How agriculture works thread

[Torvy]

It was interesting to see the differences in farm implement dealership lots on our trip up north. Most of the lots, even in small towns, had about the same number of combines as they did tractors. Down here a few lots may have a combine or two. When we were out by Lubbock a few weeks ago, they had a bunch of combines, too. Different heads than I had seen before. I'm guessing maybe for cotton?

 

[Creamer]

So, after all that, are Rotary Combines more capable on hill ground or not?

All depends on how you rate it and what you are comparing it to. The rotary combines provided a major reduction in grain crackage and less dockage due to cleaner grain. That advantage carries over to hillsides. The overloading of the sieves to one side does still occur but usually not to the same degree as conventional because the rotary threshing and separating mechanism pretty well distributes the grain over the sieves whereas the grain in a conventional machine starts moving downhill right after the header and there is no method of redistributing the grain. Still the cross rotor of the Gleaner does an even better job on hillsides because it more evenly distributes the grain across the combine.

 

[ovrszd]

Back when combines used shaker seives JD made a hillside model that kept the screens flat. Now rotary combines don't care so much.

 

[Hay Dude]

All depends on how you rate it and what you are comparing it to. The rotary combines provided a major reduction in grain crackage and less dockage due to cleaner grain. That advantage carries over to hillsides. The overloading of the sieves to one side does still occur but usually not to the same degree as conventional because the rotary threshing and separating mechanism pretty well distributes the grain over the sieves whereas the grain in a conventional machine starts moving downhill right after the header and there is no method of redistributing the grain. Still the cross rotor of the Gleaner does an even better job on hillsides because it more evenly distributes the grain across the combine.

Very interesting. One of my local farming friends does a lot of wheat straw and runs a Gleaner. Pretty steep hills, too.

 

[ArlyA]

If you watch any of the videos "how combines work" which includes all modern ones and the axial-flow types, you'll see under the cylinder a pan a part that moves come back and forth and designed to move the materials falling into them backwards. These are what people call shakers because they are mounted on short arms and swing back and forth whenever the machine is thrashing.

 

[JethroB]

It was interesting to see the differences in farm implement dealership lots on our trip up north. Most of the lots, even in small towns, had about the same number of combines as they did tractors. Down here a few lots may have a combine or two. When we were out by Lubbock a few weeks ago, they had a bunch of combines, too. Different heads than I had seen before. I'm guessing maybe for cotton?

Cotton pickers are one trick ponies. Can’t change out heads or the like.

 

[Torvy]

Cotton pickers are one trick ponies. Can’t change out heads or the like.

Thanks. Where I grew up cotton was just a fabric from which our clothes were made. Farmers around us grew small grains (wheat, oats, barley), corn, soybeans, flax, some mustard, sunflowers and a lot of alfalfa.

 

[ArlyA]

Our Finnish haying girl made another nice video. I ran and made money making round bales for a few years.

 

[ArlyA]

A Kubota AR90 combine doing rice in India? Somewhere in Asia.

 

[5030]

A Kubota AR90 combine doing rice in India? Somewhere in Asia.

Wasn't aware they built harvesting machines like that.

 

[Creamer]

Wasn't aware they built harvesting machines like that.

It is hard to believe they can make a living with machines like that as compared to the 45' heads on a regular combine.

 

[5030]

It is hard to believe they can make a living with machines like that as compared to the 45' heads on a regular combine.

Not really, their economy and cost of living is much, much less than here. Besides, would be impossible to swing a 45 or larger head in a rice paddy and most likely, the machine would get stuck in the mud anyway.

 

[Creamer]

Not really, their economy and cost of living is much, much less than here. Besides, would be impossible to swing a 45 or larger head in a rice paddy and most likely, the machine would get stuck in the mud anyway.

Not really - big combines with 45' header is how they do it in the US. The paddies have long been drained.

 

[ArlyA]

Another Kubota rice combine harvesting in Cambodia and you can see the water in this field. How dry could that rice be? Seems that head might be 8ft wide.

 

[ArlyA]

The war in the Ukrainian made me wonder what countrys in the world grow wheat and how much. This list does not tell me the type of wheat grown.
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Worldwide Wheat Production​

Wheat is the second-most-produced cereal grain behind maize, and the global trade of wheat is greater than all other crops combined. In 2020, the total global production of wheat was 760 million tons. China, India, and Russia are the three largest individual wheat producers in the world, accounting for about 41% of the world’s total wheat production. The United States is the fourth-largest individual wheat producer in the world. However, the European Union, if it were counted as a single country, its wheat production would exceed that of any country except China.

Top 10 Wheat Producing Countries (in tons of wheat produced 2020)*​

1. China — 134,254,710
2. India — 107,590,000
3. Russia — 85,896,326
4. United States — 49,690,680
5. Canada — 35,183,000
6. France — 30,144,110
7. Pakistan — 25,247,511
8. Ukraine — 24,912,350
9. Germany — 22,172,100
10. Turkey — 20,500,000

 

[Creamer]

The war in the Ukrainian made me wonder what countrys in the world grow wheat and how much. This list does not tell me the type of wheat grown.
----------------------------------------------

Worldwide Wheat Production​

Wheat is the second-most-produced cereal grain behind maize, and the global trade of wheat is greater than all other crops combined. In 2020, the total global production of wheat was 760 million tons. China, India, and Russia are the three largest individual wheat producers in the world, accounting for about 41% of the world’s total wheat production. The United States is the fourth-largest individual wheat producer in the world. However, the European Union, if it were counted as a single country, its wheat production would exceed that of any country except China.

Top 10 Wheat Producing Countries (in tons of wheat produced 2020)*​

1. China — 134,254,710
2. India — 107,590,000
3. Russia — 85,896,326
4. United States — 49,690,680
5. Canada — 35,183,000
6. France — 30,144,110
7. Pakistan — 25,247,511
8. Ukraine — 24,912,350
9. Germany — 22,172,100
10. Turkey — 20,500,000

Interesting chart. US wheat production peaked back in 1981 and has been on a downward trend every year since then to where now we are producing about 2/3 of what we produced in 1981. During that same period US corn and soybean production doubled. A very major change in products and demand.

 

[ovrszd]

I've traveled from Missouri, thru Kansas, to Colorado almost every year on vacation since the early '80s. A LOT more corn, soybeans and grain sorghum raised in Kansas than 40 years ago.

 

[5030]

Corn production increased mainly because of ethanol. A Captive market is a good market even if e-gas sucks.

 

[Buggs67]

Corn production increased mainly because of ethanol. A Captive market is a good market even if e-gas sucks.

I was wondering if that was a driving force. As a side note I've noticed a lot more unplanted fields around here this year.

And most wheat fields have been harvested and the straw (?) baled, mostly in large rectangular bales. I guess headed to be mushroom dirt.

 

[ArlyA]

I was wondering if that was a driving force. As a side note I've noticed a lot more unplanted fields around here this year.

And most wheat fields have been harvested and the straw (?) baled, mostly in large rectangular bales. I guess headed to be mushroom dirt.

Most likely the price. I have no idea what people do with wheat straw.