Over the last few years, I've written numerous articles and talked to many farmers at great length on the importance of residue management - the first step in making the move to direct seeding. The simple fact is that, straw and chaff that is not spread widely and evenly over the field will cause seeding equipment problems.
"Once straw and chaff has been managed properly, the next step is to look at seeding equipment issues," says Mark Olson, reduced tillage agronomist with Alberta Reduced Tillage Initiative, Leduc. "Surveys and focus groups conducted by government and industry alike, reveal that one of the main reasons farmers give for not having made the switch to direct seeding or reduced tillage is seeding equipment."
There are primarily two concerns - the cost of seeding equipment and choosing the right seeding equipment for the soil types and environmental conditions on your particular farm.
"Both of these issues are interrelated, since having a costly new piece of seeding equipment that isn't the right one for the farm, is a farmer's worst nightmare," says Olson. "Interestingly, every type of seeding equipment can work - and work well - if the farmer understand the basic concepts around direct seeding and plant growth."
The cost of equipment is a inherent problem to the business of farming no matter whether it is a seeder, tractor, grain truck, or combine. The biggest question is whether this particular piece of equipment will pay for itself. New seeding technology of today is better than that of 20, 10 and even 5 years ago. In fact, Western Canada is the world leader in this area, with our seeding technology being exported to many countries around the world.
"In many of the machinery cost spreadsheets I've seen run over the last few years, the greatest determining factor in the decision to buy, lease or have the work custom done is farm size," adds Olson. "Commonly, these spreadsheets indicate that a minimum of 1200 to 1500 acres is needed to pay off a new airseeder. This cost is dependent on which options are included as well; seeders with Global Positioning System capability for things such as variable rate fertilization and seeding could cost well over $150,000 depending on the type of opener and width of machine. All these costs add up and must be factored into the decision."
Cost savings in diesel fuel through less tillage passes can often make the annual payments on a new air seeder. Alberta Agriculture's Farm Operations Costs Guide has survey results in which farmers indicate that a single tillage pass costs between $4.50- $6.00/acre. This may be slightly different for each farm and will vary with tractor size, cultivator size, years payments and interest rates. However, based on these survey results, eliminating two tillage passes on 1200 acres would be a $10,800 to $14,400 savings, and that could cover the payment on the new equipment. Machinery cost calculators can be viewed and used by visiting the Alberta Agriculture's internet site.
"For the smaller farmer, increasing the number of acres farmed may or may not be feasible because of land availability in the area or how financially leveraged the farm is already," says Olson. "Neighbors going together to buy large, more costly pieces of equipment is becoming increasingly common but responsibilities have to be clearly defined before hand. Financial institutions will lend money for such arrangements, however, each partner will still be held accountable for the entire amount of the loan rather than simply the share or percentage of ownership of the machine."
Used equipment and modifying equipment is another solution to the high cost of equipment but it's important to do the homework before purchasing.
"Airseeder technology has improved a lot over the last 10 years," continues Olson. "DK Noble, Versatile 2000, and Edwards HD 812 hoe drills, without a lot of modifications, have been used as direct seed drills by many farmers who are just starting in direct seeding. As for modifying seeding equipment, one of the best kept secrets is taking the John Deere 9350, 9450 or International 7200 hoe drills and adding an Atom jet opener to direct seed."