6.8 Comparison Two NIR Monitors for Corn and Wheat
Principal Investigators
Sam
G. McNeill, Assistant Extension Professor, Biosystems and Agricultural
Engineering
Charles G. Poneleit, Professor, Agronomy
Michael D.
Montross, Assistant Professor, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Cooperators
Phil
Needham, Crop Consultant and Opti-Crop Program Leader, Miles Inc.
Ross Morgan,
Equipment Dealer, Hopkinsville/Owensboro/Russellville
Yield
monitors have been used in the past six years by many Kentucky farmers to
measure the variability of corn, soybeans and wheat yields within given fields
as the crop is being harvested. A
current project is aimed at determining the spatial variability of oil and
protein content in corn and soybean fields and protein in wheat fields along
with yield by collecting grab samples from the combine grain tank during
harvest. This project was funded by
the College of Agriculture’s first round of funding for precision agriculture
activities. The authors recently
learned of a closely related development that would greatly enhance our goal.
Specialty/value-added
grains provide an opportunity for farmers to capture market premiums by
recognizing the value of chemical components in seed products.
Premiums currently range between 10 and 50 cents per bushel, based on the
amount of a particular component (oil, protein, or starch) in each grain (House,
1999). In Kentucky, the number of
producers growing specialty grains presently outnumbers those generating yield
maps or implementing site specific crop management practices.
However, a demonstration of available precision agriculture technologies
might enhance the adoption of yield monitors by farmers.
The
currently funded project utilizes a near infra-red (NIR) analyzer (NIRsystems,
Model 6500 by Infratec®) in the UK Grain Quality Lab on campus to measure the
chemical components of corn, soybean and wheat samples that are brought in from
the field. In particular, fiber,
moisture, oil, protein and starch are determined for corn and soybean samples,
and fiber, moisture and protein in wheat samples.
This project is labor intensive because of the amount of field work
required to collect grain samples from the combine and simultaneously record the
location of the sample with a DGPS receiver. A mobile NIR analyzer would greatly facilitate sample
collection, enable the investigators to process more grain samples, and allow
for the investigation of segregation at harvest.
Case-New
Holland (CNH) Advanced Farm Systems (AFS) group has a joint venture with
Textron, Inc. to develop a prototype mobile NIR analyzer that has been tested to
a limited degree during the last three harvest seasons.
This unit will be purchased and mounted on a CNH combine with an AFS
yield monitor and demonstrated during the wheat and corn harvest seasons
throughout western Kentucky. The
accuracy of the mobile NIR analyzer will be checked against the stationary NIR
analyzer at the UK Grain Quality Lab that is being used in the initial study.
The
objective of the proposed work are:
1)
To collect grain samples, DPGS, and yield data in at least five
selected corn and wheat fields as the combine operates from the Russellville
area to the Owensboro area during harvest each year in a three-year period;
2)
To measure the crude fiber, moisture, protein, oil and starch content of
corn samples and the moisture and protein content of soft wheat samples using
three methods: a) mobile Textron® NIR analyzer on a CNH combine with an AFS®
yield monitor, b) the NIRsystems, Model 6500 (Infratec®) analyzer at the UK
Grain Quality Lab, c) a commercial “wet chemistry” lab;
3)
To conduct statistical comparison of grain quality estimates from all
methods;
4)
To provide results of study to farmers, crop consultants, research and
extension personnel, manufacturers, and grain buyers at extension workshops,
field days, seminars, conferences and meetings; and
5)
To demonstrate the mobile NIR analyzer at field days during harvest and
promote the UK Grain Quality Lab during educational events throughout the year.
Background
The
Opti-Crop Program at Miles Farm Supply in Owensboro, Kentucky has been a service
provider for precision agriculture since 1986 when they promoted the use of
tramlines to control traffic patterns within crop fields (Needham, 1999).
Since then, they have expanded their services to include grid soil
sampling, grain yield and boundary map generation, variable rate application of
lime and fertilizers and remote sensing. Consequently,
they are recognized as one of the prominent leaders of precision agriculture.
