Harvest in the rain

[LouieH]

Why won't the game let me harvest in the rain? If wait any longer my crops will die!

[Mod Sloth]

That's how it works IRL. Turn off withering and wait it out.

[Willow Rivers]

Realism. You can turn off crop witehring in settings.

[LouieH]

Originally posted by Mod Sloth:

That's how it works IRL. Turn off withering and wait it out.

Originally posted by Willow Rivers:

Realism. You can turn off crop witehring in settings.

Thanks, can farmers really not harvest in the rain irl?

[Mod Sloth]

Originally posted by LouieH:

Originally posted by Mod Sloth:

That's how it works IRL. Turn off withering and wait it out.

Originally posted by Willow Rivers:

Realism. You can turn off crop witehring in settings.

Thanks, can farmers really not harvest in the rain irl?

Nope. I don't actually know why, but my assumption would be that the moisture makes it impossible for harvesters to properly process crops.

[Torhrolfr]

Nope and we dont usually wait for plants to wither so you can disable that joke. Don't want moldering harvest you know. ;)

[jasonharris2]

Originally posted by LouieH:

Originally posted by Mod Sloth:

That's how it works IRL. Turn off withering and wait it out.

Originally posted by Willow Rivers:

Realism. You can turn off crop witehring in settings.

Thanks, can farmers really not harvest in the rain irl?

the grain is heavyer and the waste part are lighter
air is use to blow the waste off, if its wet it won't work

[margalus]

It takes a while to whither, you get a couple of cycles to harvest before they wasted.

[topgunsss]

1. Combines have an open hopper, and when grains get wet, they turn into nasty stuff. They mold, they rot, and they stink. This machine also has loading augers, and if wet grain gets in them, they have to be torn completely down to extricate the rotten, stinking mass, I have done it, and can tell you, if a farmer thinks the harvest will get wet, the machine heads for the barn.

2. Dry straw breaks and cuts cleanly. Once the straw is wet, it becomes tough, and is prone to wrapping around the sickle bar cutter instead of cutting cleanly. That is one reason grain isn’t harvested until completely dry.

3. The rasp bar, shaker, and blowers work with dry grain that ‘’flows’’, instead of sticking and clogging. Any dirt that finds its way onto the cleaning pan becomes mud, further clogging the mess.

4. Fields, when wet, often become bogs…and it costs a lot of money to hire another tractor to pull out the stuck machine, and then to come back and fill up the muddy ruts your stuck machine made.

[topgunsss]

In reality, hurrying to do a critical job like harvesting, whether the field is wet, the crop hasn’t dried enough, or just going to fast in the field, can cost a farmer a large percentage of his harvest…his livelihood. The reason farmers don’t harvest their fields when they are wet? It just isn’t worth it.... there you have it

[topgunsss]

also think of the support such as trucktors, trailers, sami's and there trails, they need to be able to get in and out of the feild... so if u went out and did the feild in the rain... ur support may likely get bogged so what good are they if they were to get bogged? in my books i would guess they would be of no use... hint as to why u dont harverst in the wet,,,

[Grimreepr]

Apart from the mud, and general mess it would make in the field, NEVER harvest in the rain.

Why? Quite simple actually, wet grain ferments FAST. It rots, decomposes and the byproduct of this decomposition is toxic gasses when in an enclosed non ventilated area such as your average grain bin will KILL the farmer if inhaled. Also, wet grain can and will heat if stored damp. By this I mean that the grain starts to decompose and that decomposition causes vast release of heat. The more it decomposes, the more heat is generated which can and will result in spontaneous combustion. This means that the stored grain will actually ignite.

There have been many farmers over the years that have opened up a bin to extract the grain and found nothing but ash. One farmer close to me here had an entire 30,000 bushel bin of Canola heat and combust. He opened up his bin and there was nothing but a huge pile of grey colored ash in the middle of the bin. That was his entire operating capitol for the year, and with borrowing to seed and spray for weeds and pestilence, he was deep in debt with no way out. He ended his own life.

All grain has a rating applied to it at point of sale, there are many factors that effect the grade of grain, chief one being moisture content. All grain has to be "Dry" by the industry standards. By dry, all grain has an allowable moisture content. If it exceeds that content, the grain is considered "tough" and the price per bushel/liter drops dramatically.

For instance, Canola graded #1 Presently is around the $11.00 CAD per bushel. If a small mount of moisture enters the grain and causes it to go "tough" you can generally expect less than half that amount, IF you can find a grain terminal that will take it. As a general rule, elevators and their agents are only interested in the top grade of grain. Any grain degraded enough to be called "Feed" grade as a general rule will be sold to feed lots at pennies on the dollar. Some of it can't be sold at all and is generally burnt or burried. Grain that is considered damp or tough can be dried through a continuous flow or a batch grain dryer. There are also aeration units that attach to bins to continually circulate dry are to maintain a "Dry" moisture rating for the seed.

So why don't farmers harvest in the rain? Quite simple, doing so will more than triple the cost and amount of work to get the grain to a safe storage moisture content. The mess and destruction it causes to fields, Equipment, and the added stress, isn't worth the risk. Storing damp grain can make you lose everything. It's nothing for farmers around where I am to spend over $80,000 just to put the seed in the ground. Then the herbicide and insecticide, fertilizer and depending on the grain fungicide will add about another $60,000 to $70,000.

SO based on that, most serious farmers now need a rotating cash flow of about $150,000 dollars before hey ever see a kernel of grain in their hopper. Would you risk $150,000 and all your machinery, buildings and home just to harvest in the rain? If you answered "yes", you will not make it as a farmer, not to mention lacking the common sense needed to be a farmer in the first place.

[Gerald]

Originally posted by Mod Sloth:

Originally posted by LouieH:

Thanks, can farmers really not harvest in the rain irl?

Nope. I don't actually know why, but my assumption would be that the moisture makes it impossible for harvesters to properly process crops.

Don't know about grains and stuff, but potatoes need to breathe. If they get rained on in the bunker or in the spud bins the dirt will harden on them and stop them from breathing, basically kills the potatoes

[Ex-Mørtis]

Have you ever tried to mow your lawn in the rain? Farmers have similar issues, the wet crop clogs up the harvester and chokes it out. Wet grain can pose issues as well, but depending on the type of grain, a grain bin can help dry out wet grain.