SeedMaster has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging wheat growers to try using its single-row Ultra SR toolbar with 15-inch opener spacings and compare yields with drills using narrower spacings.
Prairie farmers have been using the toolbar for the past several years, and chief executive officer Don Henry says they have found no yield difference in cereal crop yields with that limited seedbed utilization.
“Narrow spacing (in cereals) has traditionally been better, and research has shown it to be better,” Henry says.
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“But that’s old data. Whether it’s because varieties have changed or gotten better, I don’t know.
“We’ve had a number of these (Ultra SRs) out since 2020, and the guys that have them have said, ‘you know what, we’re not seeing any disadvantage in the cereals. We’re seeing it’s working very well, not only in canola and pulses, but in wheat.”
The Ultra SR toolbar uses a single rank of openers separated by residue managing wheels to keep the drill from plugging up in heavy trash conditions.
It debuted at the same time SeedMaster pulled the wraps off its autonomous DOT prototype, which was fitted with that type of toolbar. However, the Ultra SR has also been offered as a toolbar option on its own. To accommodate the single row of openers, it needs that 15-inch row spacing.
“The 15-inch SR is kind of a revolutionary product, being the only single rank out there with a system for helping pull the residue through it,” says Henry.
“It has only been offered on 15-inch spacing.
“Guys will say, ‘yeah, that would be great for canola and pulses, because it would help with disease, spraying and fungicide, but in cereals, I don’t know.’ ”
That general attitude has been a barrier to increasing sales of the Ultra SR.
So to help convince potential buyers that the Ultra SR, with its wider row spacing, can plant a wheat crop that will yield as good as any other, the company is offering a unique incentive. SeedMaster is calling it the Ultra wheat yield guarantee for western Canadian growers seeding wheat using a 2025 Ultra SR.
Growers can participate in the guarantee program by setting aside a quarter section of land, seeding half with the new Ultra SR drill and the other half with another drill of their choice. If the wheat yield per acre on the Ultra SR-seeded side is less than the other half at harvest time, SeedMaster will pay the grower for the yield shortfall difference.
“How do we prove to people that it works?” says Henry. “We came up with this idea. It’s pretty gutsy, but I think it gives a representative sample to someone who wants to experiment and try it. We think side to side, it will do fine.”
The offer applies to the first year of drill ownership. The Ultra SR can be pitted against a drill of any brand applying the same nutrients, seeding a crop treated the same way through the season. SeedMaster will send out a representative to monitor the seeding and harvesting operations to ensure it’s a fair comparison.
As one other added incentive, because of the more compact design of the single-row Ultra SR, it has a lower sticker price than a conventional multi-row toolbar.
“It is a bit less expensive, so that’s been a positive as well,” says Henry.
“There’s 750 bushel tank capacity. We’re using the UltraPro meter, so it’s really accurate from a metering perspective.
“They (owners) love the compact nature and maneuverability of it, and the ability to go a little bit faster, because you’re not worried about (soil) thrown on the front two rows. The guys that have them love them.”
The offer is in place until the end of February for the 2025 growing season.
