[wetfarmer]

I still like the speed and ease of seeding soys with an air seeder but I have dutch paired row openers (old style) that have not been an effective soy tool. Germination has not been good with these openers and this year the late germed soys are in frost trouble so its a killer. What is anybody else using and how are the results? They are great for cereals but two years in a row have been weak on soys.

 

[mbfarmer]

No planter wetfarmer?

 

[wetfarmer]

Sold it this spring when I decided to skip the corn. May buy another but the CCS would have to be on tracks this time to prevent ruts that I can't harvest soys out of.I was using both. Our ground likes it's phosphate with soys and thats another issue. I was using 5 gallons with seed in planter through tubes and getting away with it.We are always battling the calendar over here too and the air seeder is so fast. Best job in the area came from a little ccs 40 foot pulled by a track machine , those 15 inch spaced bean drills. No cart tracks , good germ and his beans are all ripe now. I'm really bangin my head against the wall about this but I guess I've got the winter to decide. Got to get them out of the ground faster somehow.

 

[Christian A. Herrnboeck]

How about 5" farmland boots/openers?

They pretty much work the ground and turn it black in the seed row…. and are not too expensive.

 

[wetfarmer]

I'd like a tight disturbed row that my packer wheels wont miss. straight row is best because they help each other bust the crust if it happens. I'll probably end up with a planter or a disc drill the more I think of it. Don't know how I'll deal with the phosphate issue though. Maybe a 60 foot DB planter with fert attatchment. If that exists it should only cost about a bazillionn dollars.

 

[SWMan]

Why not band the phos in fall? It would do some blackening of the field and also some levelling. That is my plan but I have not done this before...

 

[wetfarmer]

no time

 

[mbfarmer]

We just float 40 lbs of p and 60 of potash with a floater and then work the field with our gates vt running the disks on a bit of an angle. Plant straight in come spring or harrow first if it's really wet.

 

[SWMan]

We just float 40 lbs of p and 60 of potash with a floater and then work the field with our gates vt running the disks on a bit of an angle. Plant straight in come spring or harrow first if it's really wet.

Do you use potash on all your crops or is that a soybean thing? I haven't been using any potash since no return but wondered if I should start adding some in somewhere? Banding ahead of soybeans might be a good spot to do it.

 

[morb1lee]

sounds like no time and nothing works...quit farming?

My thoughts is I'd rather have some crop (planter) vs all risked crop (air seeder)

seems soys here went from 15-20% planted with a planter to 80% in about 2 years. Seed cost being the major driving factor. save about $30 (usd)/acre switching.

maybe run a larger planter? guessing you used a 12 to get in while corn prices where high and got out at the right time....leads me to think a decent 24+ row planter may be around for a decent price.

 

[wetfarmer]

No I ran a 24 x 20. I didn't say nothing works. I asked who was having what luck with what double shoot opener. I know what a planter can do . I have done corn canola and edibles as well as soys with it and nothing matches the stands obviously. I grow some conventionals so seed price not an issue on those. My issue is getting the phosphate down which a double shoot does for me but these particular openers are not working for me. Also I plant about 2000 acres of soys and live in a high rainfall part of the province with heavy soils so speed is of the essence. I also have a disc drill now but my yields with a disc drill have never matched my shank seeder. The risk is uneven germ with a disturbance tool and this year that risk turned into a problem. Anyone using double shoot openers on soys out there? Looking for consistent germ with a double shoot opener. Maybe the Atom Jet ?

 

[mbfarmer]

Do you use potash on all your crops or is that a soybean thing? I haven't been using any potash since no return but wondered if I should start adding some in somewhere? Banding ahead of soybeans might be a good spot to do it.

We do try to use removal rates on all our crops. I always wonder if I should be using it since our soils naturally provide lots but I have a lot of years a
Of farming ahead of me and I hope my kids will farm as well so mining it out isn't part of the plan. If times get tough it will be the first product dropped but so far I've been looking after the soil and it has been returning the favour. I honestly don't know if I'm dumping money down the drain or not but if I don't put it on the soil the government will just take most of it anyways.

 

[dutchengineer]

If you run dry or liquid, you could look at the Universal since it easily allows a farmer to change tips when necessary. i.e. change from paired row (cereals) to sideband (Soybeans, canola or peas with fertilizer) to spread tips for single placement of seed and fertilizer.

 

[Andrew_D]

Hey dutchengineer... This isn't a soy question obviously, but is there a way with the Universal body to put nh3 in a sideband? Thinking of using the drill to put seed and phos down the granular tube at seeding. Then in the fall, run K+S down the granular tube and nh3 out the sideband. Looking for ideas on going to NKS in the fall without changing/costing too much.

Andrew

 

[wetfarmer]

Do you have a lot of the universals in Manitoba with the side band? Are they using fertilizer? What products and rates?

 

[w-mFarms]

No I ran a 24 x 20. I didn't say nothing works. I asked who was having what luck with what double shoot opener. I know what a planter can do . I have done corn canola and edibles as well as soys with it and nothing matches the stands obviously. I grow some conventionals so seed price not an issue on those. My issue is getting the phosphate down which a double shoot does for me but these particular openers are not working for me. Also I plant about 2000 acres of soys and live in a high rainfall part of the province with heavy soils so speed is of the essence. I also have a disc drill now but my yields with a disc drill have never matched my shank seeder. The risk is uneven germ with a disturbance tool and this year that risk turned into a problem. Anyone using double shoot openers on soys out there? Looking for consistent germ with a double shoot opener. Maybe the Atom Jet ?

our neighbor has an atomjet boot but not the double shoot, always has an awesome crop stand still wonder how the f he does it.

I don't understand why you discdrill don't yield as much, do you work your fields black enough in fall?

 

[wetfarmer]

They are as black as black can be . I dont really get it either but a couple of other farms in the area have reported the same thing. I know the ground is a lot tighter especially if you are not careful about the down pressure. The planter is as good as the air seeder as long as I can get some phosphate under or near the row. And the stands are more consistent of course and no cart tracks in the wet areas.But huge depressions under the ccs tank tires which make it hard to harvest beans. Dont know what the answer is.

 

[dutchengineer]

Hey dutchengineer... This isn't a soy question obviously, but is there a way with the Universal body to put nh3 in a sideband? Thinking of using the drill to put seed and phos down the granular tube at seeding. Then in the fall, run K+S down the granular tube and nh3 out the sideband. Looking for ideas on going to NKS in the fall without changing/costing too much.

Andrew

Apologies for taking so long to respond.

Hi Andrew,

To answer your question, sidebanding NH3 with Universals is not something that has been done at this time; however, there are a couple of options that could address your request.

Using the rear delivery NH3 tube on Universal you could use a 3/4" deep sideband tip to place the NH3 in the middle and dry or liquid fert to the side.

How important is it to keep separate the NH3 from the dry fertilizer?

A better option might be our Universal for Fertilizer Series. This system has the ability to place NH3 and dry or liquid in a single row. As with the rear delivery Universal, there are 3/4", 1", 3", 4" and 5 1/2" tips to select the soil disturbance you want. You would have to install the no-freeze tube and may have to change tips to accomplish this.

I can get you more info on each of these if you are interested.

We have farmers in North Dakota who run this system successfully for fall fertilizer using NH3 and Granular and NH3 and liquid (TAPPS actually)

Do you have a lot of the universals in Manitoba with the side band? Are they using fertilizer? What products and rates?

Hi Wetfarmer,

The Universal Sideband has a fair size following in Manitoba. Most sideband customers would be using dry or liquid fertilizer. Rates depend a lot on the operation and the area. We suggest you talk to your agronomist about your situation (soil type, growing season rainfall, crops).

We have customers who successfully applied over 100 lb/acre of actual N. This has also been used with soybeans to sideband fertilizer.

I am curious about the situation with the Dutch Paired Row you have sown the soybeans with the last two seasons. What type of drill is it? What opener are you running? Are you putting the beans in a paired row or are you using the single row tube on a triple shoot tube?

D.E.