Real life high tech planting

[foragefarmer]

Hundreds of millions worth of seeding equipment parked in Manitoba yards (high tec stuff) while old wore out valmars and floaters blow seed out and harrowed in with anything with tines. P.S. my old 70's JD
fingerplanter puts a corn seed every 6 inches without a computer and you can walk into any JD place and still get parts.

Been using the 40 foot Valmar on the back of the 3/4 ton for the past 10 years since strictly going into forages. A Honda five HP works the blower, while the gear box of the Valmar is turn by a ground driven wheel.

Round up old fields, then heavy harrow, Valmar seed on, heavy harrow again, then roll.

The only tech used is a GPS unit in the 3/4 ton while the seed is being blown on by the Valmar.

Never need to call at technician for our seeding operation. We do require an old time mechanic for our major breakdowns.

It works for us and I realize not everybody can operate their farm in the same matter and do require more sophisticated seeding equipment then us.

As farmers we all use what's best suited for our own individual operations.

No two farms a like.

[shtferbrains]

Zack from the first video will trade his as soon as a more complex one comes along.
Hopefully with 6 more screens of useless info you can scroll through looking for the one that tells you you are going 10 mph on a rented field thats 1/2 done when you have gone around the headland 3 times.
As long as he can be on the top of the list to get the tec to come 3 times a day he will be OK.

[Maver]

I bought a new drill 3 years ago with the latest and greatest technology. After running it for 2.5 seasons I have had 0 down time because of mechanical issues. All of my down time has been electrical, monitor and sensors. Company support has been pretty good but it's still frustrating. A company rep brought an engineer out to ask me what I liked and didn't like about the drill. I told him the electrical systems need to be more dependable. Dumb it down to make it more reliable if need be. All the gains we are supposed to see from this technology get erased pretty quick when the sun is shining and the wheels aren't turning. The drill I was using 12 years ago, could seed with out the monitor. One time the monitor died and I seeded for 3 days waiting for its replacement. I can't even run the conveyor without the monitor on the new one.

[oldjim]

So what's the fix?????

A discer, just drop the front wheel in the rut and go.

They break down too. FML

[TOM4CWB]

They break down too. FML

Blackpowder;
We run a New HOLLAND air seeder at SHERWOOD Park with a receiver on the drill to input GPS. Variable rate fertilizer, 4 tank new style Flexicoil/New HOLLAND. Works well, precision openers.
I
Talk to Ray at Snethun in sedgewick he can fix you up with good reliable seeding equipment… with local support that is superb and best parts inventory around.

Dealer support is key, you can’t beat Snethun’s for that.

They have 4 year old seeders they just finished seeding with and replace them each year, so the bugs are out of them.

Give Ray a call, they are good people.
780-384-2195
Cheers.

[furrowtickler]

Hundreds of millions worth of seeding equipment parked in Manitoba yards (high tec stuff) while old wore out valmars and floaters blow seed out and harrowed in with anything with tines. P.S. my old 70's JD
fingerplanter puts a corn seed every 6 inches without a computer and you can walk into any JD place and still get parts.

Well , I have one of those as well . And parts right now are not so easy , it’s getting wore out and needs constant tinkering …


New or old , they have issues . Spend way more time running after that one than the Horsch but it’s just fatigued like me lol

[furrowtickler]

Have seen dozens of side by sides in corn with planters and seed masters and all kinds of drills
Seed spacing is extremely critical in corn
And well canola to be honest , not far off when one considers seed cost , crop disease and efficiency when they do work well
But absolutely, there is drawbacks .

Drill at 5 lbs


Planter at 2 lbs

Absolutely zero disease with planter so far here
Fungicide not cheap , nor application costs or trampling … especially now

[furrowtickler]

Plant spacing is critical in corn for cob development
Again with fertility and seed costs , it’s crucial to get it right from the start …… but it can be a PITA at times

[furrowtickler]

It is all a world conspiracy by Bill Gates. New world order of farming. L.O.L.

Seriously??? Don’t be a dink

Or a Chuck

[Sheepwheat]

My best crops I ever grew were a string of years in the late nineties and early 2000’s. Anhydrous, narrow, seed with a CIH 7200 hoe drill. Maybe it coincided with the better, dryer seasons?

I miss those simple days in lots of ways. Except the constant filling.