The use of combine harvester has revolutionized agriculture and has made life easy for the farmer. Prior to the arrival of this equipment, farmers would carry out harvesting manually. This was a cumbersome process and needed a lot of time and manpower. The labor needs would increase with the increase in the size of the farm. The combine harvester changed this all. Farmers could now finish harvesting much earlier using a fraction of the manpower they used before. They were also able to save time, improve the yield, and thus make more money.

What is the combine harvester?

The combine harvester is a piece of farming equipment that has automated the process of harvesting. The use of combine harvester in harvesting has helped in automating three activities related to harvesting. Reaping, winnowing, and threshing are three harvesting related activities that were done manually. The combine harvester now makes it easy for a farmer to carry out these activities faster and more efficiently.

How is it used?

The use of combine harvester involves using this machine in the field at the time of harvesting. The machine needs to be driven by an operator who is trained on using the machine. The machine settings need to be adjusted keeping in mind the crop harvested. One of the benefits of using a harvester is that the same equipment can be used to harvest different crops.

Once the settings are adjusted, then the machine is driven through the field. As the machine moves through the crop, the cutter bar in the machine cuts the crops and pushes it inside. The crops are then moved through a conveyor belt to the processing area. A threshing drum would beat the crops to separate grains from the stalk. The grain then falls into a tank in the machine.

The chaff and stalk collected move towards the back of the machine from where they are thrown out. Another piece of equipment can be used to collect the straw and prepare bales for further usage. As the machine plows through the farm, the grain is harvested and collected in the grain tank. In large fields, the grain tank can be filled up very fast. In such a situation, there is an un-loader that can move the grain to a trailer attached to the harvester. The header of the machine is where the cutting of the crop happens. Changing the header can help harvest different crops.

Why use this equipment?

The harvester makes harvesting easy and saves time and effort. The equipment is helpful in increasing the yield of crops. Most importantly, it can help in improving the quality of the yield.

There is no doubt that the use of combine harvester has helped a farmer to become more profitable. The efficiency and effectiveness of harvesting have increased thanks to the use of the harvester. As a result, the farmer is able to produce a higher quantity of crops at better quality. This has helped the farmer increase his revenue. The investment in a combine harvester produces good returns for farmers.