Level II Agricultural Business Operations

2  Crops should be harvested when: ◦ they have achieved the optimum yield. ◦ the crop is at the correct stage for harvesting. ◦ weather and soil conditions are suitable. ◦ suitable storage facilities are available or ◦ You have a market for the crop.

3  Assessing ripeness ◦ Visual appearance of the crop – no green ◦ Hardness of the grain

4  The crop is ripe when: ◦ In Barley, the ears are bent downwards instead of standing erect. ◦ In all Cereals the grains are easily separated from the ear by rubbing them between your hands. Individual grains are hard – not easily marked with your finger nail.

5  Ideally grain should have a moisture content below 20% when harvested.  In Northern Ireland this is usually not feasible.  Do not delay harvest in order to achieve a MC below 20% if other conditions are right. When MC is above 20%, grain drying or another method of storage can be used.

6  Timing of harvesting can be affected by: ◦ Crop type and variety – barley, wheat, oats. ◦ Weeds in the crop -delays drying ◦ Lodging - delays ripening & drying. ◦ Uneven growth - uneven ripening

 Where Cereal crops require desiccation, this should be carried out when the majority of the crop is at or below 30% moisture (Hard Dough Stage (Growth Stage 87)  Aim to harvest in 10 – 14 days to avoid grain loss from the head.

 Allows earlier harvest than combining  Contractors more available at desired harvest time  Harvest is less weather dependant  Suits storage available  Lower contractor costs  Earlier sowing of following crop  Spreads workload if growing lots of late to harvest crops i.e. wheat & spring crops

 Straw not available for bedding/feeding/sale  More difficult to value crop produced/ crop often undervalued  More difficult to market  Forage quality variable depending on time of cutting  Requires specialist machinery  Less information available on feeding/ harvest timing

 Easier to value produce output  Potential to realise higher gross margin than wholecrop harvested wheat  Straw available for bedding/sale/ feeding separately  More marketing outlets/ options  Spreads workload if growing other combinable crops

 Later to harvest than wholecrop  May delay following operations  Reliant on good weather for harvest and to bale straw  Requires specialist machinery  Contractor charges more expensive

12  Ripens over a period of time.  Pods lower down the stem ripen first.  The difference could be 2 weeks.  Pods are ripe when the seeds are dark brown or black.  Ripe pods may shatter & shed their seed before other pods are ready.  Pre harvest treatment to ensure all pods ripen at the same time.

13  Check the crop regularly once it begins to turn yellow to tan.  Check the lower pods, the middle pods and the upper pods on the main stem.  If you wait too long the lower pods will shatter and shed their seed.  If you harvest too early oil quality will suffer.

14  Two methods to ensure even ripening: 1.Swathing  Cut the crop leaving it in a windrow with a 25cm stubble.  Crop is left for about 1 week in dry conditions before lifting. 2.Desiccation  Spray with Diquat (Reglone), Glufosinate Ammonium (Harvest) or Glyphosate (Roundup)at the stage shown (next slide).  Seed shedding can be severe in windy conditions.

15  Desiccate when seeds in the: ◦ Lower pods are dark brown or black. ◦ Middle pods are reddish brown to dark brown. ◦ Upper pods are green to reddish brown

16  In NI desiccation is the usual pre harvest treatment.  Can lead to high seed loss due to pod shattering by the tractor and sprayer.  This results in many volunteer plants over the next years.  Can use “pod sticker” to help reduce shatter.

 Oilseed Rape must be dried to 9% Moisture as soon as possible after harvest.  Small seed size leads to low airflow through the stored crop, which if moist leads to rapid heating and spoilage.  Ensure Combine grain tank, trailers and stores are well sealed to avoid loss.

18 Normally combined in Late September/Early October. Dessication may be necessary on weedy crops or crops with late set pods. Little effect on moisture. MC should be 20% or less. If MC is low shattering can occur.

19  Pods should be black and seeds hard.  Combine settings must be adjusted to avoid cracking the seed.  Crop should be dried to a max. of 14% MC and cooled to 10°C.

