Stand Uniformity a Huge Part of "Winning the Furrow": That Starts with the Planter

Even as combines roll, it's not too early to start thinking about next season.  We wrap up our Win the Furrow focus, looking at 'the furrow.'  

Agronomist Missy Bauer, of B&M Crop Consulting says when farmers think about winning the furrow it starts with stand uniformity.  "It's got to be uniform soil around there to make that happen. "

Bauer says farmers need to pay attention to the details.  "What's that furrow look like? I'm dropping the seed down into the bottom of this furrow and then I'm closing it back up. And what I want ideally is for every one of these seeds, when they start to germinate and  fire off at the same time. So we know it's going to take moisture to make that process happen." It's the seed that is going to imbibe water says Bauer, "It's going to get that water from the soil around there. How uniform the soil around this seed is compared to the next seed to the next seed is really what starts the beginning of our uniformity process."

A lot of the settings on the planter can affect uniformity and seed placement.  "So if I don't have enough down pressure on the planner to keep my row unit at that consistent planting death, as a rule of thumb, we're trying to plant at two inches deep. But if my planters back their balance, as long as I don't have enough down pressure, I'm going to get a lot of those floaters up there at an inch and a half.  And I'm not going to have that uniformity. Maybe you're gauge wheels aren't set right on the planner. If your gauge wheels are set to lose, we get dry soil actually coming into the furrow. So we're trying to put our seed in good moisture, yet we've got dry soil coming in there. So anything with that planting pass can have effects on that. Again, from the down pressure settings, your gauge wheels, your types of closing wheels that you have on there and then still your planting speed."

Bauer says planting speeds are a huge part of achieving stand uniformity.  "We've got to stay slow enough to maintain that row unit running smooth.  As soon as that row unit gets to bounce, then again, we're going to have troubles with that uniformity. So think about the goal being every one of these seeds in that furrow to germinate, start the germination process at the same time.  It's got to be uniform soil around there to make that happen."