Crop Scene Investigation - 35 Solved: What happened to Nevin's soybean seed?

Monday, January 2, 2012

by BERNARD TOBIN

Poor emergence in Nevin's soybean field was due to the fact that a high percentage of the seed was sitting on top of the ground. But how did it get there? A CSI investigation showed that it had bounced right out of the seed trench at planting.

DeKalb field agronomist Sean Cochrane explains that he and Nevin had set the pressure for the air seeder at the correct level prior to planting but, when the monitor broke in the field, Nevin had no way of knowing the pressure level. Because of the wet planting conditions, he wanted to ensure that the seeder did not plug up, so he maintained a high level of pressure. But, because the monitor was broken, he could not see that the pressure level was too high and was causing the seed to bounce out of the seed trench.

"It was a difficult situation for Nevin, and he showed incredible patience," says Cochrane who explains that the new land, used equipment and terrible planting conditions all worked against him. He expects that the farmer will certainly be ready for next planting season.

Cochrane believes that any farmer who buys used equipment can learn from Nevin's experience. "You need to make sure you have ample time to completely review your equipment before you take it to the field. And you need to make sure that all your monitors are working correctly." Congratulations to: Don Ready, Kimberley, for his correct answer. 

Ready notes: "This was just one more trouble in a long list of no-till don't do's. I have done most of them myself." BF