Personalizing Our New-To-Us Planter: A Tiered Approach
Written by: Emily Ponwith – a farmer in Minnesota
Making the decision to upgrade equipment is typically not one that is taken lightly. It is rarely an overnight decision and often comes with a tremendous amount of number crunching and analysis on how this will improve not only efficiency, but ROI as well. Our farm purchased a used 2010 16-row 1770NT John Deere planter in 2014. It was time for our farm to upgrade the width of the planter and explore technology to improve planting efficiency. Obtaining consistent seed size was something that we were struggling with at the time due to tough growing conditions in various seed regions, something out of our control. However, what we could control was the technology and systems on our planter to allow it to perform the best regardless of the seed size.
After getting our new-to-us planter home we added vSet, vDrive, DeltaForce, and CleanSweep before spring planting. On our previous planter we had CleanSweep and we were not willing to go without that.
The first spring with our planter was very damp and cold. Due to adverse conditions, we are confident that just the investment in DeltaForce alone paid for the entire planter retrofit with the conditions we were faced with. Our crop still came up with relatively uniform emergence despite the tough planting conditions.
Needless to say our first year with the planter and the retrofit decisions we made blew us away. The following year we added Keeton Seed Firmers and the year after that we added SmartFirmer. What is unique about Precision Planting technology is that you don’t have to do it all at once, you can pick and choose what the most critical issues are on your farm and address those first.
FurrowForce, a 2-stage closing system, was added to our planter when it was released. As a no-till and strip-till operation, adding this technology was a no-brainer. We have two wildly different planting environments that we are working with each year. Our corn ground is strip tilled and when we added FurrowForce our soybean ground was no-till. Since then we have started vertical tillage on our soybean ground.
FurrowForce technology has been a total game changer as we manage planting across many different tillage environments. It allows us to manage our seed to soil contact in the strips, and in the no-till, FurrowForce helps to close the trench in varying planting conditions. We ordered our FurrowForce system at a time when there was a shortage of sensors needed to control it automatically. Our system is manually controlled, and we intend to add automatic control sometime in future. We look forward to seeing the difference in how FurrowForce reacts autonomously to the varying soil types and layers to be sure we are always closing the seed trench appropriately. Making seemingly small adjustments over the years has made a big difference on our return.
On the Horizon
We are planning to add Reveal in the near future. We feel that mounting the row cleaners to the frame instead of the row unit will be huge for us to improve our spacing and our good ride. With our fall strips, sometimes getting a good ride and good spacing can be challenging and we feel that adding Reveal to our planter could greatly enhance performance. We are looking forward to this addition to our planter when the time is right.
We’d like to upgrade from a Gen 2 monitor to a Gen 3 20|20 monitor and would also like to add SpeedTube. We will likely look at upgrading our entire planter for something wider before making those upgrades. When that time comes we plan to upgrade all of our existing Precision Planting technology as well, once you make the investment and see the difference it makes in the planting environment you won’t ever go back.
Intuitive to Install & Maintain
Prior to making our initial investments, we sat down with our Premier Dealer for Precision Planting. We had a thorough conversation with him about the planter we wanted to retrofit and what components would best fit our immediate needs and budget.
When the parts arrived we did all of the installation ourselves. The instructions from Precision Planting are very well thought out and intuitive to follow. Our Premier Dealer was just a phone call away with any questions that arose in the process. They do offer installation services, but we had the time and desire to do it ourselves and plan to continue to self-install in the future. Having the ability to install the technology ourselves gave us a deeper understanding of how the components work together, that way when something arises we know where to look.
Maintaining our Precision Planting technology is ongoing, as with anything on the farm. We work with our dealer during the off-season to secure parts. Our dealer allows us to keep extra wear parts on hand that may fail throughout the season or wires that may break, so we can make a quick fix if needed. At the end of the planting season we are able to return what we don’t use to our Premier Dealer. We are 45 minutes one-way from our dealer, so this is a huge time saver for everyone involved. The customer service that we receive on our Precision Planting technology is unmatched.
