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Salute Soil Health: Make sure your planter will be ready for 2022.

October 27, 2021

3 Min Read
tractor and planter in field
READY TO ROLL: With potential hiccups in the supply of parts and tools, make sure your planter will be ready for the 2022 season. Tom J. Bechman

The 2022 crop year will begin shortly after we move into the new year. No matter what cropping system you use, it all starts with the planter. This is especially true if you’re switching to no-till or strip till. You will be relying on your planter as your only pass through the field in the spring.

Tillage will cover up flaws in a planter that no-till will expose. Long-term no-till farmers across Indiana confirm that their success is highly dependent on their planter.

If you plan to use your existing planter to no-till, go over it with a fine-tooth comb. Your goal is a perfect stand of corn: every seed at the same depth and spacing, placed in the exact same soil moisture and temperature environment, with the goal that every seed emerges within 36 hours. Not only is this important from a cost-of-seed standpoint, but it is also vital that corn emerges evenly because uneven emergence can lead to some plants acting like weeds.

You may need to replace springs, bushings or double disk openers. Or you may need to add row cleaners or change closing wheels. If your planter is not equipped with a down-pressure system, you may need to add one.

One of the most important aspects of a no-till planter is the double disk opener. They must be in excellent condition and must be replaced more frequently than when tillage is used. Double disk openers must be sharp enough to cut through residue and make the correct seed trench.

Some potential issues may be planter brand specific. Talk to your dealer and discuss what needs to be changed or updated for you to no-till successfully. Due to the ongoing supply issues, you probably should not wait until the last minute to purchase what you need.

Seek advice

If you’re unsure about setup for high-residue planting, ask a local, successful no-till and cover crop farmer to stop by and do a walkaround of your planter, and to go over those important details that will make your no-till or high-residue planting system fully successful. It might be to your advantage to work with someone who has the same planter brand because they will be able to help you ward off major issues down the road.

In some cases, it might be best to upgrade your planter completely. Ask yourself, what planter works best for the kind of system you want? Talk to successful no-till farmers and ask why they use a specific planter or planter setup. Don’t settle when it comes to what planter you buy. Make sure it will do what you expect it to do. In the case of no-till and cover crops, that means planting in conditions that can seem more challenging than tilled soil.

Spend the time and the money this winter to get your planter ready for spring, no matter what system you use. Remember, your success will depend on your planter doing the best job it can, so make sure that planter is the very best piece of equipment on your farm. Your success and profit depend on it.

Donovan and Harrison are district conservationists with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. They write on behalf of the Indiana Conservation Partnership.

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