Corn Feeding Problems on 1250 24 Row Planter

As we run headlong into the spring planting season, there are quite a few agronomic issues you're facing, including seed bed prep, soil temperature and moisture, residue management and seed depth and placement.

For 2021, Kinze has introduced its True Speed planting system on its 4905 planter models. Operators can plant at speeds up to 12 mph without compromising seed placement.

One area of concern that continues to be talked about is soil compaction.

During the 2020 growing season, AGCO conducted field demonstration plots in five locations throughout the United States. In addition to continued comparisons of the impacts of various planting depths, downforce levels and seed singulation on corn yield, AGCO also measured the effects of equipment- induced soil compaction on the crop, especially with planting equipment.

The company recently released some takeaways from those demo plots.

According to AGCO, one particular agronomic message was clear: pinch-row soil compaction reduces yield, especially in less-than-ideal planting conditions.

Rows were designated as pinch rows (those with a tire track on both sides of the row), affected rows (those with a tire track on one side of the row) and non-affected rows (no tire tracks).

Jason Lee, AGCO agronomist and farm solutions specialist, says, "The dual wheels on our row-crop tractor created two pinch rows, and those rows averaged about 194 bushels per acre, whereas the rows without wheel compaction averaged a little more than 203 bushels per acre."

Another compaction issue can occur with a high-capacity, central-fill planter. While these planters can increase productivity and maximize the acres planted during short planting windows, the planter's weight may have negative agronomic consequences leading to yield loss. That yield loss from center- fill planter compaction can be mitigated, though.

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If you're looking to retrofit your current planter to reduce potential compaction, Soucy has a track system designed for planters, the S-TECH 012P. It fits on John Deere 1770 NT and 1775 NT and Case IH 1250, 1255 and 2150 planters from 12 to 24 rows without any modification. With its 12-inch rubber tracks, the S-TECH 012P has up to four times more contact area than tires, resulting in more flotation, more traction and less soil compaction.

Gramlow Ltd. also offers a steerable track kit for 24-row 1770 NT John Deere planters. Complete bolt-on kits are simple to install right on the farm.

Last year, Case IH, John Deere and Kinze introduced quite a number of new planters and planter features, as well.

Case IH expanded its lineups of Precision Disk 500 series air drills and 2000 series Early Riser planters with two new configurations. A new single-rank configuration with 15-inch spacing is available for the Precision Disk 500T single disk air drill. It's an ideal option for soybean seeding and other specialty crops in both no-till and conventional tillage fields. For the 2130 Early Riser stack-fold planter, a new 18-row configuration with 30-inch spacing will help producers cover more acres.

John Deere introduced AutoPath, a new precision ag application that uses data collected from the first pass in the field, either planting or strip-till, to establish precise row guidance for all subsequent field passes, no matter the machine type or width of the equipment.

John Deere also announced its new C650 Air Cart with a 650-bushel capacity, high-flotation tires and fill rate of up to 100 bushels per minute, and the 1745 MaxEmerge 5, an economical planter in a split-row configuration that's capable of planting soybeans on 15-inch rows and corn on 30-inch rows.

For the upcoming 2021 planting season, Kinze has introduced its new True Speed planting system available on its 16- and 24-row 4905 planter models.

Whatever your concerns this spring — faster planting, reduced soil compaction, perfect seed placement — new planters and planter features are being offered to help resolve those issues.

Michael Gustafson has written for and about far m equipment companies, their products and dealerships for more than 40 years, including 25 years with John Deere. He lives on a small acreage in Dennison, Ill.

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Source: https://www.agupdate.com/illinoisfarmertoday/opinion/columnists/equipment_connection/companies-tackle-planter-compaction-issues/article_bfa211bc-6ba9-11eb-9d0f-8fb29fdb9c3f.html

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