Every year or two we bring our meters into our Premier Dealer to put them on a MeterMax. They test each meter for performance and make necessary adjustments to make sure everything is performing to the best it can.
Ultimately, you only get 30-40 crops to put in throughout your career. That may even be a stretch for some growers. If you want to make sure you are doing it right, Precision Planting makes products you can trust to create an integrated planter system that you can trust year after year.
Making the decision to upgrade equipment is typically not one that is taken lightly. It is rarely an overnight decision and often comes with a tremendous amount of number crunching and analysis on how this will improve not only efficiency, but ROI as well. Our farm purchased a used 2010 16-row 1770NT John Deere planter in 2014. It was time for our farm to upgrade the width of the planter and explore technology to improve planting efficiency. Obtaining consistent seed size was something that we were struggling with at the time due to tough growing conditions in various seed regions, something out of our control. However, what we could control was the technology and systems on our planter to allow it to perform the best regardless of the seed size.
After getting our new-to-us planter home we added vSet, vDrive, DeltaForce, and CleanSweep before spring planting. On our previous planter we had CleanSweep and we were not willing to go without that.
The first spring with our planter was very damp and cold. Due to adverse conditions, we are confident that just the investment in DeltaForce alone paid for the entire planter retrofit with the conditions we were faced with. Our crop still came up with relatively uniform emergence despite the tough planting conditions.
Needless to say our first year with the planter and the retrofit decisions we made blew us away. The following year we added Keeton Seed Firmers and the year after that we added SmartFirmer. What is unique about Precision Planting technology is that you don’t have to do it all at once, you can pick and choose what the most critical issues are on your farm and address those first.
FurrowForce, a 2-stage closing system, was added to our planter when it was released. As a no-till and strip-till operation, adding this technology was a no-brainer. We have two wildly different planting environments that we are working with each year. Our corn ground is strip tilled and when we added FurrowForce our soybean ground was no-till. Since then we have started vertical tillage on our soybean ground.
FurrowForce technology has been a total game changer as we manage planting across many different tillage environments. It allows us to manage our seed to soil contact in the strips, and in the no-till, FurrowForce helps to close the trench in varying planting conditions. We ordered our FurrowForce system at a time when there was a shortage of sensors needed to control it automatically. Our system is manually controlled, and we intend to add automatic control sometime in future. We look forward to seeing the difference in how FurrowForce reacts autonomously to the varying soil types and layers to be sure we are always closing the seed trench appropriately. Making seemingly small adjustments over the years has made a big difference on our return.
On the Horizon
We are planning to add Reveal in the near future. We feel that mounting the row cleaners to the frame instead of the row unit will be huge for us to improve our spacing and our good ride. With our fall strips, sometimes getting a good ride and good spacing can be challenging and we feel that adding Reveal to our planter could greatly enhance performance. We are looking forward to this addition to our planter when the time is right.
We’d like to upgrade from a Gen 2 monitor to a Gen 3 20|20 monitor and would also like to add SpeedTube. We will likely look at upgrading our entire planter for something wider before making those upgrades. When that time comes we plan to upgrade all of our existing Precision Planting technology as well, once you make the investment and see the difference it makes in the planting environment you won’t ever go back.
Intuitive to Install & Maintain
Prior to making our initial investments, we sat down with our Premier Dealer for Precision Planting. We had a thorough conversation with him about the planter we wanted to retrofit and what components would best fit our immediate needs and budget.
When the parts arrived we did all of the installation ourselves. The instructions from Precision Planting are very well thought out and intuitive to follow. Our Premier Dealer was just a phone call away with any questions that arose in the process. They do offer installation services, but we had the time and desire to do it ourselves and plan to continue to self-install in the future. Having the ability to install the technology ourselves gave us a deeper understanding of how the components work together, that way when something arises we know where to look.
