Grainswest - Tech 2023

Tech 2023 grainswest.com 19 IT ALL PANS OUT Certain problems are common on farms the world over. German-Canadian Marcel Kringe knows this well. He has spent years working on crop farms across Asia, Europe and Canada, and found that nobody had a universal solution to calculate crop losses during harvest. “We figured we were not accurate enough in determining the grain loss when we’re looking on the ground,” he said. “You can never tell where the grain is from. Is it from the header? The combine? The crop prior that fell on the ground?” Despite many OEMs providing a loss monitor when a combine is purchased, it is a glorified paper weight if left uncalibrated. To calculate losses, Kringe tried various, and dangerous things over the years. From throwing cookie sheets at the back of the combine and running with a shovel in hand trying to catch a sample, he felt like there was no other choice. After a few close calls, he decided enough is enough. “It’s a half-million to a million-dollar machine that has all the precision tech in it, but setting it up, we’re just going roughly by what’s on the ground,” he said. “Some farmers are kicking three to eight bushels out the back. When you say eight bushels, it sounds insane, but that’s the real number we’ve seen.” As a boy, in Germany, Kringe watched his father and grandfather create mechanical solutions to their farming problems. He knew embracing a DIY ethic was his only solution, and he created the Bushel Plus drop pan. As farmers saw what it could do, the system quickly developed a reputation. “The nice thing was that the farmers who wanted them basically gave me a cheque and paid full price,” noted Kringe. “They said, ‘Well, here’s a cheque, Marcel. I want one.’” At tradeshows, farmers lined up at Kringe’s booth because they heard about Bushel Plus and wanted to save money with better sampling and a functional monitor. They kept writing those cheques in full, too. Kringe was stunned. “That’s how I was able to get the company going—the trust of the farmers,” he said. “That’s why I’m so passionate about making it right for the customer.” The Bushel Plus SmartPan System is as simple as it is accurate. With an install time of approximately two seconds— no, that’s not a typo—the drop pan is attached near the rear axle, feeder house or the header with two ultra-strong permanent magnets. No wires, no brackets; just a self-contained unit with a rechargeable battery and handheld remote for easy and safe dropping. When an operator is combining and ready to test a field, they simply press the button to drop the pan, which disengages from the main carrier piece. An important feature is that no kernels or chaff fall into the pan prior to release, so farmers get a clean sample. From there, a farmer uses an air separator for 30 seconds to remove any chaff and straw and then weighs the product for grain loss. The SmartDrop app then calculates the loss based on your combine, crop and header size. “It’s a grain loss management system,” said Kringe. “It’s quantifying the actual grain loss and calibrating the loss sensor, so you can trust your loss monitor in the cab. It’s a calibration device to learn more about your combine’s capabilities.” It’s not just farmers in the 33 countries Kringe exports to who have caught on to Bushel Plus. All major OEMs now integrate the Bushel Plus SmartPan System into their R&D combine tests, use it for demonstrations and even train dealers on how to use it and sell it to their customers. “That was a huge testimonial for us because this started in my basement, so this is really cool that these companies are using our stuff,” he said. “We are the harvest optimization company where we continue to bring innovations to the Prairies to make farmers’ lives easier and more profitable.” As part of its growing harvest lineup, last year Bushel Plus acquired Mad Concaves, easy-to-switch concaves that give farmers greater customization options with more efficient threshing at harvest. With grain loss between three and eight bushels per acre possible, farmers are keen to save money with better sampling and a functional monitor. Photo:CourtesyofBushelPlus