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VIDEO: CropScan 3000 grain analyser system wins innovation award

A unique analysing system capable of reading grain protein and moisture levels has been named “Ag Innovation of the Year” at the recent Wimmera Machinery Field Days.

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The award-winning CropScan 3000 system was developed by Sydney based business Next Instruments which manufactures and exports its range of analytical instruments worldwide.

According to Next Instruments international product manager Peter Davis, no other company in the world has come up with a product similar to CropScan 3000.

“It’s very new, and we’re the only people on the planet which has come up with a method to accurately measure protein and moisture data in grains. Nobody else does it,” he says.

“One agronomist suggested this is the holy grail for them.”

Next Instruments released the CropScan 3000H on-header analyser in early 2014, and the 3000S on-silo version later that year.

The CropScan 3000 suite has been designed to measure protein and moisture in wheat and barley; and oil, protein and moisture in canola.

Both systems feature three main components, which are a remote sampling head, a touch screen computer and a spectrometer box.

The system works by shining a light through sample grains collected in the remote sampling device which is then transmitted back via a fibre optic cable to the spectrometer.

From there, a Near Infrared Transmission (NIT) spectrum is produced which contains information about the concentration of the different components in the grain such as protein, fats and water.

Calibration models stored in the analyser’s memory then convert that information into percentages and the information is then displayed on the touch screen in the form of running tables, trend plots or paddock maps.

In addition to giving more power to the farmers to manage their grains, Davis says the system also helps them reduce their input costs.

“As we plug into your GPS, we map your whole paddock for protein,” he says.

“You can then utilise that data to know how you wish to treat the paddock next year. You might decide to put a different level of fertiliser at specific locations to give you the balance between reward and input and that will then hopefully give you an increase in your bottom line.”

The annual Wimmera Machinery Field Days were held from March 3 to 5. 

Look out for the in-depth feature on the CropScan 3000 in New Farm Machinery’s May 2015 issue, on-sale April 21. Subscribe to the magazine to never miss an issue. 

Video: Andrew Britten

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