When it comes to planter preparation, corn is king. The simple truth is that most growers spend a lot of time fine-tuning their planters so that the corn seeds are planted at a certain depth and sit snugly in the soil after the furrow is closed. .
But what about soybeans? Are growers spending enough time on how well planters can set up oilseed crops for success?
Karen Tinline, operations manager at Kearney Planters, says a lot of the preseason planter adjustments and maintenance that growers do typically contribute to efficient planting of both crops. This includes everything from hydraulic cleanliness to checking mainframe pivot pins and tires and wheels to inspecting ridge units. , assess the condition of the parallel arms, look for wear on the seed blades, and prepare the seed meter.
However, there are specific soybean equipment choices and strategies that soybean producers and farm professionals continue to struggle with. About this episode Real Agriculture Soybean School, Tinline is considering whether producers should choose no-till coulters over trash wheels. There are plenty of options and many configurations, from single-arm versions to narrow and short-arm versions, but “the narrower the row, the more problems you have with debris and debris wheels,” he says.
“If it’s 15 inches or less, it seems like you’re going to have a problem with the debris flow,” Tinline said. “You can put narrow-gauge wheels on it and do all kinds of things, but at the end of the day you’re pushing trash from one row to the other.”
As for Coulter, Tinline believes Coulter is a must-have. Coulters take stress off the seed blade and create a gentler path to the surface, he says. However, growers can run into problems if the blades are not maintained and properly adjusted.
In the video, Tinline also explains the always confusing world of wheel closures, the need for population counts behind the planter, and why it’s important to check your planter’s electronics.
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