Continuing on from our previous email with seed firming and furrow closing steps: 5) Seed firming is mission critical. Unless you’re willing to rely on a rain every time you seed (not wise!), you must achieve good seed-to-soil contact, and this is especially true for crops such as soybeans and peas. The very first
All of our past newsletters and tips on these drills are compiled and updated here (if you hate reading, this material was also presented in a recent webinar, although there’s certainly some value in reviewing both). These things matter—the no-tillers who are consistently attaining the highest yields are meticulous about maintenance and adjustment of
Case studies of some top-notch no-tillers (there are many). Kent Stones is one of the most financially savvy and successful farmers you’ll run across, and yet not every decision on his farm revolves purely around economics—sustainability plays a role as well. He and his wife, Cindy, are very committed to
You’ve probably noticed that the farm magazines sometimes publish summaries or studies of closing wheel comparisons, and other vendors like to tout whichever study shows their brand(s) or style(s) of closing wheels comparing favorably. You might also have noticed that our Thompson wheels often aren’t mentioned. Why?Sometimes these studies are conducted, and we’re simply
In case you missed the Webinar, you can watch the recording now. UniForce In-Depth Webinar covers:
This special flat washer and flange locknut wear against each other as the closing arm moves up/down in the field. They wear fairly quickly, since they’re only grade 5 from Deere (Exapta’s are grade 8). Eventually they wear enough that there’s additional side-to-side play in this pivot, which allows the spring for the closing arm
Case studies of some top-notch no-tillers (there are many). Whereas some successful no-tillers use their enhanced profitability and efficiency to double, triple or quadruple the size of their farms, Lewis Unruh has taken a different tack of paying off debt from buying land, upgrading antiquated and/or undersized machinery, and making
Everyone wants to dwell on how different their particular patch of farmland is, or the particular crop they grow, or their local climate, etc.
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 should be doing is figuring
Case studies of some top-notch no-tillers (there are many). The Oklahoma/Texas Panhandle is an exceptionally harsh environment for growing dryland crops, and despite being plenty dry most of the time, no-till isn’t the no-brainer that you might guess it to be. Indeed, the dryness, lack of cropping options, glyphosate- & dicamba-resistant
We’re starting something a little different with this newsletter series, aiming to give you some things to think about by providing case studies of some top-notch no-tillers (there are many). With 25+ years of continuous no-till under their belts, and an operation that has grown 6-fold to 12,000 acre since
by Matt Hagny, freelance agronomic consultant for no-till since ’94; founder & president of Exapta Solutions since ’99. Several companies offer a fertilizer opener that mounts directly to the front of the planter row unit, usually in combination with a row cleaner: the Martin UMO (“Unit-Mounted Opener”), for instance. Sunco has
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
He brings hands-on experience in no-till planting equipment, agricultural research, and design engineering. With a background in farming in NE Kansas and an engineering degree, he spent seven years at Kansas State University and three at Landoll Company. He’s passionate about solving engineering challenges and developing durable, user-friendly products.
