The monitor has a unique Contoller Area Network (CAN)-based optical sensor that provides precise, real-time cotton flow information while harvesting with the Module Express 625, the world’s first module-building cotton picker. “Tests show that yield data is accurate to within 3 percent of actual gin weights,” says Trent Haggard, Case IH marketing manager for cotton harvesting.

The Cotton Yield Monitor integrates with the Case IH AFS Pro 600 color display, which was introduced last fall.  The AFS Pro 600 display is portable, so a grower also can use it on Case IH Magnum and Steiger tractors to do AFS AccuGuide autoguidance or use as a 1200 planter monitor.  

“The Cotton Yield Monitor allows the operator to keep track of yields on-the-go and plan drop-off points for completed modules. Growers also can create yield maps to aid future productivity and make informed in-field decisions based on accurate data,” Haggard says.

            Kenneth Hood, a cotton grower and gin operator in Gunnison, Miss., field-tested two 625 Module Express machines equipped with the AFS Cotton Yield Monitor.  “The monitor is an excellent part of the Module Express because it lets you know exactly what your yields are in the field. It also displays how much cotton is in the basket so you can plan where to unload the module,” Hood says. “By planning to unload the module at the end of the field, you don’t need a mover to relocate the module to the gin, which involves extra expense of both equipment and personnel.”Hood, who grows 10,000 acres of cotton, also likes the field-mapping feature of the monitor.  “By mapping the field you can figure out the needed inputs for next year, such as fertilization and irrigation.  If there are great differences in different areas of the field, you can spot the need for potash or lime,” he adds. “The Cotton Yield Monitor helps make more intelligent management decisions.”
The AFS Cotton Yield Monitor recently received the prestigious AE50 award for excellence in agricultural equipment design from the American Association of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ Resource Magazine.