Planter / drill

[furrowtickler]

Some of the best most consistent yields in this area , have come from a average family farm , that oh my god , that thinks out side the box .
They use a Flexicoil 800 frame , spaced out at 15 in , with just the valmar/ granular applicator for the canola seed and a tow between liquid cart.
Again always top end yields and virtually never sprayed for sclerotinia .
But seed hawks / and seed masters always right up there as well
Just making a point

[furrowtickler]

And that's with those terrible Tec- no tills that are taboo .... lol
They work great

[furrowtickler]

Over 15'years of data , over thousands of acres is enough data for me to see that it is not solely the drill you choose.

[furrowtickler]

Or planter for that matter , it may not be "the" answer to anything .... again just sharing info with fellow farmers ..

[Ache4Acres]

In our area this year the guys trying the disc drills are eating some humble pie and going for the second round of seeding

Granted an ugly dry and windy year but their seedlings had no furrow protection. Disc was level with surface and they got sandblasted as soon as they popped their heads up....chopped off at the neck too young.

Maybe we benefit from a furrow for those young seeds here in the dust bowl and maybe we all need a Furrowtickler to edjimicate us now and then....as Always thanks for sharing everyone...we are all better for it...despite the anger and jealousy out there!! #rainbringsgrain...still smiling here.

[furrowtickler]

It may be just a coincidence but we have been fortunate not to have to spray an acre for flea Beatles or cutworms .
Canola crops all around us are getting pounded daily .... just sayin tweety.
Several fields locally are getting taken out and or sprayed . Again we may just be lucky .
Regardless it's a very long way from swathing let alone harvest , so time will tell here for us.
The planter may very well hit the road after harvest, it really don't matter to us , we do not sell them , or could care less if anyone else buys one.
Or it may stay , as of today , it's ok 👌

[Ache4Acres]

It may be just a coincidence but we have been fortunate not to have to spray an acre for flea Beatles or cutworms .
Canola crops all around us are getting pounded daily .... just sayin tweety.
Several fields locally are getting taken out and or sprayed . Again we may just be lucky .
Regardless it's a very long way from swathing let alone harvest , so time will tell here for us.
The planter may very well hit the road after harvest, it really don't matter to us , we do not sell them , or could care less if anyone else buys one.
Or it may stay , as of today , it's ok 👌

Agree looks very impressive so far. Bring us some more pics as the year progresses. Will be very interesting to see.

I almost want to setup a campsite in our canola and watch it grow. I am hoping for some big things after this rain!!

[Guest]

I couldn't agree more with you furrow . We use an old Morris maxim 2 and I don't see a drill out there I would trade with . It is very light which has been a godsend in these wet years . The straw clearance is unbelievable , clears better than our 9400 bourgault deep tiller . I am really comfortable using this drill and it really grows good crops for us , and you wouldn't get $15k for it at an auction , lol. Canola is a challenge and that is why I was interested in your planter pics . I don't see a canola crop out there this year that doesn't have issues including the ones seeded with $750 k bg' s . I wouldn't mind adding liquid to this double shoot than we could do anything with it . Anxious to see your planter pics as time progresses

[Rareearth]

I have been thinking that the planter is the next leap forward in technology. I like the precision spacing, and depth, etc

Lots of work has been done with plant emergence. The first ones up are always the biggest, healthiest, highest yielding plants. Corn is the easiest. If you have a row put flags of different colours beside the plants that emerge on the first day, second, third etc. The results are obvious. This is why even emergence is so important.

Planters have the best opportunity currently to work with seed orientation. Again corn is the easiest. Point up or point down, long side vs narrow side. The orientation changes how the roots and plant will spend energy and time in establishment. Long/narrow has to do with the first leaves of the corn and how they won't touch the other plants, maximum solar panels and no rubbing damage. Apperantly 20% yield bump.

Maybe some day we will have small robots placing all these seeds for us, not unlike I used to as a young child in the home garden.

[Braveheart]

Obviously, the economics of a planter improve if you are using it for more crops than just canola. But has anyone put together the entire package? Ie. reduced seed costs for canola and soybeans. Healthier crops as wider row spacing gives better airflow and less disease pressure. With soybeans, quicker emergence with the competitive nature of the beans being closer together and which also results in higher first pod set.

As to final yield of one drill vs another or a planter, most often numbers aren't statistically different. Two or three bushels isn't conclusive. Fields, operators, etc can vary so much. Find what works for you.

For our farm, we are interested in a planter in the future. But because we are reduced/no tillers, we are trying to work out how to make a planter work in residue. Strip till has our attention. But there are still issues with getting fertilizer down, enough tractor for the planter, we don't have RTK, etc. Can 3000 acres afford 2 seeding systems?

Fun to look at nonetheless, and I would love to slash canola seed costs in half.