FARGO, N.D. – BT corn stalks may be tough, but they’re still susceptible to wind damage. When they’re down, there’s a lot of money lying on the ground.
“There’s no doubt BT corn has a stronger stalk than the older conventional corn varieties,” says Claude Sperr.
“That’s why you don’t see as many actual downed corn fields anymore. They’re not really lying all the way down on the ground like they used to.”
Instead, strong winds will cause the stalks to snap off because they are more brittle than conventional varieties.
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Sperr is a sales representative for Crop Sweeper, a corn harvest device that uses paddles to pick up lodged corn stalks and sweep them into a regular corn header.
He said existing cab-mounted, electric-hydraulic controls are used to position the paddles fore and aft, and up and down.
When a farmer is working in fields where the corn is standing upright, the Crop Sweeper moves up, back and out of the way.
In downed corn, the position and speed of the paddles are adjusted according to the crop condition. The worse the problem, the more aggressive the operator can become with the Sweeper adjustments. The operator also compensates for travel with or against the downed corn.
“Wind-blown corn is seldom right down on the ground. It’s usually up two or three feet and lying on the other stalks or leaning against them. So you use the paddles to gently guide the stalks into the head.”
Wind damaged corn isn’t the only situation where stalk pickup can be an issue. Lodging caused by insects and extreme dry harvest conditions are two other situations where the paddles can help put more cobs through the processor.
The Crop Sweeper mounts to all brands and models of corn heads. The paddles are made of a poly material to reduce cob damage.
The mechanical components can be ordered in steel or aluminum. Both types are constructed with sealed ball bearings.
The price for a six row Crop Sweeper is $7,200 US. The eight-row unit is $8,200. The Sweeper is available in up to 18 rows.
“It’s not really a big investment. If you’ve got a field of downed corn, it can pay for itself right away,” Sperr said.
The Crop Sweeper is sold by the Aemsco Co. in Minot, N.D.
For more information, call 701-852-1876 or visit www.cropsweeper.com.
