In today’s high-cost, low-margin environment, grain and row crop farmers can’t afford to leave yield and profit in the field. Whatever crop harvested with a combine, measuring harvest loss to fine-tune combine calibration is impactful. The Bushel Plus magnetic SmartPan is a helpful measuring tool.
“Combine grain loss is one of the biggest invisible threats to profitability,” says Marcel Kringe, CEO of Bushel Plus, specialist in harvest optimization technology. “Most farmers assume their machines are performing efficiently, but without measuring actual loss, they’re often losing more than they realize.”
Combines are powerful and complex machines, but they’re not “set-it-and-forget-it” systems. When key settings are not properly dialed in, grain can be damaged or lost. And, because that loss happens behind the machine, Kringe says it’s easy to miss.
“If the rotor is spinning too fast, it can damage kernels or push material through too aggressively. If fan speed is off, it will influence the separation and retention of the grain,” explains Kringe.
“It’s all about balance, and even small calibration errors can lead to significant losses.”
For corn, a 3% harvest loss on a 200 bushel-per-acre yield at $4.05 per bushel equates to 6 bushels left in the field. That’s a loss of $24.30. Multiply that across 1,000 acres (400 hectares), and that’s $24,300 in lost revenue. At a 5% loss, the figure jumps to $40,500.
In soybeans, a 3% loss on a 70 bushel-per-acre crop at $10.05 per bushel means $21.11 per acre – or $21,110 over 1,000 acres (400 hectares). A 5% loss brings that total to over $35,000.
You can’t manage what you don’t measure
Many growers rely solely on factory combine presets or in-cab loss sensors, which Kringe says aren’t enough.
“Factory settings are a starting point, not a precision solution. And built-in sensors often can’t account for key variables like terrain, machine wear, or crop type,” he explains. “If you want accurate data, you need to get out behind the combine and measure actual loss in the field to calibrate those loss sensors properly. In other words, the loss sensor display needs a measured benchmark from what’s going out the back to provide useful information to the operator.”
That’s where drop pans come in, a simple but powerful tool for capturing a real-time snapshot of what the combine is losing.
“Drop pans collect real data, not estimates,” says Kringe. “Depending on your machine they tell you where loss is occurring – from the header, rotor, or cleaning shoe – and give you the confidence to make targeted adjustments that immediately protect yield and profit.”
Magnetic SmartPan solution
To make harvest loss measurement faster, safer, and more precise, Bushel Plus developed the SmartPan solution. Using a remote, magnetic release, the SmartPan mounts within seconds underneath any combine and collects a grain loss sample during normal field operation. That sample is then processed using the Bushel Plus Air Separator, which removes chaff and debris to isolate clean grain. The grain is weighed with a digital scale, and the results are logged instantly using the SmartDrop mobile app, providing actionable insights on loss within a couple of minutes.
“This system gives growers everything they need to take quick, corrective action,” says Kringe. “In just a few minutes, you go from guessing – to knowing – and from losing money to saving it.”
Compatible with all major crops harvested by a combine like corn, soybeans, wheat, canola, barley, rice, and milo, the SmartPan system is endorsed and used by leading equipment manufacturers, including John Deere, Case IH, New Holland, Claas and Fendt. Based on results from growers, using the SmartPan system losses have reduced from as high as 8% down to under 1%.
“Precision isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity”, Kringe concludes. “You’ve already invested in seed, fertilizer, crop protection, fuel, and labor. Don’t let all that effort and expense go to waste because of outdated combine settings. With the right tool and just a few quick checks, you can turn lost yield into recovered revenue, and real profit.”
