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Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine
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mountain_anderson
Posted 2/12/2024 14:26 (#10620423)
Subject: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


Just curious, who here harvests with a picker instead of a combine? What are the pros and cons of harvesting the whole cob as opposed to harvesting the grain?
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Mark (EC,IN)
Posted 2/12/2024 14:58 (#10620450 - in reply to #10620423)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine



Schlegel Farms, Hagerstown Indiana
mountain_anderson - 2/12/2024 14:26

Just curious, who here harvests with a picker instead of a combine? What are the pros and cons of harvesting the whole cob as opposed to harvesting the grain?



I'm old enough that I did harvest ear corn years ago.

The Pros:
1. If ground makes great cattle feed
2. With the proper crib (good air movement) you can store without a grain dryer and L.P. gas.

Cons;

1. Limited markets
2. Have to handle a lot more tons/pounds
3. Much harder to load (augers are easier to keep full than a corn elevator)

I'm sure others can add, but that is a start.
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PeteMN
Posted 2/12/2024 15:19 (#10620482 - in reply to #10620450)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


E.Central MN		Wet ear corn can spoil in a corn crib, too. Picking corn can be a challenge during a wet fall. I don't miss having to pull ear corn down to grind a load of feed. It does make nice feed for cows. I used to enjoy seeing pheasants flying away from the corn crib, don't miss all the raccoon crap and rats.
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r82230
Posted 2/12/2024 18:25 (#10620727 - in reply to #10620450)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine



Thumb of Michigan		Another con:

Bird, rodent loss is greater with corn cribs/ear corn. IMHO, but the cats ate better, might be a pro.


I still get my hands on a few hundred bushels of ear corn for the 4H critters, though.
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Sidneyfarmer
Posted 2/12/2024 15:58 (#10620532 - in reply to #10620423)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


Sheridan Mi		I use a picker. I do it because I feed all of it and because I have cribs. I don't have bins or a dryer. I open fields with the combine. I grind it as soon as I combine it and feed it up.
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JT50
Posted 2/12/2024 19:05 (#10620814 - in reply to #10620532)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


NW Wisconsin		The biggest con we experienced with a picker was shelling off the snapping rolls and around the crib. 2 row New Idea pull type running over outside rows, and as mentioned rats.
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Mark (EC,IN)
Posted 2/13/2024 08:03 (#10621489 - in reply to #10620814)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine



Schlegel Farms, Hagerstown Indiana
JT50 - 2/12/2024 19:05

The biggest con we experienced with a picker was shelling off the snapping rolls and around the crib. 2 row New Idea pull type running over outside rows, and as mentioned rats.



What you say is correct about the field shelling at the snapping rolls, I had a New Idea 324 with a 12-roll husking bed that shelled terribly.

That said, I think some pickers had switched to knife rolls and stripper plates, IH 234 was that way I think, and the Deere 300 picker used the same two or three-row head as the combines of the time.
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jd7520
Posted 2/12/2024 19:04 (#10620811 - in reply to #10620423)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


West Central IA		https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn13T5JtzXA

These guys have it down to a science. I have seen where they will pick 28% plus ear corn in these long cribs out in the fields. Would beat trying to dry that wet of corn.
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Curious
Posted 2/12/2024 22:59 (#10621171 - in reply to #10620811)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


NW IA		Thanks for the link. Fascinating.
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Iowajim
Posted 2/12/2024 19:06 (#10620815 - in reply to #10620423)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


NW Iowa		Well it’s actually a whole ear that is picked. If all there was to pick was cobs there wouldn’t be a reason to pick it. Yes I know it’s a regional term. Ear corn picking involves a lot of labor and time. We definitely don’t have the labor to shell corn and if we did we would be accused of exposing the hired help to dust pollution, mold exposure, possible live burial from an avalanche, dangerous flying tools (corn rakes), rodent exposure, stinging wasps and on top of that they might even break a sweat.

We would have to wait for the corn to dry down to an acceptable level before it could be cribbed like what was already mentioned. Because of this the corn would be left in the field to naturally dry way too long to avoid losses to Mother Nature. The up side to picking and storing ear corn is the quality of the corn after it is shelled is generally better meaning very few broken kernels and higher test weight. Back when combines were just coming into play and every elevator had a feed mill the elevator would sometimes segregate the corn that came from a crib to use for grinding feed. That is a long gone practice today.
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Tomcat
Posted 2/12/2024 19:36 (#10620882 - in reply to #10620423)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine



Ludington/Manistee MI area

See we do both

  5-6 small wagons a year is great plenty with picker.   Field loss is greater too with a picker.  Other than selling the ear corn as squirrel corn for a small premium it’s all cons and zero pros.  



Edited by Tomcat 2/12/2024 19:45




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Kneedeep 2011
Posted 2/13/2024 07:58 (#10621481 - in reply to #10620882)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


North Mississippi Delta / Alabama Gulf Coast		I’m a STO, shell mine. Wildlife gets the waste.



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PeteMN
Posted 2/13/2024 23:15 (#10622597 - in reply to #10621481)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


E.Central MN		We had one of those. We bought it because it came on a nice NI 325 2 row narrow picker unit. We tried it and then put a husking bed on because we still picked some of our corn. We bought a combine w/4 row head, it was a huge improvement. The combine could drive into a wet spot and then just back out again. Not so easy with a pull type picker. When a guy we knew said he was looking for a picker sheller, we gave the sheller bed to him.
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ClusterFarm
Posted 2/12/2024 20:51 (#10621004 - in reply to #10620423)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


CNY		I pick a couple acres each year for my steers. It’s good feed for them and I don’t have a lot tied up in it

But the amount of field loss is unreal. It’s probably worse in my case since I let it get really dry and just store it on wagons. But I haul manure back out on the field I picked and the amount of kernels on the ground tells me if it was more than 5-6 acres a year I’d figure something else out.

Mine is a New Idea, people say the JD with combine heads shell less.
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Yoosta B
Posted 2/13/2024 00:40 (#10621202 - in reply to #10620423)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


Several responders mentioned field losses, which were/are a very real thing, but not necessarily a bad thing in every case. Don't forget- in the picker era, every field was fenced 'round so that after the corn was picked, the hogs and cows were turned in to 'pasture' off the gleanings.

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lcflms
Posted 2/13/2024 11:35 (#10621789 - in reply to #10620423)
Subject: RE: Pros and cons of harvesting with a picker or with a combine


Waupun Wis		Depends if harvesting 20 acres or 2000 acres Add in true Labor hours and cost.
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