Sometimes it is hard to judge how useful a piece of software might be; with Pottinger’s Harvest Assist though, the advantages are immediately clear.
Harvest Assist is said to optimise the forage harvesting operation by taking into account harvesting volumes, the distance between the field and the clamp, and compaction in the clamp.
Teamwork
The app also enables real-time communication using existing hardware. Each member of the harvest team can install the app on their smartphone for free, providing an overview of the harvesting fleet.
Harvest Assist is claimed to make it easy to add fields and assign each of them to the machines involved.
It is said to present a clear overview of the fields to be harvested and also whether they are ready to harvest or have already been cleared.
At the heart of the app lies an algorithm that calculates the optimum harvest sequence and it is this which is said to be especially innovative.
Regular tips
Armed with this information, the drivers can, between them, optimise the harvesting sequence so that they deliver crop to the clamp at regular intervals to avoid queuing to unload.
Another bonus is that it is also easy for people who are not familiar with the farm to find each field and drive back to the clamp quickly using the integrated navigation system.
All the machines involved in the complete silage operation are taken into account, these stretch from the mower to the forage wagon, or baler, and everyone involved in the harvest gets a full insight into progress in each field.
As soon a driver finishes a task in a field, he can change its status in the app, this then gives a structured view of what work has been completed and what yet needs to be done across the fields involved.
On top of this information, can be imposed the location of each member of the harvest team, along with the relevant machine and process.
All locations are transmitted in real time, which greatly simplifies communication.
As well as the foraging team having the information, the loader at the clamp has notice of the next load and if spaced neatly, there will be time to distribute and compact each load as it arrives.