Which of the Top 5 Factors do you struggle with most?
After establishing the goal of planting the seed in the best soil conditions possible, as explained in Factor #1, we move on to seed placement, the Factor #2 for raising a top crop.
Factor #2
SEED PLACEMENT
After establishing the goal of planting the seed in the best soil conditions possible, we move on to seed placement, the no.2 factor for raising a top crop. Accuracy needs to be our focus every time the planter is moving through the field. That entails closely monitoring the two primary factors affecting proper seed placement, planting speed and planting depth. Because both of those are simple, mechanical adjustments, you’d think they would be easy to manage, but many farmers find them challenging to control. That’s because they often get in a hurry when they have a lot of acres to plant or when the weather is threatening.
Don’t let stressful situations cause your emotions to overpower your better judgement, changing the focus from doing it right to just getting the crop planted.
That attitude becomes an obstacle and creates problems when it comes to achieving maximum yields. We need to remember that excessive planting speed can be very costly. Doubles, skips, and uneven depth among seeds resulting from planting too fast keeps plants from emerging at the same time. When plants don’t emerge within 12 hours of each other we get runt pigs, plants that come out of the ground late and never catch up to the rest or produce to their potential. Bushels per 1000 drops considerably and so does yield. Planting speed and planting depth are tied closely together. One directly affects the other.
The planter operator
Today’s planters are designed to help all of us do the best job possible when planting seed. But planters alone can’t achieve our goal of maximizing bushels per 1000. They require a conscientious planter operator who knows how to make the proper adjustments when required, and, when adjustments to the planter are not the only answer. There are big differences in planter operating systems and even bigger differences in planter operators. The person sitting in the tractor seat is the key to making sure 100% of the yield potential of every field is preserved during planting. When the planter operator understands the limitations of the planter as well as the importance of following the Top 5 Factors, yield goals are most often achieved. And the best part of all, getting those top yields is in your control.