New Holland combine harvesters have been awarded two medals at the SIMA 2021 Innovation Awards.
The awards were judged by an international jury panel of industry specialists assisted by a network of technical experts.
The awards, which recognise the most innovative equipment, products, technologies and services, were announced in a virtual ceremony broadcast today, Thursday, April 22.
New Holland combine harvesters
New Holland brand president, Carlo Lambro said: “Farmers today are expected to reduce the environmental impact of their operations. However, they must be able to do it without losing their profitability. As equipment manufacturers, it is our role to leverage technology to support them.
“The two innovations awarded today address two important issues they face with the harvest, helping them to make informed decisions – one with agronomic data they can use to market their crops most profitably, the other enables them to take proactive actions to reduce grain losses as they are harvesting.”
Silver Award
The first award secured by New Holland was the Silver Medal for its NutriSense NIR sensor nutrient analysis technology in the ‘From Harvest to Storage’ category.
New Holland said that as farmers strive to operate sustainably, the collection of agronomic data takes on fundamental importance in enabling them to make informed decisions to maximise their sales.
The integration of the Near Infrared (NIR) sensor enables the analysis, recording and mapping of crop composition during harvest. Operation is based on the measurement of the absorption of electromagnetic radiation in NIR.
This enables farmers to get the most from the sale of their crops, as the price is linked to the harvest quality (according to parameters such as protein or fat content).
They can also enhance the nutritional value of varieties for animal feed, and mix different grain grades to achieve a certain quality and target industry standards, according to the company.
The NutriSense system uses the New Holland NIR sensor that is used on the brand’s combines and forage harvesters for other functionalities, such as measuring crop moisture.
In the near future, the NutriSense system will be also available on New Holland large square balers.
Bronze Award
New Holland scooped the Bronze Medal for its cleaning system pressure sensors in the ‘Parts, Services and Onboard Electronics’ category.
According to the company, the patented cleaning shoe pressure analysis system enables a faster harvesting speed while pursuing maximum quality.
The system measures the pressure in the cleaning shoe, up and below sieves, and alerts the operator if it is overloaded or not. This helps make informed decisions on any adjustments needed.
Ultimately, New Holland has said that as a result, operators will have better control of the machine, which will result in less grain losses.