When it comes to harvesting corn and forage, Arnold Twinstra has found a better way. With funding help from the Prince Edward Island Adapt Council, the Miscouche farmer has purchased a state-of-the art harvesting machine from Holland that has several advantages over the conventional type of machinery. Not only is he using it to harvest 40-50 acres on his own farm, but he is doing custom work for other farmers in the Summerside area.
"Actually, we were looking at first for somebody to do some custom work on our farm," said Twinstra, when asked why he thought about purchasing the machine. "However, there was nobody who had this machinery available, so I thought "why don't we bring it in and do custom work for other people."
The machine allows for six rows to be planted or harvested at one time. Unlike conventional harvesters where the cutters are at the rear, they are at the front in this machine. Arnold added "it is almost like a combine in a lot of ways."
In fact, it is so sophisticated Arnold said he can even plant the rows vertically and harvest them horizontally. As well, the whole field can be planted-- with conventional machinery, strips have to be left for the harvester to go down the field.
"It is really amazing the difference compared to a conventional machine,"said Arnold, who had previously been using a small conventional harvester. This is the second year Arnold has been using the machinery and he said the demand is so great he's actually thinking about purchasing a second machine. The cutters at the front of the machine can quickly be set for doing grass or forages.
That's only part of the story-- the machine also processes the corn so that it has the "high moisture" content many livestock producers prefer. "It's ready to feed to livestock," Arnold said.
If the conventional method is used, several other steps are necessary before the kernels achieve the high moisture content. Since each of those steps cost the producer money, there are economic advantages to having Arnold do the work. Given the tight margins most farmers are now operating on, especially in the wake of this summer's drought, the savings can have a significant impact on the bottom line.
Arnold said he has even had inquiries about the machine from as far away as New Brunswick. He's not surprised saying "with the high cost of machinery today compared with the return the farmer is getting, it makes good economic sense to contract out the work." Arnold added "it works well for us because it serves the needs of our own farm and allows us to help pay for the investment." He also has several other pieces of equipment he has brought in from Europe over the last several years and he also contracts them out for custom work.
This article is one of a series prepared for the Prince Edward Island Agriculture Awareness Committee to highlight innovations in the agriculture industry.