As the planting season approaches it is important that we take the time to make sure our equipment is working correctly. Achieving a great stand starts with making sure the planter is set correctly.

Here is a list of suggestions for planter setup and maintenance. Be sure to talk to your equipment dealer about what else might be needed.

1. Check meters on a test stand in order to visually inspect parts and evaluate performance.
2. Inspect all mechanical drive components and look for any excessive wear including down pressure springs, parallel linkages and bushings.
3. Check seed tubes for any wear in particular the bottom section that can wear or become damaged. Replace if damaged or has excessive wear.
4. Check size, wear and spacing for opening discs; always replace disc openers in pairs.
5. Inspect gauge wheels and ensure opening discs are making proper contacting with the discs. Adjust the shims for each gauge wheel arm to ensure the correct contact with the disc.
6. Inspect closing wheels or discs and ensure bearings are in good shape and that the down force spring is properly set. Replace wheels if worn excessively.
7. For vacuum planters, check all lines for damaged tubes. Check hydraulic motor for leaks and make sure fan is clean.

Once at the field here are four important items to check:
1. Planting depth – Check periodically since seeding depth can be influenced by soil and field conditions. The planter row unit must have sufficient weight so the gauge wheels operate firmly on the soil surface.
2. Row cleaner setting – make sure the row cleaners are not tilling the soil. They are for biomass removal and only need to function or rotate when excessive biomass is encountered.
3. Closing wheel pressure – need sufficient pressure to close the furrow but adjust to the soil conditions. In general, higher pressure is needed in dry soil and light pressure in wet soil to avoid over-compaction.
4. Gauge wheel pressure – there should be sufficient contact pressure in order to firm the soil surface at the specific depth setting but not so much contact pressure that the depth wheels excessively compact soil adjacent to the seed zone.
Do not hesitate to contact your SciMax Solutions team with questions.

December 16th
SciMax Solutions and MaxYield Seed Meeting
Knights of Columbus Hall
Algona, IA
3-6PM

February 5th, 2016
SciMax Learning Group Seminar
Des Moines, IA

December/January
Stay tuned for SciMax Learning Group Meetings

With his analytical mind and ag in his blood, Chris Warren is excited to help SciMax Solutions clients find new ways to maximize their results and add more value to their farming operation.

We recently caught up with Chris, who joined SciMax in mid-June and is based in the West Region, to learn more about his diverse background and how he’s helping clients find the right solutions for their acres.

Q: What’s your farm background?
A: I grew up in Fairmont, MN, but spent a lot of time helping on my family’s farm near Ringsted, where my dad, Dan, raises corn and soybeans. My family’s roots run deep in the Ringsted area. Some of my ancestors came to this area before the town was founded in 1899 by Danish immigrants. I’ve always enjoyed coming back in the spring and fall to help on the farm, because agriculture means a lot to me.

Q: How does your diverse work experience add value for SciMax clients?
A: I graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2008 with a bachelor of science degree in construction management. I had worked a lot of construction jobs and like working outdoors, but then the 2008 recession hit. Since the construction industry was hit hard, I looked elsewhere for work. I became a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial for five years. I learned a lot about business and building relationships with clients.

Q: What do you enjoy about SciMax?
A: I’m an analytical person, so I like how SciMax is focused on information management. I enjoy helping clients put data in a usable form to create an action plan to help them manage nutrients better and improve efficiencies.

Q: What excites you about the future of SciMax?
A: I look forward to seeing the results from our multi-hybrid planter, which we used to plant approximately 1,300 acres this year. Our goal is to help clients find new ways to use cutting-edge technology to manage information, make smart decisions, and consistently boost their yield potential.

I also look forward to working with more SciMax clients. If you’d like to contact me, call me at 712-260-9564.

Editor’s note: Chris moved back to Ringsted in 2013. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, spending time with friends at the lake, and traveling, especially to the western United States, including Colorado.

Any farmer knows that not all fields—or even areas within a field—are created equal. Since there’s no one-size-fits-all corn hybrid or soybean variety that’s right for each management zone, multi-hybrid planting offers the chance for higher yields.

What was once science fiction is becoming reality in 2015 as SciMax Solutions puts this promising technology to the test in clients’ corn and soybean fields.

