System and method for adjusting harvest characteristics

A method for determining a test weight of a crop for yield calculations comprising:

• determining a location of a harvester within the field using a GPS locator;
• associating the location of the harvester with a corresponding zone of a plurality of zones, each of the zones having an assigned hybrid and a corresponding assigned estimated test weight associated with the assigned hybrid;
• selecting the assigned estimated test weight based upon the location of the harvester in the field according to the corresponding zone;
• conducting a harvest operation with the harvester according to the selected assigned estimated test weight;
• determining an actual test weight according to the location of the harvester in the field based upon the assigned estimated test weight for the zone in which the harvester is located and further based upon a measured test weight gathered with an instrument in the zone in which the harvester is located;
• outputting a signal with the actual test weight for calculating a crop yield;
• repeating selecting of the assigned estimated test weight as the harvester changes location within the field;
• and
• changing one or more aspects of a calculation of the measured test weight based upon hybrid type according to the location of the harvester in the field.

A system comprising:

• one or more instruments on a harvester for measuring information related to one or more of a plurality of harvest characteristics while the crop is harvested;
• a controller communicating with the one or more instruments and including at least one processor and a memory device, the memory device including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to reference the information gathered from the one or more instruments and to determine one or more harvest characteristics of the plurality of harvest characteristics according to the location of the harvester within a field, the selection causes the controller to:
• determine the location of the harvester within the field,
• associate the location with a corresponding zone of a plurality of zones in the field, each of the plurality of zones indicates a respective crop planted within the field,
• assign one or more harvest characteristics according to at least the corresponding zone and the respective crop within the corresponding zone,
• determine a harvest operation associated with the one or more harvest characteristics,
• output a signal to change the harvest operation, and
• wherein the one or more harvest characteristics comprise one or more of an estimated test weight, an actual test weight, one or more aspects related to a yield calculation, a calculation parameter related to a sensor, and
• repeat assignment of the one or more harvest characteristics as the harvester changes location within the field.