by Joe Brunker, Monroe, WI

We finally got some heat and sun last week and as a result the crops in Northern IL and Southern WI dried down a lot. The chopping season is winding down. We found some 19% corn in northern IL earlier this week and it tested in the high 20’s the week before. This early variety was also averaging over 200 bu/ac. Most of the corn that I’ve seen looks pretty good with the exception of some sandier fields. I’ve heard a few reports of poor stalk quality and some corn looking like it could go down, so that will be something to watch out for.

A lot of the soybeans actually got too dry this week. On Monday, I found 9% beans in every field that I was in. From the road they look a little green and uneven. Guys are having to scout some fields and do a little blending in some cases. Bean yields have been anywhere from 40-70 bu/ac. Brown stem rot, white mold and SDS have pulled back the yields in some fields. Most areas missed the rain Wednesday night, but they are still calling for a good chance tonight.

Remember, that in order for variety locator to work you must first run your planting data through Apex. I’m getting a lot of calls where customer forget to do this. You need to check the box for variety locator on the set-up page and then you need to “Set-up Variety Locator” in the bottom left hand corner of that page.

Another common call has been getting recording to work. Many times, there is more than one tab open under documentation. If the documentation screen on your 2600 or 2630 does not say “Harvest” and “New” only, then you have too many open. Select the extra tabs and hit remove in the bottom left hand corner to get rid of them.

One more thing that affects recording is the record stop height. On 60 series and earlier combines, this will be found under original Greenstar Display, Set-up, Harvest Monitor. On 70 series, it will be found on the command arm display under the combine icon (page 3/5). On S-series combines, it will be found on the armrest display, Combine, and then the Header Icon on the right hand side. The easiest way to set this height is to set your number 1 button on the hydro handle to where you want the head to be when you turn around on the headlands. After that, manually lower the head down a foot or so and then press the save button for record stop height on your display.

We’re still getting some calls on S-series combines “s-ing” on the autotrac line. This is usually a wheel angle sensor that’s out of adjustment on the back left hand axle. Give us a call if you are having this issue and we can get it readjusted for you.

A couple of weeks ago, we got the chance to install a Pro Trakker hydraulic hitch to use with Active Implement Guidance. With this set-up, the tractor and implement both have receivers on them. We ran an RTK receiver on the tractor and used John Deere’s Share Signal software to share the RTK accuracy with our SF1 receiver on the implement saving some money on activations. The tractor drives on the line and the hydraulic hitch steers the implement on the line as well.

Pro Trakker Hitch

The Pro Trakker hitch has 13” of movement side to side for a total of 26”. I was very impressed with the hitch and the guidance system in the hills and contours that we used it in. This system looks like a perfect fit for strip till in our area. Feel free to contact your AMS specialist for more information.