It appears that a single-pass chopping harvest can help
reduce costs compared to both two- and three-pass baling and
chopping systems. If a combine could be designed to harvest
grain and stover without having to reduce field speed, then
harvest costs for a single-pass, whole-plant system could be
greatly reduced (i.e., a 50% increase in field speed could reduce
harvest cost by 25%). A low cost harvest could be a single-pass,
ear-snap system, which has greater harvest productivity
(ha h1), avoids harvest of wet, potentially soil contaminated
stalk bales, and returns more stover to the field for greater soil
protection from wind and water erosion and more nutrients
for subsequent crops. However, low stover harvest yields may
also require greater storage costs if storage structures or stone
pads are used. While Hoskinson et al. [14] indicated that stover
yields could be greater for a single-pass, ear-snap harvest
system, greater stover harvest would likely make costs more
similar to the single-pass, whole-plant system.