Change can be tough. Especially when a single adjustment impacts a year’s worth of work and you likely can’t measure the results until harvest — maybe longer. Case IH High-Efficiency Farming is built on the idea of challenging the status quo and finding those small changes that deliver the greatest returns.
One of the best places to start when searching for minor adjustments is by digging into some of your longest-, strongest-held assumptions. For example, how do you decide if a field is planter-ready?
Assumption: You can judge a seedbed by its surface.
Reality: A smooth, level seedbed floor and surface improve planting accuracy and efficiency.
Seedbed surface is critical. But you need to dig deeper — to the subsurface floor — and pay attention to everything in between. The subsurface floor determines how your planter’s row units ride across the field. Row-unit bounce can launch a cascade of events, from inconsistent planting depth to uneven emergence to less-than-ideal plant stands and lower yields.
Considered change: If you always run your planter at an angle to your final tillage pass, think about aligning the two. Your planter’s row units won’t have to ride over — or bounce over, at higher speeds — as many imperfections in the subsurface floor.
Even with a high-efficiency seedbed in place, there are long-held beliefs worth shattering when it comes to planting, too.
Assumption: High-speed planting means greater productivity.
Reality: It’s not about how fast you plant, but how consistently you plant well.
High-efficiency planting is measured in the fall by bushels harvested, not during the spring by acres planted. High-efficiency planting balances speed and performance to help you make the most of ideal conditions while hitting critical benchmarks, such as consistent seed placement, proper spacing and a seed environment that encourages fast, uniform emergence.
Considered change: One or two planting technology modifications — such as in-cab adjustments to residue managers, row-closing down pressure or hydraulic downforce, for example — can help you quickly fine-tune row unit performance. At the end of a long, hard day in the field, easy, quick, convenient adjustments can mean the difference between being more precise in your planting or deciding to leave well enough alone and then living with the results.
Small changes. Big benefits. That’s the driving force behind Case IH High-Efficiency Farming. Talk to your Case IH dealer about new equipment, adjustments to existing equipment or simply about how a different approach can drive positive results for your operation.