Maintaining our Precision Planting technology is ongoing, as with anything on the farm. We work with our dealer during the off-season to secure parts. Our dealer allows us to keep extra wear parts on hand that may fail throughout the season or wires that may break, so we can make a quick fix if needed. At the end of the planting season we are able to return what we don’t use to our Premier Dealer. We are 45 minutes one-way from our dealer, so this is a huge time saver for everyone involved. The customer service that we receive on our Precision Planting technology is unmatched.
Every year or two we bring our meters into our Premier Dealer to put them on a MeterMax. They test each meter for performance and make necessary adjustments to make sure everything is performing to the best it can.
Ultimately, you only get 30-40 crops to put in throughout your career. That may even be a stretch for some growers. If you want to make sure you are doing it right, Precision Planting makes products you can trust to create an integrated planter system that you can trust year after year.
From Cleaning to Closing | The Three C’s of Emergence
We know even emergence is key to high yields. But how do you get great emergence? It takes three simple steps.
It’s no surprise the topic of even emergence comes up every season: even emergence is easy to get wrong, hard to get right. Before we dive into how to manage emergence from cleaning to closing, let’s refresh on the main factors needed for seeds to germinate: moisture, soil temperature above 50°, and oxygen. These three needs of the seed are extremely difficult to manage. Actually, if we think through all the variables that affect emergence, it can get a bit overwhelming. That doesn’t change the fact that even emergence is the foundation to high yield. Data from the AGCO Crop Tour that was done in 10 corn plot locations across 7 states found that for every hour delay in emergence, a bushel (.94 bu/a) was lost. Let’s tackle emergence and gain back those lost bushels!
Step 1 – Clean
Goal #1: Remove as much residue as possible without removing soil while maintaining row unit ride quality.
The foundation of creating the ideal seed environment for emergence is to create a clean path. Here are a few of the negative agronomic impacts of having residue near a seed and the roots of a young plant: Residue wicks moisture away from the soil which delays germination. Residue acts as insulation and prevents the soil around the seed from warming up. In fact, daytime temperature around residue is 15°-20° cooler versus no residue. When soil warms up to 60°, residue starts to decay and excrete toxins which can cause seedling blight. Seedling blight causes the seed or seedling to rot and not germinate.
Also, nutrient deficiency starts to occur when soil warms up to 60°; microbial activity immobilizes available nitrates and phosphates for energy, creating competition with young roots and plants for available nutrients.
To create a clean path for your row unit to run on, you need your row cleaner working at peak performance. Below are 5 ways to optimize row cleaner performance: Flotation: The row cleaner needs to be able to be engaged with the surface without gouging too deep and moving too much soil. You want flotation across all conditions. Consistent Engagement: Row cleaner wheels need to be engaged with the ground 100% of the time to do a good job of row cleaning. Sometimes lift pressure is needed to counteract the weight of the row cleaner in light soils, but it can also cause the row unit to bounce and disengage from the ground. Adjustable Tine Depth: No matter the environment, adjustable tine depth is important. Depending on the field environment your row cleaner is running in, having more aggressive tine engagement will improve your cleaning, but in other field conditions, you might need to shallow up. Cab Adjustability: Typically, you don’t know optimal cleaning settings until you’re at full planting speed out in the field. The ability to make down-pressure changes from the cab as you look out the back window is ideal. Row Unit Ride: Our field studies have shown that row-unit mounted row cleaners negatively affect row unit ride. Row unit bounce increases by 3x compared to no row cleaner engaged. The bouncing also increases the variability that your down-pressure system needs to counteract.
Reveal is frame-mounted, removing its impact on the row unit. With its own internal gauge wheel, Reveal precisely controls the depth of the cleaning tines to create a consistently clean and ideal seeding environment for even emergence to occur. Our studies have shown an increase of +5.6% in Good Ride when Reveal is used compared to other row-unit mounted row cleaners. Utilizing SmartFirmer, a seed-firmer sensor that measures the furrow, we saw an increase of +2.9% in Clean Furrow value with Reveal.
Step 2 – Create
Goal #2: Create a furrow with integrity that will survive long enough for a seed to make it to the bottom of the trench before being easily destroyed.
