AGCO Planting Options Offer Speed and Accuracy

Most farmers view seeding as the most important task they complete each year. With few exceptions, the old axiom, “How you start is how you’ll end,”   holds true in crop production. If seed is not planted at a uniform depth, into moisture and with proper seed furrow closure, it will come up erratically at best.   Poor spacing and uneven emergence are two major yield limiters that must be avoided.  At the same time, it’s important to get the crop in the ground in time to take advantage of the growing season, while there is still moisture for the crop to germinate and emerge. In addition, many growers are expanding their acreage to spread fixed costs and improve profitability, which puts even more pressure on the need for efficiency and accuracy at seeding. Fortunately, both the Sunflower 9800 series single disk drill and the White 9800VE series planter lineup combined with the power and precision of Fendt tractors solve these problems with ease. 

The Sunflower 9800 series single disk drill, dubbed the fastest air seeder in the world, has gained acceptance by farmers and custom seeding contractors in North America and around the world. Josh Sullivan, a farmer and custom seeding contractor from Lawton, Oklahoma, sums it up, “The best thing about the drill is the speed you can go. Running 11-13 mph, you can have a smaller piece of equipment and do the same job as a larger piece of equipment.” And “it provides a good stand. When you are going that kind of speed, the way the disc throws the dirt to it, puts the seed right in the trench where it’s supposed to be.”

Josh also understands the importance of the right tractor to match with his Sunflower 9800 series single disk drill  (see photo at right). As working speed increases, the need for power to the ground increases exponentially. Matching the right tractor to the tool makes all the difference in practical vs. theoretical productivity. Whether you are seeding wheat, rice, canola, soybeans, or banding fertilizer into no-till, reduced till, or conventional worked fields, the 9800 series drill is the right tool for the job.

The White 9800VE series planters recently received some technology that allows growers to more confidently plant, knowing that every seed will be spaced correctly and planted at the right depth with just enough down pressure to provide good seed to soil contact without creating compaction at the seed furrow. Studies have consistently backed the rule of thumb that for every 1” increase in standard deviation, a grower stands to lose two and a half bushels per acre. Compaction near the seed furrow or inconsistent seed depth are especially problematic in corn production causing delayed emergence of some plants, in turn creating runts that produce anywhere from no ear to a half size ear. White 9800VE series planters can now come equipped from the factory, with Precision Planting components installed. These components include vSet meter for accurate seed singulation, DeltaForce hydraulic downforce for accurate depth control and minimized compaction, and vDrive for variable rate prescription planting. Recently introduced, the Fendt 1000 is now available in row crop configurations, allowing it to be paired with the highly accurate White 9800VE series planter.