HARVEST YIELD LOSSES
measuring harvest losses in western australia
Commencement date
11th October 2021
Completion date
31st January 2024
Aim
By December 2022, grain growers in the Western Region will understand the current level of grain losses (tonnes and $) during harvest for all of the major grain crops in Western Australia and understand where these losses occur. Growers will be able to calculate acceptable losses irrespective of varying yield levels.
Funding Provider
GRDC
Project lead organisation
GGA
Project background
Grain losses at harvest directly impact the amount of grain captured and sold at harvest. It is understood that losses occur at the front and the back of the harvester but these are only sporadically measured. There are acceptable losses and different thresholds for each grain crop, which represent the optimum balance between grain loss and harvest efficiency (speed, logistics etc.). Optimising this balance will ensure growers can minimise losses while maximising profit. This investment will quantify the losses in each of the major grains crops in the Western Region and create a benchmark for losses, rather than relying on anecdotal evidence or farmer-collected data in investment analysis. The data captured will focus on the front and back losses, with an analysis to summarise the findings and help guide further investment in minimising harvest loss.
