Compare last year’s planting season to what you want to achieve this year. What changes would you make? What are new goals you would like to reach? Are there any efficiencies that could be added to your planter to make things more consistent, easier, and result in better emergence? In an Iowa State Integrated Crop Management blog, extension specialist Doug Houser provided some planter technologies that you may want to invest in to help this year’s planting go more smoothly.

Row unit downforce systems help keep the row unit in the ground while maintaining contact with the soil. Without ground contact, you may be losing depth. The downforce system counteracts with soil type, tillage, practices, target planting depth, and ground speed all the while maintaining ground contact. Consider this when deciding which planter upgrades you want to make.

Active downforce control can be helpful, especially if there is variability in soil type and field conditions. “The key is to create the seed furrow with enough structure that it holds it open while the seed is placed in the bottom of the furrow but is still soft enough that the closing system can properly close the furrow back up around the seed to maximize soil contact,” Houser explained. These pneumatic and hydraulic systems allow the operator to set the target gauge wheel load at a level that allows them to achieve optimal furrow creation.

If soil variability isn’t an issue, installing a pneumatic down force control system may be the better option. Although there are some limiting factors, such as slower responses to changes in soil conditions and the fact that they are usually installed in groups of rows rather than individual rows, if you are planting between 5 to 7 miles per hour, this is the perfect fit. For those who plant at higher speeds, hydraulic downforce control systems provide a faster ground response and handle changes to soil variability better than pneumatic systems. “The hydraulic systems are also able to optimize downforce across a wider range of field conditions, as they have the higher capability on the amount of downforce and upforce they can apply to the row units,” he said.

To meet the need to cover more acres faster, Houser also recommended the use of a high-speed seed delivery setup that allows for the control of seed delivery from the moment it leaves the planter, to the bottom of the furrow. Houser stated, “Rather than the meter releasing seed up higher at the top of a drop tube, these high-speed systems capture and carry the seed down to the furrow.” In correlation with the planter’s ground speed, this system allows operators to never miss a beat while maintaining a speed of 7 miles per hour or more.

Other efficiencies such as adding different closing wheels to improve stand emergence, along with electric drive seed meters to provide better seed spacing, were also recommended by the extension specialist. As you think about beginning planter maintenance for the upcoming spring, it is important to think about efficiency as well. “Adding efficiency items to your planter requires you to start with understanding what problem you are trying to solve or what goal you are trying to achieve with your planter. The goal is to get the seed planted at the correct rate, in the correct furrow structure, and at the right time,” Houser encouraged.