Modernizing Harvesting For Small-Scale Grain Farmers

Modernizing Harvesting For Small-Scale Grain Farmers Small-scale grain producers have long faced the challenge of relying on outdated equipment, often struggling with frequent breakdowns and hard-to-find replacement parts. Ag Vance Systems was founded by Elam and Henry Fisher with a mission to deliver practical, affordable and advanced harvesting solutions directly to small yet progressive farmers. The company takes an unusual approach, contracting all manufacturing and customizing machinery to suit the needs of modest operations. Their machines are uniquely designed, incorporating the latest harvesting technologies in packages tailored for affordability and practicality for tractor and even horse-drawn operations. “Many farmers are using outdated equipment that breaks down often and features impossible or hard-to-find parts,” says Elam Fisher. “Their designs can be 60 years old, and no companies were interested in using new designs and technology to make life easier for these operators.” The brothers began their partnership in 2021 with a junkyard John Deere TR70 combine. They removed the rotor, cut it lengthwise, and reassembled the parts to make the unit more compact. They used the rotor housing as the feeder house and ran the shaker bed sideways rather than at the back, as on a typical combine. Since they envisioned their mini combine, which they named The Comet, being pulled either by a tractor or by horses, they added a 65 to 80-hp diesel engine to power the machine. They omitted the traditional grain tank, funneling harvested grain directly into a trailing wagon. The Comet was built to handle a 3 or 4-row head. “When we first got it running, the prototype shelled corn better than anyone expected, including us,” Fisher says. The Navigator draper head for the Comet became the brothers’ next invention. The Navigator is a draper-style header custom-built for small-scale and horse-drawn farming. Its full-float system and poly skid shoes skim the ground, eliminating dirt pileups and the need to constantly adjust the head height. “It provides a clean shave, consistent crop flow, and a harvest that keeps moving forward with less frustration,” Fisher says. The long finger tines reduce shattering, even when picking up downed crops, and its heavy-duty feed roll with sturdy retracting spikes feeds the Comet combine evenly. “Our custom adapter kits break the old harvesting process free from outdated equipment, letting small grain operators run updated corn or grain heads with better threshing, less downtime, and up to 40% more acres per day,” Fisher says. After successful field tests harvesting corn, soybeans and wheat across a dozen farms, Ag Vance Systems continues to refine its designs and expand production. They’re exploring further enhancements, including adding an integrated grain tank. Prices range from $85,000 to $100,000 for the full unit. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ag Vance Systems, 775 N 350 E, Rockville, Ind. 47872 (ph 765-435-1500).

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