Kelly Sharpe
Improper settings on a harvester can negatively impact harvest results. With this in mind, the Ag Days committee has asked Kelly Sharpe, GK Technologies, to demonstrate the proper settings and setup of a beet harvester. Sharpe will work on an actual harvester and will give his demonstration at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13 at the Richland County Public Works Shop, 2140 W. Holly St., just west of the Richland County Fairgrounds.
“I will walk people through the process of how to set up a harvester for a successful beet harvest,” says Sharpe. “This entails a lot, as I will talk about appropriate settings for every area.”
Sharpe points out that settings can make or break a harvest, and he will discuss the ramifications of using a poorly setup harvester. “Proper settings do make a huge difference,” he comments. “I’ll talk about the research that’s been done and show the numbers on the kind of money that is made or lost because of settings. The research was done in the Red River Valley but the findings are applicable everywhere.”
Sharpe, born and raised on a sugarbeet farm in Minnesota, has a BS degree in agronomy. He owns and operates GK Technologies, a software business that specializes in agricultural geographic information systems (GIS) sales and mapping. “We sell software that utilizes satellite imagery and we teach people how to use it, or we can do the mapping for the farmer that provides him with variable rate maps along with the correct settings for their equipment,” Sharpe comments.
Sharpe also has worked for the past eight years for American Crystal as an agronomist.
For those who want to get the most out of their harvester and who want to enjoy a successful beet harvest, plan to attend this demonstration.
Reader Comments(0)