Harvest prep to reduce combine losses, store safely

Prepare to reduce combine losses. Canola threshing losses are often much higher than you realize, and much higher than they need to be. You might be throwing 2 to 5 bu/ac out the back of the combine, while 2% of yield is a reasonable target. Make a plan to measure and meet that target.
Read more on how to reduce harvest losses
Watch a webinar on how to use the new Combine Optimization Tool at canolacalculator.ca
Watch a short video on how to measure combine losses

Prepare to cool hot canola. Canola stored hot can be at higher risk of storage losses, especially if it also has pockets of dockage that tend to be higher moisture. Canola requires air movement of 0.1 to 0.2 cubic feet per minute per bushel to push cool air through a bin. Read “The right bins for canola“.

Prepare to collect good data from on-farm trials. If you put in a trial and took the time to properly replicate, take time at harvest to properly weigh the yield from each strip and save samples. Visual comparisons early in the season are not a reliable predictor of yield trends, so it is important to follow through on measuring final yields accurately. When harvesting trials, make sure that all treatments are equal as far as area harvested (width, length, etc.) is concerned.
Read “Tips for on-farm strip trials“