Ag Leader is testing a new system with the Integra display that monitors and adjusts a planter’s down force depending on field and soil conditions. Ag Leader is working with Dawn Equipment on it. The two companies will field test it this spring and plan to offer it for sale in 2013.

Dawn Equipment’s new hydraulic down-force actuator allows the Integra to make fast adjustments on planter row-unit down force. Ag Leader will be selling and supporting a branded version of the actuator.

“Soil conditions encountered by the planter change fast,” says Roger Zielke, Ag Leader product manager. “Other down-force pressure systems that rely on air compressors and air bags can’t respond like this hydraulic system. The planter can be a long way past a different soil condition before air bags fully respond. The hydraulic system reacts as soon as the planter enters a different soil condition, providing consistent seed depth without seed trench compaction. Plus, hydraulic systems hold up better in dusty, rigorous field conditions compared to air-compressor systems.”

Planting seed at the correct row-unit down force helps the crop germinate and yield more. For more information, visit www.agleader.com or http://www.dawnequipment.com/.