Commercial hay production is about more than building nice looking bales that pass a feed test.
That is why New Holland is offering an automated bale tracking system that allows producers to store information with each bale.
The company has added the $8,500 US option to its large square balers.
The New Holland CropID system attaches a radio frequency identification tag to each bale.
Mike Cornman of New Holland said the tags carry information about the bale’s weight, the field name, a time stamp, average moisture content and the amount of preservative applied to the bale.
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Each of the 60 cent tags carries a microchip and an antenna that attaches to the twine.
A handheld reader can read the data on the tag, allowing producers to make selections in the field based on moisture or other factors.
The reader can read the data from about two metres away. However, when attached to a secondary antenna mounted on a loader tractor’s bucket, the unit can read the tag from nearly three metres away. With the reader mounted in the loader tractor’s cab, the producer can identify a bale by driving up to it.
“When the hay is stacked back at the yard the farmer can tell which field it came from, its moisture and then manage it accordingly,” Cornman said.
“If some bales need more time to cure before storing or shipping, they can sorted easily,” he said.
The field data and the tag information can be transferred to a computer, where additional information about the bales such as feed tests, inventory and shipping data can be added.
“It gives one more level of data about a farming operation and allows farmers to pass on information about the products they sell to their customers,” said Cornman.
