Planting deeper is always better, right?

TREMONT, Ill. — Many farmers believe that it’s better to go deeper to ensure they plant deep enough, but Precision Planting has found in its research that it’s possible to go too deep, decreasing yield potential.

While getting into moisture is important, there are tradeoffs to planting too deep or too shallow. If planted too shallow, seeds may not be in moisture and will not germinate consistently.

What about when there is plenty of moisture in the soil, even at shallower depths? In this scenario, planting deeper than necessary will cost emergence speed and consistency because less heat is available at those deeper depths, Precision Planting said.

“Adjusting depth on your planter is time-consuming. SmartDepth allows you to quickly and easily make depth adjustments, from inside the cab, as conditions change. SmartDepth removes row-to-row variability through a calibration process that makes sure the same depth setting truly means the same depth on every row. Plus, with the push of a button on the 20|20 monitor in your cab, you can make those depth adjustments by 1/10th of an inch increments. This saves you time and gives you the confidence that each row is set right where you need it to be,” the company said.

How well are your closing wheels doing getting your seed environment right?

“When the planter is finished with its pass, the seed should be in an environment where there is no evidence that the planter ever created a furrow, placed seed, and closed the furrow. This environment should have no air pockets and be mellow so that as the seed germinates it can emerge, while at the same time being firm enough to hold moisture. It’s a delicate balance that needs to be achieved, and there is a significant yield opportunity when you get it right.

“Getting it right means that the variability in the field has been accounted and adjusted for and that the germination of each seed has happened at the same time. Yield loss occurs when seeds germinate and emerge at inconsistent times.”

Since getting the seed environment right is so important to the profitability of your farming operation, what prevents farmers from getting it right?

“Most of the time it comes down to knowledge. When planting, do you know the answer to these questions: How much weight is on your closing wheels? Are your closing wheels maintaining ground contact without compacting? Is the soil placed optimally around each seed? Which option is the best for your wheels, staggering, and spring pressure setting?

“Digging a few seeds per field gives you some level of insight, but it’s a tiny percentage of the total seeds planted.

“Setting your closing system correctly is tough. FurrowForce is a two-stage closing system that adapts to your planting conditions to remove air pockets and firm soil to keep moisture, giving you confidence that your crops will germinate the best that they can. Many farmers that have used FurrowForce go back and dig and claim they can’t even find the furrow because of how well FurrowForce closes it back up.”

Precision Planting was awarded an Agritechnica 2019 Silver Award for Innovation for the SmartDepth product. Precision Planting also was awarded a 2021 AE50 Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers for the FurrowForce product.