“We tried multi-hybrid planting last year, and the results whetted our appetite,” said Peter Bixel, SciMax Solutions’ team leader. “We think multi-hybrid planting can bring value to our clients and want to take a closer look at it.”

Multi-hybrid technology provides farmers with the ability to change the seed hybrid they are planting as the planter moves through the field. Instead of selecting an average seed variety for use across an entire field, seed hybrids can be selected and automatically planted to suit different field management zones.

In 2014, MaxYield and SciMax used a six-row planter for multi-hybrid planting on 90 acres. DeKalb also used multi-hybrid planting last year with a prototype 16-row planter on 1,000 acres farmed by SciMax clients.

This spring, SciMax Solutions Specialist Rodney Legleiter used a John Deere 1770 center-fill planter with vSet Select multi-hybrid planting technology from Precision Planting on nearly 1,400 corn and soybean acres on 10 SciMax clients’ farms. The vSet Select technology can plant two hybrids in the same row, switching back and forth as environments change to plant the hybrid that will produce the most in each management zone.

“The vSet Select meters we used on the planter were just released in December of 2014, so this is cutting-edge technology,” Bixel said.

Does it pay?
While a few companies have experimented with multi-hybrid planting in the Midwest, the technology is still in its infancy.

SciMax is partnering with WinField® on multi-hybrid planting research in 2015. “This is something SciMax and MaxYield Seed have wanted to do for a long time,” Bixel said. “We have the information to know where specific hybrids should go, based on SciMax and MaxYield Seed data, the Answer Plot® database, and expertise from partner companies.”

The technology doesn’t come cheap. It costs approximately $30,000 to add the multi-hybrid equipment to a 12-row planter. “We want to find out if the technology is worth the investment, especially in these times of tighter margins,” Bixel said. “Past research has shown a yield advantage of nine bushels on corn and three to four bushels on soybeans.”

This spring, the SciMax team worked with MaxYield Seed specialists to write the multi-hybrid planting recommendations. The recommendations can include two hybrids or two soybean varieties. These “prescriptions” told the monitor which of the two planter boxes to draw from as the planter rolled through each field. Getting the data entered into the monitor was an important part Legleiter did before planting.

“It’s all about placing the right hybrid or variety in the right management zone to maximize yield potential,” Bixel said. “There’s no need to plant a defensive hybrid in the high-yield environment of an A zone, for example, but this hybrid would be a good fit for the C zone, where the soil tends to be lighter and sandier.”

Technology requires more management
While SciMax is interested in multi-hybrid planting for corn, the technology might be especially useful to boost soybean yields. “With the pH, disease, and soybean cyst nematode issues we have throughout northern Iowa, we think multi-hybrid planting might have a significant impact on soybean yields,” Bixel said.

While SciMax’s 2014 multi-hybrid planting trials generated promising results for corn and soybeans, the technology isn’t for everyone. “It requires more attention to detail, so you need to be willing to manage for higher yields,” Bixel said. “We’re here to help you combine the technology, seed selection, and information management to help you get the job done.”

Few companies offer this level of service. In addition, SciMax will share the 2015 results from the multi-hybrid planting trials during grower meetings this winter. “Our goal is to stay two to three years ahead of the competition and see more in your fields,” Bixel said. “Stay tuned for more details.”

SciMax Solutions Specialists Rodney Legleiter and Rachel Amundson check out
Climate tools online.

Imagine waking up in the morning, going online, and signing in to see how much it rained on your fields in the night. You can scan the information in the comfort of your home while enjoying your morning cup of coffee.

It’s possible, thanks to The Climate Corporation’s convenient Climate tools, including the free Climate Basic online service and App. “I tell growers that Climate Basic is something everyone should be using,” said Greg Sweeney, seed team leader at MaxYield Cooperative. “There’s lots of good information there, no matter how big or small your operation is.”

There are 10 good reasons to visit www.climate.com and get started with the free Climate Basic system, which lets you:

1. Track rainfall the easy way. After you create your password-protected Climate Basic account online, you can easily map your fields. Search by section or township, select your fields, and name them. Then the system will start tracking weather information, including rainfall. “I was surprised by how accurate it is,” said Sweeney, who used the tool throughout the 2014 growing season. “It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty impressive.” The rainfall total reflects an average of the field as a whole, not just one reading where a traditional rain gauge is located. For a field near Algona that Sweeney tracked, the system recorded individual rainfall events, such as the 3.52 inches that fell on the field on June 16. The system also adds up rainfall throughout the season. In Sweeney’s example, rainfall totaled 28.6 inches on the Algona field from April 1 to Sept. 15.

