University of Wisconsin-River Falls agricultural engineering and agricultural engineering technology students are researching ways to make older combines more efficient and improve profitability for smaller farmers.
The research is part of a $150,000 United States Department of Agriculture grant led by Sierra Howry, associate professor of agricultural economics, and Matt Digman, former assistant professor of agricultural engineering.
Using a 1960s Oliver combine, agricultural engineering senior Alex Pierson, of Mayer, Minn., along with junior Kyle Leis, of Wilton, and Rames Frisch, a first-year student of Wausau, both agricultural engineering technology majors, developed two methods to potentially make the combine more efficient in harvesting with a new header configuration.
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