Harvesting a Field

To minimize crop loss with mechanical harvesting, field harvesting should be done with the harvester in mind.

1. Row spacing should conform to the track width of the harvester. This will minimize the damage to the cane and row, while keeping the harvester over the center of the row. This will help reduce the amount of cane that the harvester may crush or lose by off center cutting.
2. Row length is important to reduce turnarounds.
3. Headlands (field roads) should be wide enough to allow the harvester to enter and exit without rolling over the cane rows.