Tips for Improving Harvest Time on the Farm By Thomas M. Bird

Harvest time is one of the most enjoyable for farmers, as it’s a physical representation of their season of hard work.  It’s often the busiest time for farmers, as well. Some hire outside help for extra hands to tend to the crops, while others prefer to take their time and use their year-round farmhands. Regardless of who harvests to the product, it’s what happens on the farm beforehand that will ensure your farm has a bountiful crop production. Consider the last harvest; during this time you took notes on the soil, how much was produced, the quality, and other major factors. The purpose was to build upon what you learned throughout the year to improve harvest for the next. However, there are some items that can perplex a farmer, such as an influx of weeds or pests. It’s the research that leads up to the harvest that will allow you to improve your success rate in the next year. Especially for pests like weeds and insects, determining how to reduce their presence in your field is crucial to saving future crops. It’s imperative to continually learn and grow as a farm to not only sustain, but to flourish.

Power Generation Devices

Farming is incredibly costly, and finding ways to reduce expenditures in other areas will allow you to spend your budget on more harvest-related products. Alternative sources for power can help save farms thousands of dollars each year, by generating power to run the farm. You can’t always predict when you’ll yield less than previous years due to drought or other unforeseen causes, but you can protect your financial state by making an investment in this way. Using extra space on your field not designated for crops, you can hire a professional team to install wind turbines or solar cells to increase your profitability. Additionally, if the power is returned to the grid, you can make a profit. In doing so, you’ll prevent further losses on your farm.

Equipment

Especially around harvest time, maintenance can fall to the wayside when farms are their busiest. But because they’ll be used more frequently, maintenance is crucial to protecting these valuable tools. Tractors to balers need constant inspections to ensure they are properly functioning. Over time, these items receive abundant wear with constant use. And when devices aren’t running as they should, it increases the amount of time and fuel wasted. Inspect these items on a routine basis and make repairs before they worsen. Additionally, don’t hold off buying new equipment, if you’re continually pouring money into a faulty, older machine. New machines can save you time and fuel costs, not to mention frustration. On many large-scale farms, productivity is crucial to getting the crops harvested in time. But often older machines can’t keep up with the need for efficiency. Evaluate your tools and determine whether it would be most cost effective to buy a new product or maintain the old.

Planting Methods

When a family does things a certain way throughout generations, it can seem unfaithful to change. However, sometimes change can benefit the farm as a whole. Technological advances have actually extended to farming, featuring products that allow for no tilling, late planting and other incredibly helpful tools that make farms more productive. Research these trends and see how they may apply to the way you’re currently farming, as a way to increase your profitability and crops.