By Ethan Begle It’s planting season again, which means it’s time to get back to basics. Since the planter opener is still the same design as… Read More »Do Not Trust the In-cab View; Verify in the Field
by Ethan Begle, Sales & Engineering Representative When dealing with starter fertilizer, the first discussion revolves around if it is worth the time and expense… Read More »Fertilizer at Planting and How to Apply
by Ethan Begle, Sales & Engineering Representative As we get started on the 2023 season, it’s time to evaluate what went right and what can… Read More »Exapta can Improve Your Seeding in 2023 with Your Input
Exapta has been offering the Intelligent Ag (IAG) blockage systems for several years now and so this month’s newsletter will touch on why this system works well… Read More »Confidence the Field was Completely Seeded the First Time.
Planting a seed is such a leap of faith: relying on mother nature and the tools that we have to place the seeds in the… Read More »Improve your JD Drill and Your Peace of Mind
Every pass you make through the field is important and seeding cover crops should be treated with care. Whether it’s a small grain or a 12-way… Read More »Your Cover Crop is a Cash Crop and Should be Treated as Such.
Since harvest is the last pass over the field before planting, it is important to think about how to create the ideal seedbed. Not only… Read More »Successful No-till Planting Starts at Harvest
If you keep missing rains but have planting to finish, I’d like to outline some common mistakes made when it’s hard and dry. Relying on… Read More »Plant in the Dust and the Seeder Won’t Adjust
Inconsistent seed placement is a primary reason why many soybean producers have to up their seeding rate as much as 20%, compared to a planter,… Read More »Can UniForce Reduce Seeding Rates and Improve Yield?
The first thing to evaluate is the condition of your tires. Does the tire still have a square lip that contacts the opener blade to… Read More »Do I Need a Different Gauge Wheel Tire and/or Tire & rim on My Planter or Drill?
Content of this page is copyright 2005-2025 Exapta Solutions, Inc. (reprint with written permission only).
Thompson wheel covered by U.S. Patent No. 6,907,833. Liquid delivery feature of Valion seed tube guards is U.S. Patent No. 8,978,564. Ninja seed bounce flap U.S. Patent Pending. UniForce U.S. Patent Pending. All rights reserved on other designs. Exapta is a registered trademark of Exapta Solutions, Inc. Keeton is a registered trademark of Precision Planting. Mojo Wire, Thompson wheel, Valion guard, Ninja flap, UniForce, DuraLok, No-till Seeding Explained, and No-till Seeding School are trademarks of Exapta. Disclaimer: Recommendations & page content are current, accurate, and believed to be broadly applicable as of the time of writing (Dec 2005) and last update (2005 – 2014). Because of diversity of soils, climate, crops, planter & drill models/designs marketed worldwide, combinations of attachments, etc., actual results may vary. No warranty is made as to actual results obtained. Should you encounter exceptions or worthwhile annotations to the statements made on this page, please contact us.
Derek is Kansas native who grew up in a 100% no-till farming operation. From an early age the benefits of no-till were made known to Derek by his father and by attending no-till conferences. From there he furthered his passion for soils while at Kansas State University getting his agronomy degree. He has had the experience of working in various roles and sectors of agriculture from sales and consulting to management, which have all been within production agriculture. Derek has also worked in specialty ag markets such as turf and ornamentals.
Sales & Service Representative
Prior to joining Exapta, Bob Pagel was an Agricultural Territory Sales Manager for Ritchie Brothers, serving parts of MN, WI and IA. He continues to support his family farm in SE Minnesota.
Current Product Engineer
Jonathan Zeller joined Exapta excited to return to working with no-till planting equipment. He supported research of no-till planting and other ag related projects for 7 years with Kansas State University’s Agricultural Engineering Department after getting his engineering degree. He later worked 3 years for Landoll Company, LLC. where he gained experience in a design engineering role. Jonathan grew up on a small family farm in NE Kansas working with row crops, hay and cattle. Jonathan enjoys solving engineering problems and improving or creating products to be robust and easy to install and service.
