Corn

We use a twenty-four row planter that is equipped with precision planting updates. Why Precision Planting? Proper agronomic placement of all the seeds is extremely important for optimum emergence, early growth, and eventual yield. Corn plants next to a gap in the row may produce larger ears to help compensate for missing plants, however, these plants cannot make-up for those that are crowded as seed doubles or triples growing within one or two inches of each other. Plants placed too closely together in a row will compete ineffectively for sunlight, water, and nutrients. Crowding results in barren plants or ears too small to be harvested. Precision planting updates on the planter places the seeds at even spacings and eliminates planting doubles. Seeding rates vary on the season moisture outlook, but 18,500 seeds per acre are common on dry-land. Irrigated plantings increase toward 30,000 seeds per acre. A tank on the tractor supplies fertilizer for proper placement in the row of the seed. This gives the young plant an extra boost of nutrients to get off to a healthy start. 

        Auto steer GPS is also an important tool in our planting operation. In fact, planters do not even come with markers anymore. Accuracy has improved to a matter of inches. Our planter also turns off two rows at a time as it crosses into previously planted areas. 

        In 2013 we started planting different rates according to soil types. We separated the soils into three categories and varied each one by 1000 seeds per acre, with  15,000 seeds being the lowest (on dry-land). A map on the computer will show all the areas planted, how much seed used, how much fertilizer used, rates, and current row populations as well as ring an alarm in case of row abnormality or failure.

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Planting Wheat

 Planting wheat we use a 40 foot wide John Deere air planter. This drill is specifically a no-till drill and will place the seed at the proper depth, even in very hard soil conditions. We use the same auto steer and shut off technology as with the corn planter, but this drill automatically shuts off in two sections. The spacing on the row units are ten inches apart. A fertilizer tank on the planter is coupled with tanks on the tractor, pumping it to each row at a specified rate, automatically varying with ground speed. Planting time for wheat begins around the 20th of September and winds up the first week of October. We plant at least three different varieties at a rate of 90# to 120# per acre.

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