Dave H (MI)
Well-known Member
So I spent all day out there. Dug up a lot of samples all over the place. I'll back up a couple steps here. The seed last year was large flat. This year is small round. Count is the same. A couple of questions came up about the monitor. Yes, I have one. The planter is an 8 row and all of the sensors are new. There is either a problem with the harness, however, or maybe just slow seed delivery on the eighth row as it has always shown that it is not planting even though it is. Other than that, the monitor would tell me here and there that certain rows were not planting and then they would drop off the monitor and be fine again. It has done that for as long as I have owned it. I had spoken to CIH service and others and was told that it would do that. They said it was sensitive and any momentary disruption in the timing of seed past the sensor would give a quick error for that row. Other than row 8, none of the rows was perpetually on the monitor. I have to tell you that I don't much care for posts where people try to point a finger and accuse. Not productive and not helpful, but do it if you must. Keep in mind, also, that it is the most basic monitor. It does not give any detail other than a row number.
Now to the digging!!! I have about 40 acres of cornfield on this property for 2015. This 40 acres consist of two small fields and one larger field. About 10,10, and 20 acres respectively. The first field we planted was down by the road and is a 10 acre piece. Sample digging here showed corn seed at 8-10" intervals. Keep in mind, I will not find ALL the seeds in a furrow.
The second field we planted was the other 10 acres. It is divided by a swale. I don't plant there because if it gets wet the corn won't grow and last year my tenant sunk a big tractor in it to the frame. So I plant it in two parts. The back part had corn at about 10-12" intervals that I could find. The front half also about the same. Unless I am missing a lot of seed, and i likely am, this is a little short of normal.
The large field was planted east to west and the samples on the eastern rows and all headlands show similar density of around 10-12" intervals of located seed. As I moved to the center of this field, however, I was having difficulty finding seed. As I moved to the western rows, the seed was almost non existant.
I have about 150 lbs in the planter. My plan is to go back to the western end of the last field and replant in reverse until I have used up what I was supposed to put in the ground. After that I will leave it in God's hands.
So he may have been kidding, but I am taking neighbor rrlund's advice, unless someone has a better idear.
Now to the digging!!! I have about 40 acres of cornfield on this property for 2015. This 40 acres consist of two small fields and one larger field. About 10,10, and 20 acres respectively. The first field we planted was down by the road and is a 10 acre piece. Sample digging here showed corn seed at 8-10" intervals. Keep in mind, I will not find ALL the seeds in a furrow.
The second field we planted was the other 10 acres. It is divided by a swale. I don't plant there because if it gets wet the corn won't grow and last year my tenant sunk a big tractor in it to the frame. So I plant it in two parts. The back part had corn at about 10-12" intervals that I could find. The front half also about the same. Unless I am missing a lot of seed, and i likely am, this is a little short of normal.
The large field was planted east to west and the samples on the eastern rows and all headlands show similar density of around 10-12" intervals of located seed. As I moved to the center of this field, however, I was having difficulty finding seed. As I moved to the western rows, the seed was almost non existant.
I have about 150 lbs in the planter. My plan is to go back to the western end of the last field and replant in reverse until I have used up what I was supposed to put in the ground. After that I will leave it in God's hands.
So he may have been kidding, but I am taking neighbor rrlund's advice, unless someone has a better idear.