The seed and fertilizer placement accuracy you get from today’s airseeders has contributed to increased yield expectations. But placement is only one part of the story. Getting the correct volume of seed in the ground is the other. Here’s a head-to-head look at what the major manufacturers are currently using for metering systems. As the […] Read more
Seed Meters Get More Precise
Versatile Adds Hp And A Sprayer
Executives at Winnipeg’s Buhler Industries, and many of their dealers who handle the Versatile line of tractors, gathered in Las Vegas in early January for the company’s annual dealer convention. There was more than the balmy desert air to warm their hearts. Surrounded by new equipment, company president Dimitry Lyubimov announced management’s plan to build […] Read more
Perennial Wheat Saves Spring Costs
The Land Institute, a non-profit organization in Salina, Kansas (www.landinstitute.org),has been working on perennial wheat and sorghum crops since 2002. Research is being carried out at their facility in Salina along with joint efforts at some U. S. universities and a partner in Australia. Jerry Glover, an agro-ecologist from The Land Institute, says plant breeders […] Read more
Precise Seed Metering Improves Yield
With the introduction of airseeders using independently linked openers, a lot of attention has been focused recently on the accuracy of seed and fertilizer placement. But that is only half the story when it comes to precision seeding. Metering out the right volume of seed to establish the correct plant population is the other part […] Read more
Three Ways To Meter Seed
Performance of type A and B systems improves significantly with the addition of corrugated inlet tubes and deflector vanes at the secondary splitters. As airseeders have evolved over the years, manufacturers have increased the precision of their machines. And as working widths have increased, getting seed and fertilizer from the meter on the tank to […] Read more
Germany’s Agritechnica farm machinery show has 2,300 exhibits in a 74-acre indoor facility. Picking 10 highlights is a tough chore with so much to see
If you who can’t get enough of looking at new farm machinery, you must visit the Agritechnica show in Hannover, Germany. I attended the 2009 event, which ran for a week, starting with a media preview on November 8. The show has over 74 acres of exhibition space, all indoors, stuffed with the newest offerings […] Read more
How To Light The Old Bomb
Most new tractors on the market today offer high-intensity lighting. In contrast, lights on older tractors can be pretty minimal, which makes pulling wide implements at night or feeding cattle after dark in the winter pretty frustrating. Fortunately, installing extra lights on an older tractor is pretty easy. A lot of aftermarket lighting equipment is […] Read more
Xerion In A League Of Its Own
Over the years, tractors have evolved into a variety of configurations that are far from the traditional two-wheel drive design. The most unique, though, may be the Claas Xerion. These tractors are a little like J. I. Case’s older four-wheel drive, crab-steer designs that go back as far as the model 1200 — but only […] Read more
Do Your Own Coolant Flush
In this Shop Class installment, instructor Marty Zuzens from Assiniboine Community College in Brandon, Man., focuses on engine cooling systems and explains what it takes to keep an engine from losing its cool. Pay close attention to what you pour in the radiator, Zuzens advises. Using the wrong coolant spells trouble for an engine. For […] Read more
Change Engine Oil Before Winter Storage
Have you ever wished you had an instructor standing behind you to offer advice when tackling a mechanical repair? Well, here’s the next best thing. Drawing on the knowledge of instructors at Assiniboine Community College’s School of Trades and Technology, this series offers advice straight from the pros. Instructor Dietrich Schellenberg starts the series off […] Read more