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By Becky Zimmer

Seeding it right

SeedMaster takes closer look at row distribution efficiencies

Jul 28, 2021 | 11:20 AM

HUMBOLDT, Sask. — Spring seeding can be a delicate business for prairie producers and seeding precision has been a common problem for decades.

Tim Criddle, Global Sales Director with SeedMaster out of Regina, says they have been working on ways to improve seed and fertilizer distribution for the last couple of years.

At SeedMaster, their focus lately has been ensuring proper distribution along the many rows in a field. This has been a challenge that has been plaguing the industry, Criddle said.

“When the seed and fertilizer has to travel through long distribution lines, go through one or two different manifolds and then go through different lengths of hoses, what you can end up with is two or three or four canola seeds, and then a six or seven inch gap and another one or two seeds,” Criddle told farmnewsNOW.

“With our fertilizer knife we can lay down a roll of fertilizer, and then, above it and off to the side to get really good separation and protection for the seed, we create a shelf and lay down seeds. Our depth is extremely uniform, that separation between seed and fertilizer is outstanding.”

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Improve uniform depth and row distribution, as well as seed and fertilizer distribution all in one pass has been an ongoing project, he said and now SeedMaster’s UltraPro SR single rank 60-foot drill is the latest answer to this problem, said Criddle, with every seed knife having its own dedicated meter and line to eliminate the distance a seed has to travel through the manifold system, therefore eliminating the probability of seed death. When every seed is an expense to producers, equal distribution along the row at the proper depth means more efficient use of seeds.

With the UltraPro SR, producers have two tanks with a total 300 bushel seed capacity and two tanks with a combined 45 bushel fertilizer capacity with no manifold or high-velocity fans, said Criddle.

“Because we’ve taken away all of those impact zones that are associated with a manifold distribution system, we’re getting near zero mortality on the seeds. So the seeds themselves go into the ground, undamaged, they’re vital and they emerge.”

There is no step in the process more vital than seeding, said Criddle, so taking care of all the factors within the producers’ control is important for getting as much efficiency as possible.

“Putting your seed down accurately, at the right depth with an even distribution across the toolbar and down the seed row is going to give your crop the maximum opportunity to reach its full potential.”

According to the Canola Council of Canada, producers are looking at around 50-80 plants per square metre. Anything below 30-40 plants per square metre and producers are looking at lower yield potential.

“Factors such as soil moisture, soil temperature, fertilizer toxicity, seeding speed, seeding depth, seed placement, seed-to-soil contact, seed vigor, seedling disease and dormancy can affect germination and emergence,” stated the council on their website.

The 2022 model has been available on limited release but will be made widely available on June 1. SeedMaster already has large operation producers seeing the benefits of the SR system, said Criddle.

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becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim