by Ethan Begle, Technical Service
Just as a dentist can quickly tell your eating and brushing habits, a visit to your field will reveal visual indicators providing clues about what is being done to grow the grains. All season long you can see variations throughout the field, tougher acres vs wetter areas. At seeding time emergence rates show up clearly after the first week. But there’s also a way to improve your emergence while still in the shop inspecting equipment before heading to the field.
How fast parts wear out and what they look like at replacement time can help you set your drill better when in the field. The best example is a jiggle in the depth handle and cover plate holes egged out. Key indicator that there was not enough down pressure on the gauge wheel causing it to chatter. This can be attributed to too little ballast on the drill causing inaccurate depth. Checking if the holes are egged more on the rear wing row units vs the center section would surely point to more weight needed on the rear wings. The gauge wheel must be firmly on the soil surface to keep the sidewall intact and ensure your planting is as deep as the handle is set. Trying to go deeper than 2” to get to moisture will quickly remind you that weight and gauge wheel pressure are essential for accurate seeding.
Getting the seed in the ground can be harder if the harvester doesn’t handle the residue correctly. Draper headers of 50’ are becoming more common and the choppers struggle to spread that wide. Remove the stationary chopper knives and leave the stubble pieces longer so they will fly further. The seeder cuts through longer pieces much easier than tiny chips. A lot of wheat gets planted after corn in the fall, and leaving those stalks standing means less residue that the opener must cut through. The standing stubble collects snow all winter, and then in the spring at planting, it can be rolled down to provide a mat of moisture during the growing season. All fields will face a moisture deficit at some point in the growing season and maintaining cover on the fields will help the crop through that stressful time.
Applying fertilizer with the seed, whether wheat or cover crops, makes a noticeable difference in emergence and winter vigor. It’s surprising to some that many growers are putting down 100lb of MAP or MESZ with the seed through their air seeders and box drills. It’s another chance to replace pounds removed from the previous crop, while also improving the efficiency of the nutrients by placing it near the seed.
These are a few reminders while combining or seeding that fall harvest sets up next year’s seed bed. Keep the residue even across the field for moisture catch all winter and planter settings can be more consistent across the field in the spring. Check over the drill to look for clues as to why there is wear in certain parts. Downforce and weight work together to make no-till seeding successful, when there are a lot of rows to keep in the ground on 7.5” and 10” spacings. Fertility with the seed is a proven way to achieve good emergence and yield success. Air carts and box drills can accomplish this task, so take advantage of each pass over the field.