Caution urged | New technology allows for improved yields but still requires farmer input, says agronomist
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. — The high level of technology that has become common in a combine has finally reached the corn planter.
Some of the yield increases of recent years are attributed to better planters along with the fact that growers are paying more attention to adjusting their planters, says Bill Lehmkuhl, an independent agronomist from Ohio who specializes in corn planters.
However, Lehmkuhl said farmers have to be careful with the new generation of planters.
“I don’t care how green, blue or red your blood runs, if I was getting a new planter, I would be scared to death because they all have little kinks and issues that need to be worked on before you even get to the field.”
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Lehmkuhl said a grower should not expect a new planter to be perfect or do all the work. The electronics might allow operators to monitor and control just about every function on-the-go from the cab, but they shouldn’t assume the screen is telling the truth.
“There have been amazing technological advances in recent years, but you still need to get out of the comfort of your cab to dig seeds. Ground truth what the screen is telling you,” he said.
“Regardless of which planter you buy, you still have all those bearings, shafts, hydraulic systems, air and vacuum systems and other machinery to check and maintain.”
Lehmkuhl said corn planters require attention, whether old or new.
As well, a new planter does not guarantee a high yielding crop.
The keys to any successful planting operation are setting up and fine tuning the machine.
“Things are finally changing in the industry, with some of the manufacturers like Precision Planting bringing the importance of the planter to light,” he said.
However, despite the new awareness of the importance of planters, some corn growers still spend more time fine tuning their combine than they do fine tuning their planter.
“And that’s a bad idea. It’s backwards,” he said. “You’ll never put a high yield crop through your combine unless your planter can put a high yield crop into the ground. It all starts with the planter. Worry about the combine later.”
Lehmkuhl said growers should never assume the planter is put together correctly. The first step is to make sure it’s assembled correctly, whether it’s a used planter that’s had work done to it or a new machine direct from the factory.
He said this even applies to a planter a farmer has owned for years. Go back to the manual just to see that everything is set up either by the book or by deliberate modification.
For more information, contact Lehmkuhl at blehmkuhl@precisionagriservices.com.
