Count crop bundles in a field from a photo

Counting harvested crop bundles and sheaves in the field

Where rice, wheat or millet is cut by hand, the crop is tied into bundles and left in the field before threshing, and harvest crews are often paid by the bundle. A photo count straight after cutting gives the farmer and the crew the same figure to agree on. Photograph bundles while they still lie in rows along the field or bund, one layer deep, from a high angle looking along the row.

Once bundles are stood together in shocks or piled for transport, the inner ones disappear, so count before stacking whenever you can. Straw-colored bundles on straw-colored stubble have little contrast; morning or late-afternoon light gives shadows that outline each bundle, while harsh midday sun flattens them. Loose stalks and fallen ears can earn stray dots, so check thin, scattered markers. Bundle sizes vary from worker to worker; if small and large bundles look very different, mark one of each.

Give each section or each worker a separate tally row, with names in the labels, so payment stays traceable. Bundles counted in the field can later be compared with the grain sacks filled after threshing, and baled straw or hay follows a different method on the hay bale counter.