I’ve spent much of my adult life researching ways to make planters and drills function better in no-till, and it never ceases to amaze me how garbled up the thinking can get on some design issues. Take, for instance, firming points. Please, take them! Away, far away! 🙂 Seriously, some
A plastic protrusion off the back of the seed boot–what could be more trivial? Except, they’re not so trivial. These reduce seed bounce, which is especially bad on air drills, but a plenty big problem on box drills too.Some vendors will confuse the issue and try to assert that their
Exapta has always focused on the soil-engaging components of planter & grain drill openers in no-till seedbeds. That has been the weakest link.
‘Round and ’round. More choices than ever. I continue to see more aftermarket suppliers and OEMs (Monosem) putting 4mm-thick planter opener disks/blades
Many of you are perplexed as to why we at Exapta endorse certain seed opener designs for no-till (NT) and not others. (And many of you wonder if I’m qualified to render judgment at all 🙂 but
Thinking about upgrading tractors, combines, sprayers? The features and capacity are what everyone dreams of and drools over.
Some of you are faced with harvest activities on very damp to muddy soils. Check your tire pressures! This is a zero cost way to A) reduce compaction
We’ve been waiting for a very long time for some significant improvement in no-till drills — something low-disturbance, with
With the planting season still fresh in your mind (unexplained variation in plant size? –any correlation to seed depth?),
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
Many of you know the tribulations of fishing this 1/4” tubing for liquids thru the small hole in the Keeton bracket. It’s awkward, and dark, and
The first plant part to emerge from a germinating seed is a root, called the radicle (not radical) in both dicots (‘broadleaf’ plants) and monocots (grasses).
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.