They plan to use a new CNH combine with an AFS yield monitor to harvest several
thousand acres of wheat and corn in western KY next year.
The
University of Kentucky Grain Quality Lab has been in service since 1996,
providing free component analysis to corn producers and researchers. Crude fiber, moisture, oil, protein and starch content levels
are measured using a NIRsystems, Model 6500 (Infratec®) analyzer.
Additionally, the Lab provides NIR analysis for soybean and wheat samples
with the calibration equations that were purchased with funds from our initial
precision agriculture project.
The
partnership/collaboration between CNH and Textron, Inc. has led to an
interesting development that parallels the efforts of our initial research.
Their preliminary tests indicate that oil levels for regular field corn
can range from about 2.5 to 6.0% (Fig. 1) and from
5.5 to 8.5% in high oil corn. Protein levels can range from 5.0 to 12.0% (Fig.
2). Moreover, market premiums
are often based on small increments of each value-added component. For example, high-oil corn producers have typically been
offered a premium of 1 cent per bushel for each 0.1% of oil above a 6.0% base
level (House, 1999). Hence, precise
measurements are essential for both the buyer and seller.
As with yield monitors, it is highly unlikely that market values will be
determined by measurements from an instrument on a combine, but this information
could help producers determine the variability that exists within each field and
allow them to make management decisions that affect profitability.
A reliable mobile grain
analyzer would also enable crop managers to segregate their crop into high/low
profit yielding lots by placing each type in separate trucks and eventually in
separate bins. They could then
market each lot of grain according to market demands to make the most of slim
premiums that are offered. Of
course, such premiums would need to cover any additional handling and storage
costs otherwise the economic incentive to produce specialty grains would be
lost.
Grain
buyers have also recently offered premiums for non-GMO soybeans and corn due to
consumer demands for food labeling. As
a result of this issue, NIR instrument manufacturers are developing
equipment/methods that will segregate GMO and non-GMO grains.
While the future of GMO grain production remains uncertain, NIR
technology may play a vital role in assuring grain buyers of certain desirable
attributes beyond their current use.
A
CNH combine with an AFS® yield monitor and Textron NIR analyzer will be
purchased, installed, and calibrated prior to the 2000 wheat harvest.
Five corn and wheat fields will be identified prior to corn planting next
spring based on anticipated crop rotations and harvest schedules for each year
of the three-year study. Boundary
maps for each field will be generated with a DGPS mobile/ backpack receiver.
Samples will be collected from the combine grain tank at random locations
in each field during wheat and corn harvest each year.
The location of each collection point will be recorded on the yield
monitor log and with the DGPS receiver.
Grain
samples will be transported to the UK Grain Quality Lab and processed with the
NIRsystems, Model 6500 (Infratec®) analyzer.
Randomly selected samples will be sent to an independent lab for wet
chemistry analysis to form a basis of comparison for both instruments. A
statistical comparison will be made between the two NIR analyzers and a
geo-statistical analysis will be performed with field data.
Results of the statistical analysis will be summarized and written during
each year of study and made available on the College of Agriculture’s web page
for precision agriculture, pending approval from CNH.
A final report of the three-year study will be written for an extension
publication, posted on the College of Agriculture’s web page, and submitted
for publication in the Journal for Applied Engineering in Agriculture.
This
project will encompass both new and existing technology that will provide
valuable information to Kentucky grain farmers.
It will introduce them to the technology and help them evaluate it for
their operation. Differences in
grain components between stationary and mobile NIR analyzers will be determined
and made known to farmers, crop consultants, manufacturers, grain buyers, and
university research and extension personnel.
This information will assist all stakeholders in the grain trade by
helping them manage the valuable information provided by NIR analyzers.
If significant discrepancies are found between the field and lab
instruments, both manufacturers will be notified and attempts will be made to
ascertain the accuracy of both devices.
Deliverables
Results
from this study will be presented at county, multi-area, and statewide producer
meetings, short courses, seminars, conferences and workshops that are sponsored
by extension and service providers. Articles
will be prepared for grain trade magazines as appropriate. One extension publication and a referred journal article will
be developed as a result of this field study.