Nov 30, 2018 | JD 50/60/90/Pro-series drills, Newsletters, No-till Drills, Trading Planters or Drills
by Matt Hagny We’ve been waiting decades for Deere to come out with improvements to their 90-series no-till drill openers. Now that it’s finally happened, it’s mostly a yawn—almost everything has already been surpassed in aftermarket products. For instance, Deere is...
Feb 5, 2018 | JD 50/60/90/Pro-series drills, Newsletters, Opener Design, Trading Planters or Drills
by Matt Hagny Bigger isn’t always better. At least not for opener blades cutting mulch (and soil) in no-till. Too many OEMs want to use 20 – 24” opener blades on their drills. Mostly so they can tout how long they can go before needing replacement—when what these OEMs...
Nov 27, 2017 | Newsletters, Opener Design, Trading Planters or Drills
by Matt Hagny, freelance agronomic consultant for no-till since ’94; founder & president of Exapta Solutions since ’99. I sometimes am called upon to do the impossible: Make a poorly designed planter or drill work well in no-till. And I then have to convey...
Jan 14, 2017 | Case-IH Precision Disk 500 / NH P-2080/2085, JD 50/60/90/Pro-series drills, Newsletters, Planter Setup, Trading Planters or Drills
by Matt Hagny A nuanced topic. First, let’s look at gauge wheels on planters, then drills. (Your drill isn’t a true gauge-wheel design? Maybe it’s time to upgrade). For the last 40+ yrs, virtually all planters have had gauge wheels alongside the...
Apr 23, 2014 | JD 50/60/90/Pro-series drills, Newsletters, Planter Setup, Trading Planters or Drills
by Matt Hagny, consulting agronomist for no-till systems since ‘94. We at Exapta have long emphasized the importance of adequate seed-to-soil contact. For instance, I saw enough evidence in ‘95 that I realized that Keetons—a brand of sliding seed firmer—were a major...
Jan 9, 2009 | Agronomy, Newsletters, Trading Planters or Drills
i.e., how much precision is economically advantageous? by Matt Hagny As an agronomist and the founder of a company that strives to improve seeding hardware and methods, I have long held the view that we need greater precision of seed placement. By ‘precision of seed...
