CLEANING OUT your planter between crops used to be as easy as dumping the old seed out of each hopper. Not anymore.

With the rising demand for food-grade and identity-preserved crops, more Midwest corn and soybean growers are planting crops outside the commodity realm to receive a premium for their grain. Buyers do not want genetically modified (GM) crops mixed with their grain and impose strict quality standards that growers must meet for their grain to be accepted.

A high-risk time for contamination occurs at planting because of the multiplier effect that happens with seed. “If you plant one bad seed of the wrong variety, it multiplies several hundredfold during the crop season,” says Dr. Mark Hanna, extension agricultural engineer with Iowa State University. “In both corn and soybeans, just a couple of seeds per 1,000 ft. of row can contaminate a load of grain.”

Quality standards

Contamination prevention, a huge topic in the livestock industry, has been largely overlooked by the crop industry, according to Ron McKiernan-Struve, training manager for Kinze Manufacturing. “You can't walk in or out of a hog confinement building without passing through a shower and changing clothes,” he says. “You won't find the same level of care in the crop industry.”

The reason, he says, is that Midwest corn and soybean producers to date have not been penalized for having GM grain mixed in their grain shipments. That's changing as growers plant crops beyond the commodity realm and are now subject to quality standards livestock producers have faced for years.

If all you grow is commodity corn or soybeans, a few seeds from another field won't affect the value of your grain in most cases. However, if you grow a crop for any other use, quality standards will dictate how much, if any, foreign material can be in your sample. Standards can range from 0 to 5% or higher, depending on the buyer.

According to Dirk Maier, agricultural engineer with Purdue University, a zero-tolerance standard applies to any GM trait that has not received approval from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for commercial release in the U.S. and the markets of our major buyers. “An example of that would be StarLink from a few years ago and more recently the Syngenta Bt-10 trait that was found in the export channel to Japan,” Maier explains.

Zero tolerance also applies to GM traits that have not yet been approved in Europe but have been approved in the U.S. and in the markets of our major buyers such as Japan. “This is known as the MarketChoices Corn program,” Maier says. “When it comes to cleanout and segregation of any other traits — that is, GM versus non-GM grain or quality attributes such as white versus yellow corn — the marketplace has established reasonable tolerance levels.”

For more information about grain quality standards, visit www.grainquality.org.

How to get to zero

Iowa State's Hanna has devised extensive planter cleanout procedures to help growers meet these grain quality standards. You can download a general bulletin called “Planter Cleanout Tips When Changing Seed Varieties” (PM 1847) for no charge at www.abe.iastate.edu (click on the “extension outreach” tab followed by the “ag machinery” tab). The bulletin covers several common planter styles including finger-type seed metering, single seed metering, or central metering systems.

Videos and fact sheets also are available, covering individual makes and models of equipment. They can be purchased online for a nominal fee at www.extension.iastate.edu/grain/resources/tools/02videos/videos.htm.

Cleanout procedures will vary by style of planter (see sidebar). However, in general, there are three areas to look at:

Seed hopper. The first area to clean is individual seed hoppers. “Dumping each seed hopper into seed bag or bulk container is the regular cleanout that most folks do,” Hanna says. However, he says, a total cleanout will require more than that.

“Usually there is a correct corner of the seed hopper you need to pour out of in order to empty the seed metering mechanism properly,” Hanna says. “If you go out of just a random corner, you are likely to get more seeds caught.” Growers should check their operator's manual to learn which corner to use.

Seed-metering system. Checking inside the seed-metering system for seed is a process that can take anywhere from 2 to 4 min./seed-metering unit, depending on the geometry of the planter. Some disassembly is required. Specifically, the meter mechanism, located on the lower part of the seed hopper, must be opened to allow you to look inside the meter for seeds.

“For example, air systems have a seed plate you will need to remove,” Hanna says. “Once you remove the plate, look inside the meter and around gaskets or seals. And look for seeds caught behind the seal or cutoff brush.”

Finger-type metering systems have a cover over each meter, attached by three wing nuts, that needs to be removed to expose the fingers and cutoff brush. Air-type planters often have a swing-away cover that you can open to inspect inside the meter.

Planter frame. The third area to check is the planter frame itself. Seed can collect on the lower parts of the row unit, including the depth-gauging wheels, the double disc seed opener, or the closing wheels. “A lot of times there will be moist soil somewhere on the planter that seed will stick to as you dump the hoppers,” Hanna explains. “Or soil can collect at the bottom of the seed tube and cause seeds to back up. So after you've opened up and inspected the seed meter, a finishing step is to check the closing system behind the planter and lower parts.”

Hanna says planter cleanout may take on average 30 to 60 min., depending on the number of row units. If you are selling to an end user or have a contract with a local elevator, you should document the procedures you used, complete with signatures and dates.

Planter makers offer help

Manufacturers have begun to incorporate cleaning protocols in their planter clinics and customer training programs. John Deere, for instance, offers a one-day training program in specified geographic locations for buyers of its new CCS (Central Commodity System) planters. Cleanout procedures are thoroughly covered in the program.

“In 2002, we introduced the Central Commodity System and Pro-Series row unit to the market,” says Brian Childs, senior sales and service representative, John Deere Seeding Group. “The Central Commodity System provides a central-fill location and more time between fills. The Pro-Series row unit can be completely emptied without removing the meter and hopper from the row unit. The operator can simply walk up behind the row unit, remove the vacuum cover and seed disc, and the seed will empty into the catch pan provided with each planter.”

Kinze Manufacturing's McKiernan-Struve echoes the same claim about his company's central-fill planter. “Our newly introduced EdgeVac uses a vacuum fan or air system to singulate the seed,” he says. “No tools are required to disassemble the meter. Simply remove vacuum cover and seed disc, and all seed can be easily seen and readily dumped out.”

In comparison, seed that is singulated by the “finger” meter goes onto a separate belt and is hidden by conveyer housing. The meter must be rotated with a special tool in order for the seed to be ejected.

White engineers had ease of cleanout in mind when designing the hopper and meter for White planters, owned by AGCO, according to Jeff Daniel, sales engineer for White planters. “The need for having a complete cleanout is extremely important,” Daniel says. “Even when planting seeds like soybeans, whether the seed is genetically modified or non-genetically modified can affect the acceptance and value of the crop.”

Case IH's new 1200 series bulk-fill system also was designed with seed cleanout in mind. Both the bulk-fill system and Advanced Seed Meters are equipped with seed cleanout doors. By following the recommended procedures, customers can achieve the degree of cleanout desired.

Midwest growers who adhere to proper planter cleanout procedures will guard against contamination of their grain and remain competitive by ensuring a quality product.

CASE IH 1200

Case IH 1200 advanced seed meter

Case IH 1200 bulk-fill system

KINZE

Kinze mechanical “finger pickup” seed meter

Brush-type seed meter

EdgeVac meter

Additional steps

If using bulk seed delivery system:

JOHN DEERE

John Deere 1770NT CCS or 1790 planter with Pro-Series row units

John Deere Max Emerge row unit (which can use a vacuum meter, finger pickup meter, or radial bean meter)

WHITE PLANTER

White planters are equipped with a seed drain funnel to aid in removing any seed in the hopper and meter. To clean out the hopper and meter using the seed drain funnel: