, in no small part due to the increased demand for ethanol. If you want to show a profit you need to make sure that you have the best grain handling equipment possible. The better your equipment, the smoother and faster the harvest will go and the sooner you will be able to pay off the bills you have accumulated in the months between planting and harvesting. In addition to making sure you’ve patched up your gravity boxes and checked out your combine, you need to make sure you have a way to get the corn clean before taking it to market.
You already know that during the course of combining your corn that you’re going to get more than just corn. Even with a good combine, you’re harvest will be full of bits of plant material, stones, and dirt. At some point all of this debris will need to be removed from the corn. It can’t be used for feed or seed corn until it’s been cleaned and dried.
You could take your corn to market without getting it cleaned. The grain elevator you use could clean it for you, but you won’t make as much money as you neighbor. When you take your corn crop to the grain elevator they will immediately check it out and assign it a grade. Corn grading standards have been determined by the United States Department of Agriculture. Two factors that the inspectors look at when they grade your corn will be how high the moisture content is, and how much foreign debris is in the corn.
It’s in your best interest to get the corn as clean and dry as you possibly can before hauling the corn to market. Leaving it on the field until the moisture content has dropped to an acceptable level. Having good quality grain handling equipment that will both clean and dry several bushels of corn an hour will also go a long way towards ensuring you bring a premium crop to market.
You shouldn’t assume that your current grain handling equipment is good enough. It could be time for an update. Each harvest takes a toll on the grain handling equipment. Older equipment wears out and often breaks down in the middle of your harvest. By purchasing a newer model Almaz seed separators and cleansers you will not only be able to enjoy a repair free harvest, but you’ll also benefit from the latest developments in aerodynamic separation technology that gets your corn cleaner than ever. You can choose grain handling equipment that can clean and separate your corn at a rate of 135 to 3500 bushels every single hour, while increasing the efficiency of your overall harvest by as much as 40%.