20  Losses can be high due to ear and seed loss if: ◦ Harvest is delayed beyond the ripe stage. ◦ Stormy weather occurs at harvesting. ◦ Crop is badly lodged. ◦ Combine is not set up properly. ◦ Crop is attacked by birds. ◦ Spillage

Know what you have harvested Manage what you have stored Know what you are selling

Moisture Content Hectolitre Weight Moulds Admixture Odours

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Aim to dry harvested crop as soon as possible Prioritise crops over 18%mc Temperature should not exceed 60 o C for milling Oats Dry to 14%mc unless otherwise specified

 Prepare store BEFORE HARVEST!!! -Thoroughly clean store & equipment ◦ using an industrial vacuum -Check store fabric and repair as ◦ needed 

-Monitor insect pests using traps -If persistent or widespread, treat fabric of building using approved products -Monitor grain temperature, moisture and pests in store weekly

Clean Dry Well Ventilated Shatter proof cover for lights & shatter resistant bulbs Correctly functioning equipment  Proofed against rodent & bird entry Watertight roof (no leaks or broken guttering) No physical contaminants Secure

 Monitor & adjust combine settings as needed  Sample & check grain to get an accurate picture of what you have  Prioritise grain over 18%mc for drying  Ensure store is clean before loading  Monitor stores weekly for temperature, moisture & pests

 Where heating is detected used Pedestals to ventilate & cool grain.  OR  Spread thinly on the shed floor and turn regularly.

HARVESTING & STORAGE

 Potato harvesting can occur from early June to end of October depending on the variety and crop use. ◦ Jun – Jul for earlies ◦ Jul – Aug for second earlies ◦ Aug – Sep for seed ◦ Sep – Oct for maincrop.

 Harvest when: ◦ The crop has reached its optimum yield. ◦ Crop can be harvested with minimum damage  Skins set  Soil & weather conditions suit. ◦ Market conditions are favourable or suitable storage is available.

 Dig samples. ◦ Must be a representative sample  1m length of row from 4 or 5 different places selected at random. ◦ Sort by tuber size and weigh.  Destroy the tops when the crop has reached optimum size and yield.  Leave 2 – 3 weeks and check again for skin set.

 Damage caused during harvesting can lead to high losses.  Immature tubers and tubers whose skins have not set are most readily damaged. ◦ Skins scuff & tubers bruise or split. ◦ Disease organisms can gain entry to the tubers.  Top growth must be stopped and tubers left for 2 – 3 weeks to allow skins to set.

1. Natural senescence ◦ Wait for tops to die naturally. ◦ May delay harvesting. ◦ Increases risk of tuber blight. 2. Haulm flailing ◦ Tops removed by mechanical flails. ◦ Tubers near the ridge surface can be damaged. ◦ Can lead to increased tuber blight.

3. Haulm desiccation ◦ Tops destroyed by herbicide. ◦ Some herbicides may cause tuber damage in certain situations. ◦ Dense foliage may not be killed by a single application. ◦ Reduces risk of blight moving from foliage to tubers at the end of the season. ◦ Kills weeds prior to harvesting.

 Potatoes lifted in low temperatures (>8°C) are: ◦ Prone to damage. ◦ Susceptible to tuber diseases.  Lifting potatoes in wet conditions leads to: ◦ High risk of tuber blight infection. ◦ High risk of soft rotting in store. ◦ Excessive soil in store hindering ventilation.  Wet potatoes must be dried prior to storage.

Diabl o Skinned on rollers Scuffed on web Bruise d by drop Sliced by share Disc Scrubbers Web Trash extracto rs Cross conveyor Agitators Share Bruised by bounce & roll-back

Bruise d by drop Scuffed by roll back Elevator Goose neck Bruise d by drop Cross conveyo r

Diablo Share Disc

 Surface of tubers should be dry. ◦ Blow air through potatoes that are wet.  Remove as much soil as possible.  Allow curing period to heal wounds. ◦ Warm conditions (14°C ) for 10 days.  Fungicides can be applied to control disease. ◦ Thiabendazole controls gangrene, dry rot and skin-spot.

 Must be clean, all residues from previous crop removed, and store disinfected.  Should be insulated to avoid frost damage.  Well ventilated. ◦ Natural ventilation ◦ Forced draught ◦ Refrigerated

Bulk store with underground ducts Box store with letterbox ducts Box store with under floor ducts Bulk store with above ground ducts

 Load bulk stores carefully to: ◦ Avoid soil cones ◦ Achieve a level surface on pile ◦ Reduce damage due to drops and roll back.  Reduce temperature to prevent sprouting (<4°C).  Apply sprout suppressant if necessary  Control vermin.

 Main problems: ◦ Soft rots due to:  Tuber blight  Bacterial soft rot – (Erwinia) ◦ Other rots due to:  Gangrene  Dry rot ◦ Tuber skin blemishes due to:  Silver scurf  Skin spot

 Tuber surface must be dry at storage.  Potatoes should be ‘cured’ for 14 days.  Store temperature should be reduced to 2- 4°C (except for potatoes for processing).  Good ventilation required to achieve uniform temperature and keep tubers dry.  Tubers may be treated with fungicide.

 Clean  Dry  Free from dust  Rodent proof  Temperature monitored  Humidity monitored  Temperature between 3 o C and 6 o C  Secure  Insulated  Dark