A small collection of drone footage from corn harvest 2024 at Kaiser Lake Farms. I just got the thing so I wasn't very good at piloting it, but it was still immensely fun and literally a new perspective on the jobs we do.
Feel free to ask questions! We have a fairly unique operation here.
Some FAQ:
My father Max is driving the combine and my sister Molly is driving the tractors where they're seen moving.
Drone is a DJI Mini 3. The blue tractor is a NH TJ325, red tractor is a Case Puma 185, combine is a NH CR7.90. This was right near the end of harvest which is why everything is so dirty.
The buggies and wagons wait at the side of the field and the combine comes to them. We do this instead of keeping the combine running to reduce equipment traffic in the field. Most of our soils are Napanee clay Nc, Napanee shallow-phase Nc-sh, or Lansdowne clay Lac all of which are highly susceptible to soil compaction. This practice puts more wear and tear on the combine, either in the form of dry-running or repeated engaging of the clutches, but our rationale is there needs to be a weak point somewhere in the agricultural system, and the soil is the most difficult asset to replace- both from a business point of view, and one of sustainability. This was a scheme developed by my grandfather Eric Kaiser.
https://www.topcropmanager.com/ontario-farmer-wins-award-for-soil-conservation-practices-20931/
https://ontariosoil.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/SoilNetwork_2019CountryGuide_Eric_FINAL_2020.04.29.pdf
Our tandem buggy setup is custom-made in our shop. The rear hitch on the front buggy is based off an I-beam welded to the axle and braced with heavy 3" tubing. The front buggy has a capacity of 700bu and the rear 600bu- this was the most cost-effective way to have 1200+ bu of capacity to keep up with our new CR7.90. The augers are not usable as it is currently setup, the rear auger PTO is inaccessible and the front auger has been removed entirely to prevent steering issues, but it could be replaced. We use the centre-dumps at our elevator anyway.
Our current CR7.90 was bought for the 2022 season. It replaced our Case 5088, which we only used for a couple years after using a NH TR95 for 35 years. The Case had higher throughput than the 95 but no higher capacity, had problems sorting crops other than corn, and wasn't a good match for our system.
We are "mostly" no-till. We spread manure and cover crop seed after June's wheat harvest in our corn-soybean-wheat rotation, then incorporate it same-day with a cultivator set at about 2". This is the only tillage we do in our rotation. The corn residue will sit over-winter and the soybeans will be planted through the residue next year. To make this easier on the beans, we harvest corn as early as possible (we were done in October this year- for eastern Ontario that's almost silly) to maximize the time the residue has to decompose before winter. After thawing and continuing to break down, there are no problems with residue by the time beans go in next year. And the wheat has no problem going into the soybean residue.
Music selection in order:
Celtica: Blackberry Blossom and The Rusty Piper
Cliff Maytwayashing: Maple Sugar
Reg Bouvette: The Red River Jig
Cliff Maytwayashing: Lady Do Si Do
Ned Landry: The Crooked Stovepipe
Andy Dejarlis: Caribou Reel