Bushel Plus Tool Delivers a Smarter Way to Measure and Minimize Harvest Loss

The Bushel Plus SmartPan System™ magnetically attaches to any combine and remotely drops to collect a sample during harvest so farmers can understand their grain loss and fine tune their combine settings to reduce it.

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT

For Immediate Release

BRANDON, MANITOBA – (July 10, 2025) – In today’s high-cost, low-margin environment, grain and row crop farmers can’t afford to leave yield and profit in the field. Whether it’s canola, wheat, soybeans, or other crops harvested with a combine, harvest optimization expert Marcel Kringe is urging farmers to focus on one of the most overlooked, yet most impactful, management practices: measuring harvest loss to fine-tune combine calibration.

“Combine grain loss is one of the biggest invisible threats to profitability,” says Kringe, CEO of Bushel Plus. “Most farmers assume their machines are performing efficiently, but without measuring actual loss, they’re often losing more than they realize.”

Why Harvest Loss Happens

Combines are powerful and complex machines, but they’re not set-it-and-forget-it systems. When key settings are not properly dialed in, grain can be damaged or lost. And, because that loss happens behind the machine, Kringe says it’s easy to miss.

“If the rotor is spinning too fast, it can damage kernels or push material through too aggressively. If fan speed is off, it will influence the separation and retention of the grain,” explains Kringe. “It’s all about balance, and even small calibration errors can lead to significant losses. It may not be something the driver is doing wrong, but rather a problem with the combine itself.”

The Financial Impact of Harvest Loss

The numbers tell a powerful story. For example, if you’re harvesting canola at 45 bushels per acre and losing 3 bushels per acre, that amounts to 6.67% of your crop left in the field. At a market price of $14.87 per bushel, that loss equals $44.61 per acre (CAD). Multiplied across 1,000 acres, that’s $44,610 in lost revenue (CAD).¹

The numbers for wheat are just as striking. A 3-bushel loss in a 55 bushel-per-acre Canada Western Red Spring wheat (CWRS) crop equals 5.45% of the yield left behind. At $7.66 per bushel, that’s a loss of $22.98 per acre, or $22,980 in lost income over 1,000 acres.1

“These aren’t theoretical numbers,” says Kringe. “They’re real dollars that could be in your pocket - but only if you’re measuring what’s being left behind.”

You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure

Many growers rely solely on factory combine presets or in-cab loss sensors, which Kringe says aren’t enough.

“Factory settings are a starting point, not a precision solution. And built-in sensors often can’t account for key variables like terrain, machine wear, or crop type,” he explains. “If you want accurate data, you need to get out behind the combine and measure actual loss in the field to calibrate those loss sensors properly. In other words, the loss sensor display needs a measured benchmark from what’s going out the back to provide useful information to the operator.”

That’s where drop pans come in - a simple but powerful tool for capturing a real-time snapshot of what the combine is losing.

“Drop pans collect real data, not estimates,” says Kringe. “Depending on your machine they tell you where loss is occurring - from the header, rotor, or cleaning shoe - and give you the confidence to make targeted adjustments that immediately protect yield and profit.”

The Best Tool for the Job

To make harvest loss measurement faster, safer, and more precise, Bushel Plus developed the SmartPan System™, the most advanced remote drop pan solution on the market.

Using a remote magnetic release, the SmartPan mounts within seconds underneath any combine and collects a grain loss sample during normal field operation. That sample is then processed using the Bushel Plus Air Separator, which removes chaff and debris to isolate clean grain. The grain is weighed with a digital scale, and the results are logged instantly using the SmartDrop™ mobile app, providing clear, actionable insights on loss within a couple of minutes.

“This system gives growers everything they need to take quick, corrective action,” says Kringe. “In just a few minutes, you go from guessing - to knowing - and from losing money to saving it.”

Compatible with all major crops harvested by a combine like corn, soybeans, wheat, canola, barley, rice, and milo, the SmartPan System is endorsed and used by leading equipment manufacturers, including John Deere, Case IH, New Holland, CLAAS, and Fendt.

Kringe says growers using the SmartPan System have reduced losses from as high as 8% down to under 1%. “We hear it every season from customers: This tool paid for itself in the first field,” he says. “There’s no other piece of equipment on the farm that can deliver ROI like this.”

Don’t Let Profit Slip Away

Improving harvest profitability starts with knowing exactly how much grain you’re losing - and why. In today’s economic climate, every bushel counts. And in 2025, precision isn’t a luxury - it’s a necessity.

“You’ve already invested in seed, fertilizer, crop protection, fuel, and labor,” says Kringe. “Don’t let all that effort and expense go to waste because of outdated combine settings. With the right tool and just a few quick checks, you can turn lost yield into recovered revenue, and real profit.”

To learn more about the SmartPan System™ and how to reduce harvest loss on your farm, visit www.bushelplus.ca.

The Bushel Plus SmartPan System™, along with their MAD Concaves™ and Mini-Combine™, will be showcased at the 2025 Ag in Motion expo, Western Canada’s premier outdoor farm show, July 15–17, 2025, in Langham, Saskatchewan.

¹ Yield estimates are based on historical average yields and current trend forecasts for the central Saskatchewan region, including the Saskatoon area, as reported by Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), and Statistics Canada.

Marcel Kringe, CEO of Bushel Plus, is a leading advocate for harvest loss monitoring and precision combine calibration to help farmers boost yield and profitability.

About Bushel Plus Inc.
Bushel Plus Inc., a global leader in harvest optimization technology, specializes in solutions that help growers reduce grain loss and maximize yield potential at harvest. Trusted in more than 35 countries, Bushel Plus partners with dealers, agronomists, and equipment manufacturers to improve harvest outcomes for farmers. Guided by the belief that ‘you can only harvest once,’ the company equips farmers with field-proven tools that turn invisible losses into visible profit.








Contacts
Courtney Baxter, 204-999-3125, Courtney@BushelPlus.ca
Lisa Adams, 309-825-0598, Lisa@sage-vc.com