Great Plains used the Power Farming Group’s recent Australian dealer information day to launch its new line up of Yield Pro precision planters.
Critical to the success and accuracy of the new Great Plains Yield-Pro precision planter series is its 25 Series Row Unit and Air-Pro metering assembly.
At a recent PFG dealer day in Melbourne, a single unit had its sides replaced with clear plastic so participants could see exactly how seed travels through the metering device.
The 25 Series Row Unit is designed to plant an exact rate of seed more accurately while also being easier to maintain than the competition and lasting longer.
Its parallel linkage design keeps the row unit in the optimal planting position to maximise spacing accuracy and yield potential. The opener’s body and cast iron parallel arms are narrower, yet stronger, than conventional 30 inch openers.
This narrow profile allows the Yield-Pro’s row unit to plant twin-row crops with each pair being only 8 inches apart. It can also be equipped with automatic down-pressure control as well as a long list of other options for adapting to a wide range of planting and soil conditions.
Great Plain’s Air-Pro Meters collect, separate and plant individual seeds at even spacings for maximum survival, growth and yield potential.
The Air-Pro Meters load seed in the seed disc using pressurised air. As the seed rotates, it enters the brush area where the air is cut off. Without the air flow, the seed is mechanically held in the seed disc until it drops directly into the Clear-Shot Seed Tube.
This results in consistent seed drop, unlike competitive vacuum meters which utilise “early” and “late” release and affect spacing.
Any type of seed can be sown successfully through the unit with great accuracy by fitting the appropriate sowing disc. Discs sizes start coarse for corn and larger type seeds, and progressively become smaller and smaller for finer seeds like canola.
PFG National Sales Manager Cultivation and Seeding Justin Fisher who was present at the dealer conference to walk curious dealers through the innovative system says farmers are interested in the finer sowing discs’ ability to plant and singulate canola.
“What we’re looking for here is the same results we get out of corn,” he says.
“There’s big yield increase to be had by using these systems and by doing twin-row plantings, which uses sunlight better for optimised plant growth.”
Great Plains claims the Air-Pro metering system to be the most accurate mechanism for delivering exact population of seed, correct placement and even spacings between each individual seed sown.
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Video: John-Paul Beirouty