North America¡¯s Largest Air Drill
North America¡¯s Largest Air DrillAs fuel and input prices spiral higher than ever, some prairie farmers are driving down their costs per acre with a new 88-foot air drill - the largest in North America.
The M90 Seed Master air drill is available in 88 and 90-foot widths and features 12 or 14-inch row spacing. The combination of such a large drill with wider row spacing adds up to considerable cost savings, say two Saskatchewan farmers who were among the first to buy the M90 this spring.
Fuel and Labour Savings¡°We noticed an immediate drop in fuel usage, and we were able to put in quite a few more acres per day,¡± says Dean McPherson, of Yellow Grass, SK, who replaced his 52-foot air seeder with an 88-foot Seed Master. McPherson estimates he cut his fuel bill by almost 70 cents per acre with the 88-footer.
¡°With 14-inch row spacing, I¡¯ve got fewer openers pulling through the ground, so I¡¯m burning less fuel. And with 88-feet, I¡¯m putting less hours on my tractor for lower fuel consumption,¡± says McPherson.Alfred Bechard saw the same benefits. ¡°We planted more acres with the same amount of fuel and did it faster with the 88-foot Seed Master. We seeded 66 acres/hour compared to 50 acres/hour last year. We increased our tractor speed a little, but the wider drill was a big factor in increasing our acres/hour,¡± says Bechard, who along with his son Ron and son-in-law Joel Cavers, operates Be-ver Farms, seeding 11,000 acres of grain and oilseeds.
¡°It costs about $1200 to fill our tractor everyday. Reducing our fuel usage really adds up,¡± says Bechard. ¡°And getting that crop in faster is essential, especially if there¡¯s an early fall frost.¡±
Two years ago, Be-ver Farms traded in two smaller drills for one 80-foot Seed Master on 12-inch row spacing - enabling them to seed the same amount of acres in almost the same amount of time, but with only one drill, one tractor and one operator. This year, the extra eight feet they gained with the 88-footer helped shave more than 24 hours off their seeding time. ¡°It meant we didn¡¯t have to seed around the clock like last year.¡±
Wider Row Spacing But time and fuel savings aren¡¯t the only advantages of the 88-footer, say Bechard and McPherson. They have both moved to 14-inch row spacing, and look forward to the benefits of conserving valuable soil moisture. That¡¯s because wider row spacing requires fewer openers and creates less soil disturbance, says Bechard. The fact that wider rows make it easier to cut stubble taller and seed between the rows the following spring is also an important part of the soil moisture equation, says McPherson. He plans to cut his stubble up to 14 inches high this fall and seed between the rows with a Smart Hitch for better water-use efficiency.
Taller Stubble Boosts Yields Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research in Swift Current shows seeding between rows of taller stubble boosts yields because it catches more snow, shelters seedlings from the wind, and can reduce evaporation by up to 30 per cent in 12-inch stubble. ¡°Water is an input we don¡¯t pay for, but it can cost dearly if you don¡¯t have enough of it,¡± says McPherson. ¡°Wider row spacing should help maximize the return on our fertilizer investment, especially in dry years, and make moisture less of a limiting factor in reaching our target yields.¡± Research by the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) shows cutting stubble taller also saves on fuel and labour at harvest because less material passes through the combine. ¡°Everything I¡¯ve heard and read about 14-inch row spacing points to good results and a great crop,¡± says Bechard. ¡°With fuel and input costs so high, we¡¯ve got to keep looking for ways to lower our costs per acre. The efficiencies offered by the 88-foot Seed Master in combination with wider row spacing help make that possible.¡±
Designed and manufactured by Seed Master Manufacturing in Regina, a 90-foot version of the M90 Seed Master air drill will be on display at the Farm Progress Show in Regina next week.
