Planter Setup and Precision Agriculture Components for Optimal Emergence

Planting is arguably the most important operation we preform on grain production farms every year. There are a lot of planter upgrades like hydraulic down force, aftermarket closing wheels, and variable rate seeding that can assist in achieving accurate seeding depth, seed to soil contact, and furrow closure. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badger Ag. Tech. Lab we have investigated variable row unit downforce and aftermarket closing wheels. We have also been investigating best management practices for planting into high residue no-till production systems. Results from these studies will be presented in this session.