Blog Category: Planting

Platte Valley Equipment customer, Jerame Rief, leaves us with his final thoughts on John Deere's Soybean Singulation Seed Discs after using them for the first time this year. Read more about his experience here!

Learn the key steps to winterizing your John Deere planter before putting it away for winter storage. By following a few easy steps, you will extend the life of your planter and maximize future performance. When winterized correctly, planters will be protected from environmental conditions, chemicals, and rodents and will be ready to plant as soon as spring arrives.

John Deere performance upgrade kits provide an excellent option to get the latest planter technology in your operation. These retrofit options allow you to install the latest John Deere planter technology on an existing planter or toolbar, enabling features such as high-speed planting at speeds up to 10 mph, individual row hydraulic downforce, pneumatic row cleaners and closing wheels that are adjustable from the in-cab display, and many more.

One of the most frequently asked questions our teams receive during the planting season is how to correctly set planter downforce margin. Unfortunately, there is no straight-forward answer or a standard number to enter into the display. However, by understanding how downforce margin works and some best practices for setting it correctly, it can be successfully achieved.

Like all equipment, the John Deere ExactEmerge planter requires regular adjustments to perform at its best. Last season we experienced a problem with the ExactEmerge planter where we found seed on the surface of the ground at some fields. After digging into the problem found it was discovered that proper bowl tension is critical to avoiding this issue. To achieve consistent planting quality, regular inspection of the seed meters and bowls is necessary.

John Deere recently released an exciting upgrade for planting soybeans with MaxEmerge XP, MaxEmerge 5, and MaxEmerge 5e row units. The new 64-hole soybean seed disk is a departure from traditional soybean disks, but will result in many agronomic benefits such as improved seed singulation, seed spacing, and population control. As a result, planting soybeans at university recommended lower seeding rates will maintain yields while saving on seed costs, thereby improving profits.

Robins pull worms in the yard. The smell of turned soil and cut grass fills the air. The farm brims with life and you breathe it in deep. The skies never seemed so blue. After a long winter, it’s finally time to get in the field and start farming!

1. I’ve already eaten all my snacks…Is 10 am too early to eat lunch?

It’s never too early to eat lunch! That being said…you’re probably not hungry, you’re just bored! Check out these tips to keep your mind off the snacks.

Seedstar™ 4HP offers many great features to help you fully utilize your equipment. If you’ve recently upgraded or need a refresher on how the program works, we’ve got you covered. Our precision ag team has put together instructional videos to help you complete basic tasks using Seedstar™ 4HP. Let’s make this a successful spring!

Before every season – but especially in spring – it’s imperative to double check the offsets and measurements in your display. Improper inputs or incorrect information may result in the following Section Control failures and AutoTrac or guidance issues. Always, always, always double check these settings before you start in the field.