Producers Blog
Planter Tips
Dan Olson (DSM, Region 2 – Minnesota)
Attention: there are 38 days until we start planting (April 11th)! That’s not too far away, and frankly, I’m very excited. Although everyone might not be in his or her planter on April 11th, this is the day that crop insurance kicks in in south central Minnesota. Are you ready to pull out the planter and get the seed in the ground? Ultimately, a good seed bed and planting conditions determine when planting begins, but many of my customers have told me they are working on getting their planters ready now.
I believe your planter is your most valuable piece of equipment on your farm (even though my father would say something different since I come from a livestock farm). Since, on average, a grower will get approximately 40 planting seasons during his time as a farmer, most growers can’t afford to make a mistake during any of those years. You get one shot to plant your field each year for maximum yield potential.
It is very important to get your planter fine-tuned to place your seed correctly with spacing and depth. You may have the best seed in the world (Producers Hybrids) but have poor spacing and depth, which will make you lose yield potential. It is vital to have your units on your planter checked each year. This will be very beneficial to your farming operation. Here are a few things to keep an eye on when going through your planter:
- Your planter level (this includes your planter frame and boxes). This will help you have a consistent depth and placement of kernel drop.
- Having your planter bar 20”-22” above the ground.
- Opening disks should have contact with each other. Each planter has their own specs. A way to check this is take a business card from your Producers Hybrids contact and slide it between the disks until it gets tight. Then you can measure the distance.
- Seed tubes should be checked for cracks and damage. Damaged tubes will disrupt the flow of the seed to your farrow.
These are only of few areas on your planter that you can check as you are getting your planter ready for the 2013 growing season, as well as during the planting season.
I wish everyone a safe 2013 planting season and thank you for your business.
