Harvest time sure seems like an odd time to think about your planter, but it could be a great time to see just how good of a job you really did this year. Are there a lot of skips? Is one row consistently lower in population? What about the seed sizes? Did your planter plant one seed better than another? Running your combine this fall can tell you many things about your planter.
A planter is one piece of equipment that can really change your yield potential. If your stand is not adequate it can add up to big bucks. If you were trying to get a 28,500 final seed stand, but end up with 25,000, that could cost you. If you take 3500 ears – 14 around and 38 kernels long – that totals 1,862,000 kernels. Considering it takes about 90,000 kernels to make a bushel of corn, at a figure of 1,862,000, there’s 20.69 bushels of potentially lost corn. Take that amount times $2.30 a bushel and you could have just lost $ 47.58 an acre. Multiply that over 750 acres, you have paid someone very well to check that over.
Under population can be very costly, and over population can be just as bad. Too heavy of a population or an inconsistent stand, such as double can cause lodging, aborted or ill-formed ears. No matter which way you look at it, a planter that gives you a consistent, uniform stand makes you money. Every planter can give you that performance if it is properly adjusted and properly maintained.
Simple repairs to your planter can also save you costly down time. Check your hydraulic hoses, tires, drive chains, and if you have seen skips in your fields, check your drive clutch band. Most implement companies have checklists that are available for you to stop in and get. Others have winter specials for planter check-overs. Take advantage of those deals. You have one opportunity to put that crop in the right way. Why not give next year’s crop the best chance possible for being a bin-buster?