Deere Co introduced the world’s largest planter in 2009 with the DB120 at 120 feet wide with 48 rows of planter heads. Depending on tractor speed varying from 5 to 5.5 mph, the Deere DB120 can plant from 90 to 100 acres per hour. That is a 30% improvement from the previous planter at 36 rows.

Seed Planters Using Advanced Mechanics and Computers

More imporant than even the width and number of planter heads, new seed planters are using both mechanical and computer advances for pushing the planting efficiency envelope. Planters can now operate inside the total farm network system Deere calls Greenstar. Other agricultural manufacturers have their own systems with similar features, such as AFS (Advanced Farming System) from CaseIH, and Fuse from the Agco conglomerate.

Tractors pulling planters have traditionally needed to maintain a steady speed from between 3-5.5 miles per hour, depending on the type of planter and soil, to keep the rows from varying. Not any more. Deere’s seed planters add variable speed planter heads that alter the rate of planting along with the propulsion speed of the tractor, within limits. The heads also carefully segment seeds so that each plant gets precisely the number of seeds required. This combination of electronic speed and seed depositing, makes the rows consistent and easier to manage.

Row Cleaning Added to Planter’s Capabilities

Mechanical additions to traditional planters include post planting row cleaning. With biomass left on the ground from previous plantings, rows can become clogged or disorderly. Optional attachments called row cleaners make quick work of keeping the rows clear of residue for the next crop to grow cleanly.

Global Positioning System (GPS) tie ins for the tractor towed planter allow planting variations along rows or in different sections of the farm. A farmer can program routes for seeds and those that are skipped. The automated precision farming software from Deere can then activate and deactivate planting heads without tractor operator intervention. Seed costs can be reduced and crop rotation becomes automatic without the need for tractor operators to carefully adhere to boundaries or schedules.

Seed Planting Technology Responds to Increased Seed Costs

Seed costs have become a design driver for planters because seeds are a major cost each season, especially with the Monsanto contracts that hamstring farmers into seed purchases year after year. Deere uses a flat seed planting disk that separates seeds for precise depth, quantity, and placement while compensating for varying seed shapes and sizes. This feature results in precise planting. There will be the exact amount of seed in the ground, exactly where the farmer wants it, in the density planned for.

The tendency towards larger and larger farms with increased acreage planted each year, means the big manufacturers providing row crop planters will continue to increase the capacity of their planters. While Deere’s planters set size standards, the downforce regulators on the Promax 40 planter heads, the variable speed drives, the fully integrated farm management system, and exact location planting all contribute to making planting a quick process. Where before a 20,000 acre farm would be running a hard to plant with one tractor/planter system, that many acres could be easily handled with the mega planters of today.