The team at Iowa State University’s Sustainable Advanced Bioeconomy Research Farm (SABR) recently harvested and hauled 400 tons of sorghum. Harvest was completed quicker and more efficiently due to the help of some new equipment. Nic Boersma along with co-authors Andy VanLoocke, Marshall McDaniel, and Brian Hornbuckle wrote a proposal for the ISU Strategic Seed Grants for Facilities and Equipment call for spending Hatch funds.
According to Boersma, a research scientist in agronomy and site manager at SABR, “This proposal had the distinct goal of increasing the biomass harvest capabilities at the University. Ultimately, this proposal was accepted for funding by ISU and the USDA. The Department of Agronomy also generously contributed matching funds.”
In order to improve harvesting capabilities, the team requested a new style of chopper header that was larger and the best in the world at harvesting biomass crops. Boersma said the header worked exceedingly well and is 50% larger than the previous header. Additionally, they requested a harvest lab sensor that, along with the GPS capabilities in the chopper, gives them the ability to map yields within the field. Finally, they requested a new dump trailer to drastically increase their capacity for hauling material out of the field. The wagon is 1.5-2 times larger than their existing forage wagons, which allows them to save fuel, time, and the need for fewer people to complete the job. Although the trailer did not arrive on time, it will be available for use for the next big biomass harvest, which will be Miscanthus in the spring.
Source: iastate.edu
Photo Credit: istock-mailson-pignata
Categories: Iowa, Crops, Sorghum