Maybe you are looking for a new corn and soybean planter that is easier to move down the road. Many areas still feature narrow roads and one-lane bridges. If that’s your challenge, check out Great Plains Stack-fold planter. As equipment gets bigger and wider, you’re going to find many companies figuring out innovative ways to make it easier and safer to transport equipment on the road.

Or maybe you have the planter you want, but just want to make the planting operation more efficient. Something as simple as the Lid Lifter from Yetter may be what you are looking for. It’s offered for people who still have seed boxes on each row and want to speed up the fill-up process so they can cover more acres per day.

Perhaps you are looking for ways to do a better job of closing the seed trench and making sure seed is placed precisely in the row at the depth that you want. Flo-rite Seed Firmers can help when it comes to uniform depth placement. Offered previously by other companies, this innovative, simple and effective product is sold exclusively by Herschel Manufacturing. Schaeffert offers what they call the MVP closing wheel, which can help close trenches when drilling seed. This particular attachment is designed for use on John Deere drills. Most short-line companies have existing products for planters and drills that help improve seed placement, or at least offer you different alternatives for closing the trench over the seed.

If you have cover corps or grasses to seed, you may be looking for something totally different than a conventional planter. Land Pride has you covered with a utility seeder introduced for this year. Spokesmen are careful to distinguish that it is a seeder, not a planter. But if you have that type of need, this product is worth a look.

Small no-till seeder
Great Plains Manufacturing has introduced a no-till drill in 7-, 9- and 11-foot widths. It is ground-driven by spikes in the packer rollers. Main and small seed boxes are standard. For more information, contact Great Plains Manufacturing, Salina, Kan., at 800-270-9302 or see greatplainsag.com.

New field cultivator air drill
Till and seed at the same time with the new Field Cultivator Air Drill from Great Plains Manufacturing. The machine is based on the Great Plains 8544 Field Cultivator. The base list price is $200,000. For more information, contact Great Plains Manufacturing, Salina, Kan., at 800-270-9302 or see greatplainsag.com.

New 30-foot stack-fold planter
Great Plains Manufacturing has a 30-foot version of its stack-fold planter. It can plant in 15-inch single or twin rows, or in 20-, 22-, 30-, 36- or 38-inch single rows. For more information, contact Great Plains Manufacturing, Salina, Kan., at 800-270-9302 or see greatplainsag.com.

Depth control for no-till farmers
Schlagel's No Till Gauge Wheels are made with no-till, minimum-till or even conventional-till farmers with hard soils in mind. Company representatives say these wheels work well in wet soils. The open spokes and horizontal fingers allow for debris and wet soil to escape. They act as a rotary scraper cleaning from the center of the disk out. The entire disk is cleaned, allowing the openers and coulters to continue turning. They can be installed across the entire planter or to replace rubber wheels. For more information, contact Schlagel, Torrington, Wyo., at 888-889-1504 or schlagel.net.

Small planters, big results
Windridge Implements is offering Italian-based Mater Macc planters. Its MS8230 is designed for smaller growers. This vacuum planter can be ordered from two to 36 rows. The precision planter comes with a hydraulic-folding toolbar. Farmers can add accessories like a fertilizer tank, row marker, and pneumatic transportation and distribution head. For more information, contact Windridge Implements, Decorah, Iowa, at 563-382-3614 or visit matermacc.it.

1 planter, 2 crops
Mater Macc MS Twin is the twin-row precision planting unit that has double-disk coulter, allowing the twin rows to sow using the quincunx technique — a pattern consisting of five points arranged in a cross, with four of them forming a square and the fifth at its center. The MS Twin also lets farmers plant corn and soybeans with the same row unit, simply by changing the spacing on the hydraulic toolbar. For more information, contact Windridge Implements, Decorah, Iowa, at 563-382-3614 or visit matermacc.it.

Lid Lifter for planter boxes
Does your planter have individual boxes for each row? Are you tired of lifting off lids and laying them aside to fill boxes? Have you ever lost one going down the road because you didn’t get it on tight? Then Lid Lifter from Yetter may be for you. It allows you to open lids automatically on individual rows, or you can open all lids at once. This product retrofits onto existing planters. An air system is required to operate it. List price is $125 per row. Contact Yetter  Manufacturing Co., Colchester, Ill., at 800-447-5777 or visit yetterco.com.

Make quick work of seeding
The NTS25 series of seeders from Land Pride work efficiently in a variety of conditions. The seeder can be equipped with up to three seed boxes. It does the job in no-till or tilled conditions, spokespeople say. The NTS25 is not a drill; it’s a seeder designed specifically for placing small seeds in the ground properly. List price is $12,400 for the 9-foot model shown, plus $3,000 for the optional native grass seeding unit. It’s also available in 7- and 11-foot models. Contact Land Pride, Salina, Kan., at 785-823-3276 or visit landpride.com.

Another option in closing wheels
A unique design of the MVP closing wheel from Schaffert for John Deere 1560 to 1990 series drills and air seeders features small teeth resembling saw teeth. The company refers to them as piranha teeth. This wheel bolts to the existing closing wheel, adding 7 pounds to each. The small teeth penetrate heavy residue without snagging or wrapping it. The wheel is designed to close seed furrows, yet leave residue on top. List price is $65 each. Call Schaffert Manufacturing , Indianola, Neb., at 800-382-2607 or visit schaffert.com.

New home for Flo-rite
The Flo-rite seed firmer for planters now has a new home. Originally invented by an Ohio farmer, it is now marketed exclusively by Herschel. This seed firmer for planters features a replaceable wear pad, which allows you to put new life into firmers after wear without buying whole new firmers. Hershel offers not only the firmers, but also a complete line of brackets to attach the seed firmer to various models, plus other accessories. Contact Herschel, Indianola, Iowa, at 800-247-2167 or visit herschelparts.com.