April 4, 2024
by Chris Kick
Planting season varies wildly from year to year, and technology is always changing. Cool and wet conditions can dramatically delay planting. When soil conditions are remarkably dry, getting seed in the soil at the correct depth is a challenge. But just as each planting season is different, so too are the decisions for optimizing the planting technology.
Iowa State University offers its Planter University in early February at five locations in the state. The one-day program is for farmers and ag industry professionals to learn how to optimize their machinery for greater planting efficiency and farm profitability.
A participant from this year’s event wrote, “This was the best planter clinic I’ve been to, period. The agronomic background, along with the machinery knowledge and relating them together was spot on. This class made every person more money.”
ISU’s Digital Ag Innovation Team partnered with Extension agronomists and ag engineers to create this hands-on program, which offers unbiased, brand-neutral training to farmers and ag industry professionals. Held indoors, the planter demonstrations and presentations explain new technology and how to use it effectively.
Participants learn how to make adjustments in the field, evaluate and calibrate their equipment, and obtain maximum planter performance. They gain insights into how seedbed conditions and preparation affect planter row unit performance. They also gain a better understanding of the data today’s planters can generate and how to use that data on their farms.
First offered in 2022, Planter University has seen continued success, with more than 400 people attending in the first two years. Initial participant surveys showed a value of greater than $5 per acre gained from attending. When spread over time and acres across the state, small improvements have the potential for high-dollar impacts.
Understanding your planter
With an average of 13 million acres planted to corn and 10 million acres planted to soybean each year, Iowa is a major national leader in both crops. Farmers, Iowa’s energy and fiber industries, and the state’s agricultural economy depend on crop production.