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Better Farming
October 2016
Farm News First >
BetterFarming.com53
HOW
IT
WORKS
no-till planting of both corn and
soybeans. This no-till planting trend
is being encouraged by environmen-
talists as well as by some farmers.
Conventional tillage can permit
greater opportunity for soil move-
ment and pollution of our surface
watercourses – including the Great
Lakes.
Technology is available using
hydraulics and pneumatics to move
seed and control planting down
pressure while controlling seeding
depth and seed-to-soil contact.
This electrical strain gauge that
measures and senses planting
unit down pressure requires
special care and attention.
Note the small planter unit
hoppers that add virtually no
down pressure.
Travelling the back roads in many
areas of Ontario this year brings to
light the tremendous variation in
plant stands, especially with conven-
tionally-planted soybeans. The yield
variations will be significant this fall.
In 2017, we visualize a greater use
of no-till planting systems as we
move forward to save our soils and
reduce the amount of energy used.
This would include the tractor fuel
used to produce corn, soybeans, and
winter wheat, as there would be fewer
passes over the field.
and fence bottoms that held back
both snow and soil. We cannot afford
to let our very valuable top soils drift
into the Great Lakes system. Soil
movement not only takes phosphorus
with it but also leaves us with those
unproductive knolls that have been
stripped of valuable topsoil!
BF
Ralph Winfield is a retired professional
engineer, farmer and technical writer.
The technology (equipment) is
available to achieve those objectives.
Yes, the equipment will be more
sophisticated (complicated) and will
require greater owner/operator
expertise to operate and maintain.
Please remember we have reduced,
or virtually eliminated, our pastures
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2016-09-10 12:19 AM
Travelling the back roads
in many areas of Ontario
this year brings to light
the tremendous variation
in plant stands.