Resolve to improve your planter in 2024
As the new year approaches, it’s a good time to reflect on last season and define how you can resolve to improve in the year ahead. It also serves as an opportunity for many to set new goals and commit to better habits. A New Year’s resolution worth making is improving your planter’s performance in 2024.
Buck the trend
Did you know that only 9% of people are expected to complete a resolution they’ve made for 2024. In fact, research shows that 23% of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week and 43% quit by the end of January.
Let Ag Leader help you buck the trend, so you meet your goal to better your planter’s performance. Equipped with the InCommand® 1200 display, AgFiniti®, autosteer, and products from the SeedCommand® lineup, you will be well on your way to achieving that New Year’s Resolution.
Gain better insight. The ability to reflect on and know what went well and what went wrong is huge. With the InCommand® 1200 display, easily see historical planting maps for population, singulation, skips, doubles, downforce attributes, and more BEFORE it costs you yield. Plus, instantly take maps with you anywhere on any device with AgFiniti®, and see your field data like you’ve never seen it before.
Go hands-free. Autosteer is addictive. It’s a statement heard across agriculture as more farmers invest in technology that not only improves pass-to-pass accuracy and increases uptime in dusty conditions and planting at night but also reduces operator fatigue. Ag Leader’s SteadySteer® or SteerCommand® Z2 steering systems help increase efficiency and reduce costs while improving the overall farming experience. In addition, Ag Leader’s newest guidance feature TurnPath™ eliminates the guesswork and reduces the stress associated with end-of-row turns making guidance easier than ever.
Apply downforce wisely. There’s a lot to manage in your life, so focusing on where you can best apply extra effort can be a challenge. Luckily, that isn’t the case with SureForce®, Ag Leader’s individual row hydraulic downforce system. Apply the proper downforce row-by-row to maintain proper seed to soil contact and overcome compaction – all without having to worry about margins.
“Our dealership is located at the corner of Keokuk, Jefferson, and Washington counties, an area rich in no till and cover crops. Downforce is crucial when planting in those conditions to achieve uniform germination and emergence,” says Jerry Gorman, J & S Precision Ag Plus.
It’s also why Ag Leader’s SureForce is the number one product growers come through the dealership’s doors for.
“There is a big payback on SureForce in this area. Once growers see it in action, SureForce is a product that sells itself,” Gorman says.
Lose weight. No gym membership needed! Losing weight is easier than ever with SureDrive®, Ag Leader’s individual row control for your planting populations. Get rid of heavy, high-maintenance chains, harnesses, and bearings, and trade up for the durability and simplicity of SureDrive. The SureDrive system is a clean install with a simple architecture that provides everything you need today, with provisions for additional hardware later.
READ MORE: SureDrive reveals the true magnitude of problems caused by twists and turns in a field
One of the most amazing parts of the SureDrive system, Adam Gittins says, is its simplicity. “Everything electronic that happens on a row of the planter is handled using a row control module,” notes the Iowa farmer and General Manager at HTS Ag. “This allows for the wiring to be streamlined considerably, which was evidenced by the amount of the cabling and equipment removed from my planter when doing the install.”
“Installation of SureDrive was painless and fast. My dad read the instructions and got nearly everything put on the meters of his White 6182 planter in about a day. He did the hard part, so all I had to do was come in and connect the wiring,” says Nathan Zimmerman, Eastern Region Sales Manager for Ag Leader Technology.
Simplify self-improvement. With SureDrive, self-improvement is a breeze. The efficient, high-torque electric motor isn’t tied to a specific brand or type of seed meter, making it able to optimize the meter and planter you already have. No need to read those self-help books (or buy additional planter meters). . . just get SureDrive!
Make better financial decisions. Avoid having too many plants on inside rows and too few on outside rows with turn compensation. SureDrive automatically adjusts meter speed on each row to keep a consistent population around turns, contours, and terraces. In fact, research shows that overplanting on turns could cost you 60 bushels/acre or more!
“Turn compensation is a much bigger deal than I had originally thought,” Gittins says. “The SureDrive meter speed was very interesting to watch as I ran my Kinze 3600 bulk fill 16-row planter. I expected it to have some variance, but it was shocking to see how much difference there was as I rounded a curve in the field. To see that visually on my display in the cab really opened my eyes to how big the problem really was without turn compensation from the SureDrive.”
Spend more time with family. Did we mention SureDrive is maintenance free? SureDrives’ robust, sealed construction is maintenance free for season-after-season durability and reliability. Say no to wasting time greasing chains, pulling hex shafts, and rebuilding air clutches; say yes to spending more time with your family and friends.
Connect with precision experts. Who better to guide you through the process of upgrading your planter than one of Ag Leader’s precision experts. Click on the link below to learn how your local Ag Leader dealer can help you improve your planter for 2024. •