He learned this after replacing his planter in 2011, when he also upgraded his precision farming arsenal to run off RTK.
“We now run a 16-row Kinze 3660 planter that we’ve upgraded every year,” Myers says. “The first year, I started by replacing the original finger units on two rows with Precision Planting units from my old planter. After planting five acres, I went back and replaced all of them.
“We went from 93% singulation to 99%. Once we tested the precision placement, we were hooked.”
He’s also upgraded to Precision Planting eSet vacuum meters for even more precise seed spacing and added Schlagel Posi closing wheels from his old planter, which work better in closing the slot in damp soils.
Last year, Myers added DeltaForce hydraulic down pressure and also vDrive electric drives so they can fine tune variable seed population to the row.
The planter is totally controlled by a Precision Planting’s 20/20 SeedSense Gen2 monitor. Myers builds variable-rate fertility and seed population maps with the company’s online FieldView program.
Point of Pain: Two Systems Prove Simplicity Wins
Despite their successes with precision, Myers wishes he did a bit more research before he purchased his John Deere 8330 tractor, which came with a GreenStar 2630 monitor that he uses only for auto-steering.
What Farmers Want From You is a series of farmer profiles that examine the scope of precision farming tools individual farmers are using on their operation, along with the frustrations that can occur with adopting new technology and how dealers can alleviate those "points of pain" for farm customers. For the latest additions to the series, visit our What Farmers Want From You feed.
“I should have talked with my Precision Planting dealer more before I got that monitor,” he says. “I was concerned about the Deere/Kinze/Precision Planting equipment matchup, but my dealer helped with compatibility.”
After operating both systems, which run off of the local Deere dealer’s RTK signal, Myers finds that one monitor would simplify his precision system.
“I find the Precision Planting screens are more user friendly, but Deere wants all of the information to flow back through Apex farm management software, which I find difficult to use,” he says. “With Precision Planting’s system, I can access information on my iPad in the cab of the John Deere S660 combine instead of the GS2630 that’s already installed in there.”
Myers says they trade their combine every year and they simply have their dealer switch the components from the old combine to the new combine.
“I think dealers can offer the most help in solving the small technical errors,” he says. “When there is a software upgrade, it seems the fix for one bug creates others.
“I appreciate when the dealers tell us when there are upgrades to stay ahead of potential problems. I am not always up to speed on what this equipment can do, but their assistance is very helpful in getting the most value from this equipment.”
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