2. Receive email or text message alerts. You can receive Climate Corporation emails or text message updates daily about how much rainfall your fields have received in the past 24 hours. Your account can also notify you when your fields get hail. Where does all this information come from? “Climate Corporation models the data from radar,” Sweeney said.

3. Use the App. While Climate Basic’s smartphone App has much less information than the website, it can track rainfall for the past 24 hours, predict precipitation amounts for the next 24 hours, and provide other basic tools.

4. Check out weather forecasts. The Climate Basic website provides the latest weather forecasts. (Note: this option isn’t available on the Climate Basic App.)

5. Access useful weather graphs. Climate Basic records the high and low temperature for your area every day throughout the growing season. It also compiles this information in an easy-to-read line graph.

6. Review history at a glance. Climate Basic offers historical weather data related to your fields. Not only can you view a chart of accumulated precipitation throughout the growing season, but you can review previous years’ rainfall data, too.

7. Monitor crop growth stages. After you enter your planting dates into the system, Climate Basic will monitor the growth stages of your crop during the growing season.

8. Assess field workability. Climate Basic can make predictions about when your fields will be fit for fieldwork by tracking the percentage of soil moisture and the growth stage of the crop.

9. Record field scouting notes. Climate Basic offers a handy way to record and access your field scouting notes.

10. Utilize customer support. Climate Corporation offers an excellent customer support system to help you maximize the technology, Sweeney said.

You can also count on MaxYield to answer any questions about Climate Corporation’s online tools. SciMax Solutions team members are experts in Climate Corporation’s technology-based solutions. MaxYield’s seed solutions specialists and agronomy team members are also familiar with Climate Basic and know how it works. “Feel free to contact us with any questions,” Sweeney said.

Check out Climate Pro
Ready for more? Climate Corporation also offers Climate Pro, a secure, web-based system with five additional resources.

“Climate Pro can help you maximize your high-yielding farms,” said Peter Bixel, team leader for SciMax Solutions. “It is also useful if you have fields 20 miles away or more from where you live.”

There is an acre-based fee for Climate Pro, which has no App but includes five web-based tools (known as “Advisors”) for:

1. Planting. Enter your crop’s maturity, and Climate Pro will advise you about when you should be able to plant, based on weather forecasts. “It may tell you to switch hybrids or varieties, depending on weather conditions in your area,” Bixel said. This Advisor ties in with the Precision Planting system, so you can sync your data from the 20/20 monitor right to your Climate Pro account. “You don’t have to enter any information, since the data can go right to the cloud,” Bixel said.

2. Nitrogen. This tool isn’t a big focus for SciMax Solutions clients, because SciMax Nitrogen offers a better resource, Bixel said.

3. Field Health. This satellite imagery feature is somewhat similar to the R7® Tool, which combines local data with precision ag technology. It helps you find ways to fix the poorer-producing areas of your fields and push yields even higher in the good areas.
4. Pests. Climate Pro makes crop scouting easier. “It tracks when corn larvae might be a challenge, for example, based on temperature and other factors,” Bixel said. “It helps you know what to look for where and when as you scout your fields.”

5. Harvest. This is one of Climate Pro’s most unique features, Bixel said. After entering your corn hybrid and planting data, the tool will give you an idea of when the crop should dry down to around 18% moisture. This can help you determine when to harvest for optimal results.

“We believe there will be some things of real value for you in Climate Pro,” Bixel said. “These resources also fit well with SciMax Solutions and MaxYield’s seed solutions.”

The 2015 fee for Climate Pro is $3 per acre. Clients will sign an agreement with MaxYield to participate in the program. Climate Pro is flexible, Bixel added. “You don’t have to commit all your fields. You can pick and choose which acres you want to include.”

Going forward, the Climate Corporation plans to add more Advisors to the Climate Pro tool. “This technology will continue to evolve and get better,” Bixel said. “We look forward to helping you make the most of it.”

For more information on Climate Basic or Climate Pro online tools, contact your local SciMax solutions specialist, or your nearest MaxYield seed or agronomy team member. ■