Greg Menzies knows what he wants at seeding time.
“Our ultimate aim is to seed 50 acres an hour, 24 hours a day, and get precision depth control for the best possible emergence,” said the new owner of Wigmore Farms near Grand Coulee, Sask.
“We very consciously push the envelope on technology. Wigmore Farms has been in the family for 106 years now, and they’ve been pushing the envelope on technology for that long.”
He had that aim in mind when he recently bought an 84-foot Seed Hawk drill.
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“I can’t control the weather, but I can apply the very best science to my fields. For one thing, we work closely with the Agri-Trend network on the science issues. The way we see it, this new drill is simply a matter of applying the best available science in putting seed in the ground.”
Menzies looks at every decision from a scientific point of view. He said depth control is essential in giving each seed the best possible start, especially canola.
The mechanical science of a big, fast drill is essential in planting each seed within the small window of opportunity.
“I feel I have a responsibility as a farmer to do everything I can with the latest technology. I’m doing everything I can to produce the best possible crop.”
A Challenger 865 rated at 510 horsepower pulls the big drill, the 777 product cart and a pair of liquid tanks. Menzies said there have been no problems in maneuvring or turning the drill and added that autosteer is an important factor is making optimal use of the investment. With more than 9,000 acres to seed and only one drill to do it, running through the night becomes standard procedure.
“GPS guidance is really what allows us to go 24 hours. This is our first year with such a big drill and our first year running round the clock, so we’re still trying to figure out the right combinations to make it all click.”
Menzies seeded the 2006 crop with a 56-foot Flexi-Coil and a 60-foot Concord. He said the transition to one giant drill running 24 hours a day has not been difficult. Elimination of one tractor and one drill is a cost saving, but labour requirements were much the same once he switched to a round-the-clock operation.
“We’re doing it this year with two guys on 12 hour shifts, but I’m of the belief now that we’d be better off with three guys. It’s a little fatiguing, especially around three in the morning,” he said.
“Some of our fields are a mile and a half straight line. We’re seeding at 50 acres per hour on those long stretches, and that’s good. But it’s hard to stay awake on those stretches because you’re not steering. You’re not really doing anything. Just observing.
“Plus, some of my seeding operators are also spraying during the day, so it gets a little complex. I won’t try to say we’ve got it all figured out yet, but we’re making progress.”
Running one 84-foot drill instead of two smaller drills won’t help anybody’s seeding operation if they can’t keep that big investment in motion.
“What can really hold you up in an operation like this is the fill. You don’t want that drill sitting still.”
Menzies coupled the drill to a Seed Hawk 777 product cart built by Dutch Industries. It holds 220 bushels in the first compartment, 116 bu. in the second and 444 bu. in the third.
Wigmore Farms agricultural manager Murray Sidebottom said the second compartment has been modified to carry 1,200 gallons of liquid phosphorus starter fertilizer. Each of the two pull tanks holds 1,500 gallons of liquid fertilizer.
“We’re not sure if this is the ideal setup yet. There have been some little issues, and basically we’re still prototyping the drill. But it’s working very well and when it’s all moving down the field, it’s quite a train.”
It’s also a train in transit mode. Menzies said portability was a big factor in deciding which drill to buy.
“With this many acres, we’ve got fields spread out all over. And with this kind of investment in land and equipment, a producer can’t afford to be stuck going through a bridge or something. Those remote fields must be accessible.”
Menzies had hoped to set up the seeding train so that all the tanks ran empty at the same time to make best use of the fill stops. However, the granular potash compartment is bigger than needed for most fields, so it usually has product left by the time the other tanks are empty.
“Our potash runs at a low rate. It’s mainly just for disease protection and health of the plant, so we don’t need a lot. It’s hard to know for sure if it’s really working, but if you go to the trouble of doing everything else right, you might as well do the potash right, too.”
With canola, the seed compartment is bigger than required, so it is loaded with the seed needed for each field.
Wigmore Farms is testing the feasibility of seeding canola at four pounds to the acre, reasoning that it might be enough if the seed receives the best possible treatment. Menzies said the farm can fill the seed tank with canola once and it will run all day.
Liquid capacity is the limiting factor. With rates as high as 47 gallons of liquid per acre, the worker needs to stop and fill the tanks every 150 acres. Menzies said larger pull tanks will likely be the answer for next year.
Sidebottom said the liquid tanks are filled in the field by a semi that drives up to the seeding rig pulling a flatbed with poly tanks. The farm uses three-inch hoses with Honda 5.5 hp engines.
“The tanks are higher up on the flatbed, so gravity gives us a helping hand,” he said.
“They move about 225 gallons per minute. We fill the two 1,500 gallon tanks in about eight minutes. It’s about 15 minutes from the time we stop until we’re rolling again.”
The flatbed carries 1,500 gallons of phosphorus and 3,000 gallons of mixed liquid blended in the yard. It also carries 1,500 gallons of water for the sprayer.
What about driving a semi into muddy fields?
“We only buried it once so far this year (in early June),” Menzies said.
“It snapped a driveshaft. This setup isn’t ideal, we know that. I’d like to get a full aluminum tanker for next year. We’re just not quite there yet.”
Menzies said the tractor has all the bells and whistles.
“It’s rigged with monitors so we can control the liquid flow. There’s a digital readout in the cab for pressure, plus there’s a flow meter. We have seed loss monitors and, of course, autosteer. It’s the very best that can be done with today’s technology,” he said.
“I wanted to go with Cat because of their GPS and autosteer. I’ve worked in a number of different industries prior to this, and I’ve seen that when Cat releases a product, it’s been pretty well tested and proven. They take ownership and they stand behind it. Their autosteer has been working very well on this seeding operation.”
Menzies said the power has been sufficient to pull the 84-foot drill. The new drill is set up on 12 inch row centres, so it has just about the same draft requirements as the smaller drills on 10 inch centres. However, the extra 3,000 gallons of liquid and the weight of the two carts adds to the power requirements.
“It was grunting and snorting one day when it was a little bit wet. But we were going deep that day on chickpeas, so the tractor was maxing out, no doubt. We slowed down to 4.7 mph and that solved it.”
Added Sidebottom: “We’re always shallow when we’re seeding canola, so the engine is just idling along. Not even pulling.”
He said the weight of the full cart might have been a concern, but so far the big duals at the back of the cart have proven themselves.
In addition to increasing the liquid capacity, Menzies has two other improvements in mind.
“The first thing is I want to test the new Twin Wing opener this year yet, before seeding is finished. I think that might be the ultimate opener design for our area. Our soil here on the Regina plains is heavy. It’s different from most soils on the Prairies, so we have to find if that Twin Wing will work for us,” he said.
“The other change for next year is that we’ll use their new Seed Between Rows hitch to seed the 2008 crop between the rows of this year’s crop. The technology is available and there seem to be significant benefits.
“I’ve spent my entire career up until now working with new technology, so I’m not afraid of putting it to use on the farm.”
