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| New John Deere HarvestLab™ Moisture Sensor |
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Now waiting hours or even days to get an accurate silage moisture is a thing of the past ... Thanks to the all-new John Deere HarvestLab moisture sensor for John Deere self-propelled forage harvesters.
This first-ever, on-board near-infrared (NIR) sensor provides a highly accurate, real-time crop moisture reading during harvest. Featuring the same NIR technology used by many forage labs to analyze crop, HarvestLab can detect moisture with an accuracy of plus or minus two percentage points. And since it’s built directly into the self-propelled forage harvester’s spout, you can easily check moisture levels as you chop.
“This new technology will take the gray area out of harvesting,” says Matthew Sepeda, Vieira Custom Chopping, Tulare, Calif.
Kevin Lamb, owner Lamb Chops, Bakersfield, Calif. is also excited about HarvestLab. “Conditions for harvesting are never perfect,” he says. “With traditional testers we’re always 45 minutes to an hour behind knowing the moisture level. And by the time we have the results, we’re in a new section of the field that could have a completely different moisture reading.”
But the field isn’t the only place where the new John Deere HarvestLab moisture sensor has value. You can easily remove the HarvestLab from the SPFH and put it on a desktop turntable for accurate, real-time moisture readings for ensiled crops at feedout. A great tool to help balance dairy or beef rations.
Barry Visser, Dairy Specialist with Vita Plus Corporation in Minnesota, believes the new moisture sensor will take measuring the quality of forages to another level. “With current technologies you do the best job pulling samples as you can, but they’re only as good as the portion of the bunk or silo being fed at the time,” says Visser. “With this new technology, we’ll have an accurate measure of what’s being fed coupled with a good indication of what went into the silo.”
The HarvestLab moisture sensor and stationary turntable will be available for the 2007 season. Stop by your local John Deere dealership today to find out more, or visit the John Deere SPFH Web site to found out more about John Deere self-propelled forage harvesters.
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