Corn Cob Harvesting, Defining a Solution - Bioeconomy Conference ...

Corn Cob Harvesting, 

Defining a Solution 

Prepared for the 2008 Bio-Economy Conference by 

Mark Chaney – Staff Engineer 

John Deere Harvester Works

• Defining A Solution: 

Overview of Presentation 

• Understanding Farmer / Customer Needs & Expectations 

• Defining Cob Specification 

• Developing Potential Solutions: 

• Analytical Tools to Lead Machine Development 

• Field Test, Evaluation, & Development 

• Possible Market Solutions: 

• Today 

• Tomorrow ? 

• Summary

Defining Solutions – Part #1 

Farmer Participation 

• KEY Considerations to Ensure Farmer Participation: 

• Sustain Current Ag Requirements: 

• Protect Current Grain Harvest Practices 

• Provide Sustainable Ag Practices 

• Deliver Practical Logistics Solutions 

• Economic Considerations: 

• Meet Farmer Financial Expectations


• Protect Grain Harvest: 

• Grain = High Value Commodity 


• Protect the Value, Quality, and Marketability of Grain 

• Preserve Grain Harvesting Practices: 

• Harvest Efficiency (Harvest in Timely Manner to Avoid Loss & Degradation) 

• Minimize Impact to Machinery, Labor & Fuel Costs 

• Retain Versatility of Harvesting Equipment (Alternate Corn & Soy Harvest)



• Provide Sustainable Ag Practices: 

• Considerations: 

• Nutrient Removal 

• Preserve Soil Conservation Practices 

• Customer Requirement: 

• Provide Machine Solutions That Allow Selective Harvest of Cobs Only 

• Cobs to be Gathered & Delivered in Form Acceptable for Storage, 

Transportation, & Processing



• Define Practical Logistics Solutions: 

• Considerations: 

• Cob Storage & Drying Methods 

• Cob Handling & Transportation 

• Fully Define Logistics Chain to Define Machinery Req’d: 

• First: Understand Cob Storage, Handling, & Required Specification 

• Next: Design & Build Machine Solutions to Match Infrastructure



• Deliver Attractive Financials: 

• Cob Pricing: 

• Cob Value Must Offset Cost of Added: 

• Capital 

• Labor 

• Fuel 

• Meet Expectations for Competitive Profit / Acre 

• Offset Risk of Investment Into New Market


Cob Specification 

• KEY Considerations to Cob Product Delivery: 

• Cob Storage & Transportation Methods: 

• Storage Location – Short & Long Term 

• Storage Methods 

• Loading, Transporting, & Unloading 

• Cob Specification: 

• Sizing, Moisture Content, Spoilage, FM, etc. 

Full Definition Req’d To Develop Successful Machine Solutions

Developing Potential Solutions 

• Analytical Tools Utilized at Deere: 

• Combine Productivity Simulator: 

• Determines Combine Performance With Various Attachments 

• Logistics Simulator: 

• Estimates Field Logistics, Machinery & Manpower Needs, & Harvest Efficiency 

• Can Extend to Over – The – Road Logistics Study 

• Economic Model: 

• Estimates Capital & Operating Costs for Complete Harvesting Scenarios 

Combine Tools To Evaluate Potential Solutions

Combine Productivity 

Simulator: 

• Deere developed programs from Easy 5 

simulation software 

• Dynamic model has either equations or 

dynamic models of each portion of the 

combine system that interact (header, 

separator, cleaner, unloading system, 

propulsion system, engine package, etc.) 

• Can vary all field attributes that affect the 

combine productivity (yield, soil cone 

index, slope) 

• Provides Deere with a tool to measure the 

efficiency and productivity of the combine 

under various machine configuration 

changes 

• Program can simulate a second stream of 

material to handle and discharge (stover)

Logistics Simulator 

• Deere developed programs from Extend 

simulation software 

• Simulation includes combines, grain carts, 

trucks 

• Can vary all field attributes that affect 

logistics 

• Yield, field size, cart and bin size, 

ground speeds, truck location 


efficiency and robustness of a customer’s 

equipment operation to a wide range of 

scenarios 


material to handle

Economic Model 

• Deere developed model for simulation of 

harvest cost per acre 

• Includes the costs associated with harvest 

• Capital equipment 

• Labor, fuel 

• Maintenance, crop changeover, downtime 

• In field operation, transport field to field 

• Trucking 

• Farm scenario (yield, field sizes, distances 

between fields) 


cost per acre of a customer’s operation 

and what variables affect cost the most 


material to handle


• Laboratory Programs – Cob Collection & Cleaning:


• Field Programs – CCM & Whole Cob Collection:

Potential Market Solutions - Today 

• Corn Cob Mix (CCM) 

• Technology exists 

• Follow-up cob-grain 

separation needed

Potential Market Solutions - Tomorrow ? 

• Deere Supported University 

Research: 

• Iowa State University 

• University of WI – Madison 

• Industry Partnerships 

• Extensive Internal 

Research

Corn Cob Harvesting - Summary 

• Before Building Machinery: 

• Understand Product Spec & Customer Expectations 

• Analytical Study of Potential Solutions 

• Revise, Refine, & Re-Evaluate 

• Developing Machinery: 

• Research Partnerships 

• Lab Testing 

• Field Evaluation 

• Customer Interaction 

• Market Solutions: 

• Reliable, Cost Effective Solutions That Meet Customer Needs

Corn Cob Harvesting, Defining a Solution - Bioeconomy Conference ...

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