Once the furrow area is clean of residue, the next step is the creation of the furrow. We know the main job of the row unit is to create a furrow in the soil, at the depth you choose, and drop a seed in the furrow. Sounds simple, but there are 3 big things to manage in this process: Trench Width: Check your disk blade's distance to ensure you create a furrow wide enough for your seed to be delivered. The width of your seed tube guard also affects trench width, so make sure it isn’t worn. Seed Depth: Once your trench is wide enough for proper seed placement, the next step is to decide depth of your seed based on moisture. For almost all crops, extensive studies have shown that optimal furrow moisture is 30% or higher to achieve ideal germination. SmartFirmer can measure the seed's available moisture value–Furrow Moisture. Since moisture lines vary throughout the field, SmartDepth allows you to make depth adjustments in 1/10th inch increments, right from the cab, so you can get your seed depth exactly where you need it. While getting into moisture is important, there are tradeoffs to planting too deep or too shallow–the key is to try to get to that 30% moisture line, no more and no less. Proper Downforce: Your unique soil conditions are a big factor when setting downforce. How do you react as your conditions change when it comes to setting downforce? Keep furrow structural integrity in mind. That means you have a clean, open trench to drop seed into that is uniform, consistent, and not falling apart on you. The video below walks through examples of too heavy, too light, and ideal downforce.
Step 3 – Close
Goal #3: Properly close the trench and ensure 100% seed-to-soil contact while managing the soil density above the seed.
We’ve reached the final step in managing emergence. Could you imagine planting an entire field without closing the trench? It’s safe to say it’s an important step. Once seed is placed, the trench needs to be destroyed and returned to its original state. But in that process, it's important to have consistent density around the seed for moisture to move in and roots to develop unobstructed.
It’s no surprise the topic of even emergence comes up every season: even emergence is easy to get wrong, hard to get right. Before we dive into how to manage emergence from cleaning to closing, let’s refresh on the main factors needed for seeds to germinate: moisture, soil temperature above 50°, and oxygen. These three needs of the seed are extremely difficult to manage. Actually, if we think through all the variables that affect emergence, it can get a bit overwhelming. That doesn’t change the fact that even emergence is the foundation to high yield. Data from the AGCO Crop Tour that was done in 10 corn plot locations across 7 states found that for every hour delay in emergence, a bushel (.94 bu/a) was lost. Let’s tackle emergence and gain back those lost bushels!
Step 1 – Clean
Goal #1: Remove as much residue as possible without removing soil while maintaining row unit ride quality.
The foundation of creating the ideal seed environment for emergence is to create a clean path. Here are a few of the negative agronomic impacts of having residue near a seed and the roots of a young plant: Residue wicks moisture away from the soil which delays germination. Residue acts as insulation and prevents the soil around the seed from warming up. In fact, daytime temperature around residue is 15°-20° cooler versus no residue. When soil warms up to 60°, residue starts to decay and excrete toxins which can cause seedling blight. Seedling blight causes the seed or seedling to rot and not germinate.
Also, nutrient deficiency starts to occur when soil warms up to 60°; microbial activity immobilizes available nitrates and phosphates for energy, creating competition with young roots and plants for available nutrients.
To create a clean path for your row unit to run on, you need your row cleaner working at peak performance. Below are 5 ways to optimize row cleaner performance: Flotation: The row cleaner needs to be able to be engaged with the surface without gouging too deep and moving too much soil. You want flotation across all conditions. Consistent Engagement: Row cleaner wheels need to be engaged with the ground 100% of the time to do a good job of row cleaning. Sometimes lift pressure is needed to counteract the weight of the row cleaner in light soils, but it can also cause the row unit to bounce and disengage from the ground. Adjustable Tine Depth: No matter the environment, adjustable tine depth is important. Depending on the field environment your row cleaner is running in, having more aggressive tine engagement will improve your cleaning, but in other field conditions, you might need to shallow up. Cab Adjustability: Typically, you don’t know optimal cleaning settings until you’re at full planting speed out in the field. The ability to make down-pressure changes from the cab as you look out the back window is ideal. Row Unit Ride: Our field studies have shown that row-unit mounted row cleaners negatively affect row unit ride. Row unit bounce increases by 3x compared to no row cleaner engaged. The bouncing also increases the variability that your down-pressure system needs to counteract.
