Spring planting season brings a special purpose for those who oversee and partner to plant seed plots. Here are some valuable tricks and tools these pros use.
More Productive And Peaceful
As planters have advanced with technology, many are well-equipped for plot planting. As such, seed representatives and retail salespeople outfit themselves to make the job run as smoothly — and quietly — as possible. One key tool is the vacuum.
To make his setup run smoother, George Madison, agronomy specialist with Co-Alliance, brings multiple buckets for his bucket vacuum, so he can refill the seed containers and keep seed segregated but also have the farmer back and running in the field as quickly as possible.
Kyle Stull, a consultant in Wisconsin, purchased his vacuum from Seed Vac LLC, and he reports it sped up the process greatly.
“Speed—that’s really the name of the game for us and the cooperator,” he says.
Cordless and Quiet
Battery-powered vacuums are increasing in popularity because of their mobility.
“This year, I brought my generator and vacuum to the field. The farmer looked at me like I came in on a horse and buggy,” says Jesse Boma, field sales agronomist for Growmark FS. “He uses a Milwaukee battery-powered vacuum. We were out there for five hours, had a trickle charger in the truck and replaced the two batteries twice. We never tripped over cords and weren’t yelling over a generator.”
Boma adds Honda low-decibel generators are also very nice to use in the field.
Signs of Appreciation
Hats, travel mugs and snacks are status quo for showing appreciation for the farmers who help make these plot planting efforts possible.
“It’s always good to offer a couple of goodies to a grower after completing a plot to send them back planting on a positive note,” Madison says.
To thank growers, Stull brings his Mavic 3 drone to the field to capture images from the air.
“Drone pictures are great for advertising, and growers love getting their own action shots at the end of the season,” he says.
Items For The Plot Planting Checklist
Here’s a list of other items these seed plot pros take to the field:
- Something used to dig behind the planter; examples include a 3" putty knife or seed depth gauge.
- Paper copy of the plot sheet as extra insurance and backup for the digital plot protocol.
- In-field vehicle of choice. Some pros use their pickup truck on the end rows; others prefer to have a utility vehicle.
- Seed scoops— anything from cut Gatorade bottles to dedicated scoops will work just fine.
- Plot stakes and flags.
- Clothing for the elements. Boma reports this past year was the coldest planting season he’s experienced, so gloves and extra layers were essential.
Boma adds, “It’s a strange time of year for us because our trucks are packed to the brim and look like Best Buy stores with the cords from the center console and the 110 volt in the back, batteries, etc., and we’re hauling generators and extra gas cans. We’ve got a little bit of everything.”
He shares some additional insights to fight dust — the in-field foe that wants to travel home with everyone.
“It was so dusty this year I was packing another shirt to wrap around the head. My least favorite thing is cleaning out the dust from your ears every day for about 10 days,” Boma says. “I’ve noticed if you use Off Deep Woods bug spray, while it’s great when you’re outdoors and I keep it in my Jeep and my boat, it’s a magnet for dust.”
The hustle and shuffle to get in all of the planned seed plots doesn’t quite seem like it’s over until Mother
Nature can’t throw any more curveballs and all of the projects are checked off the list.
“I consider myself done about one week after the last plot because it’s always like another one pops up for me. So once we’re at that point, I park the truck, clean it out, but I’m always ready to get it packed up again,” Boma says.
