Tillage Innovation Profiles

 

Jamie Littlejohn, Wallacetown, Elgin
Soil Type: Sandy Clay | Farm Operation: Cash Crop
Years in Operation of No-till: 6

Tillage/Cropping System

System: No-till
Fall Tillage:
Spring Tillage:

Planter Make, Model and Description
  • Sunflower Drill 30 foot in 3x10 ft sections
  • Metal plates hold down nylon skids on the side of openers to keep ground from coming up when disk rotates.
  • Wide (4 inch) packer allows for lots of down pressure without change in depth.
  • No add-ons used on this drill
Tillage/Coulter Dimensions:
  • Keeton seed firmer
  • One opening disk further forward (by about half an inch) to lead second disk
  • Offset double disk opener
  • No coulter caddy

Fertilizer System:
Liquid In furrow:
Broadcast: Usually broadcast as requirements
Dry Banded:
Additional Nitrogen on Planter:
Sidedress N:

Sunflower Drill
Producer's Comments

Pros

Cons
  • Plenty of down pressure when required, easy to adjust.
  • Maintains even depth from clay to sand with wide pressure wheel.
  • Heavily built.
  • Plants into corn stalks without problems.
  • Does not distribute seed as evenly as corn planter would.