Reveal is frame-mounted, removing its impact on the row unit. With its own internal gauge wheel, Reveal precisely controls the depth of the cleaning tines to create a consistently clean and ideal seeding environment for even emergence to occur. Our studies have shown an increase of +5.6% in Good Ride when Reveal is used compared to other row-unit mounted row cleaners. Utilizing SmartFirmer, a seed-firmer sensor that measures the furrow, we saw an increase of +2.9% in Clean Furrow value with Reveal.
Step 2 – Create
Goal #2: Create a furrow with integrity that will survive long enough for a seed to make it to the bottom of the trench before being easily destroyed.
Once the furrow area is clean of residue, the next step is the creation of the furrow. We know the main job of the row unit is to create a furrow in the soil, at the depth you choose, and drop a seed in the furrow. Sounds simple, but there are 3 big things to manage in this process: Trench Width: Check your disk blade's distance to ensure you create a furrow wide enough for your seed to be delivered. The width of your seed tube guard also affects trench width, so make sure it isn’t worn. Seed Depth: Once your trench is wide enough for proper seed placement, the next step is to decide depth of your seed based on moisture. For almost all crops, extensive studies have shown that optimal furrow moisture is 30% or higher to achieve ideal germination. SmartFirmer can measure the seed's available moisture value–Furrow Moisture. Since moisture lines vary throughout the field, SmartDepth allows you to make depth adjustments in 1/10th inch increments, right from the cab, so you can get your seed depth exactly where you need it. While getting into moisture is important, there are tradeoffs to planting too deep or too shallow–the key is to try to get to that 30% moisture line, no more and no less. Proper Downforce: Your unique soil conditions are a big factor when setting downforce. How do you react as your conditions change when it comes to setting downforce? Keep furrow structural integrity in mind. That means you have a clean, open trench to drop seed into that is uniform, consistent, and not falling apart on you. The video below walks through examples of too heavy, too light, and ideal downforce.
Step 3 – Close
Goal #3: Properly close the trench and ensure 100% seed-to-soil contact while managing the soil density above the seed.
We’ve reached the final step in managing emergence. Could you imagine planting an entire field without closing the trench? It’s safe to say it’s an important step. Once seed is placed, the trench needs to be destroyed and returned to its original state. But in that process, it's important to have consistent density around the seed for moisture to move in and roots to develop unobstructed.
Emergence Flagging
Inconsistent crop emergence decreases yield potential. See for yourself using the Emergence Flagging Method.
Why is flagging crops important?
Inconsistent plant emergence decreases yield potential no matter what type of crop it is. To maximize the yield of each seed planted, all plants should emerge on the same day. We've learned that plants that come up later than 24 hours after the first plants emerge never catch up and do not achieve their maximum potential due to being behind in growth stage and being shaded by neighboring plants decreasing their sunlight intake.
Flagging allows you to mark each plant with a day of emergence so you can compare throughout the growing season. Right before harvest, you'll want to observe the difference in yield between emergence dates and identify ways to improve to have more plants emerge on the same day next season.
Why is flagging crops important?
Inconsistent plant emergence decreases yield potential no matter what type of crop it is. To maximize the yield of each seed planted, all plants should emerge on the same day. We've learned that plants that come up later than 24 hours after the first plants emerge never catch up and do not achieve their maximum potential due to being behind in growth stage and being shaded by neighboring plants decreasing their sunlight intake.
Flagging allows you to mark each plant with a day of emergence so you can compare throughout the growing season. Right before harvest, you'll want to observe the difference in yield between emergence dates and identify ways to improve to have more plants emerge on the same day next season.
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