Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
September 1, 2009
Source: Gustafson Equipment newsletter
Ask any farmer about how to make money when the prices of fertilizer, seed and chemicals soar through the roof, and there’s one thing on his mind – how to cut costs to maximize profit.
With farmers demanding the biggest bang for their buck as production costs rise, the support group behind scenes – from bankers to crop protection dealers - are helping farmers find more innovative ways to squeeze more profit out of each acre.
One seed treatment operation in Atlanta, Ill, is reaching for newer application technology to help in farmers’ cost-cutting agendas.
Rick McKown, vice president, Heartland Seed Production, Inc., says Heartland’s investment in a new seed treatment machine has given them a noticeable increase in control and precision over how much chemical is applied to the client’s seed.
"With the chemicals we’re working with now, it’s quite a bit more expensive than it used to be," McKown says. "If you’re off in your measurements, it can cost you quite a bit of money."
Last year, Heartland Seed Production invested in a Gustafson RH-24 seed treater. The investment in a newer machine has paid off with an increase in precision and control, McKown says.
"Instead of putting on so many gallons per 1,000 bushels, now you’re working with ounces per hundredweight – or even fractions of an ounce per hundredweight of seed," McKown says of today’s application processes. “It takes a pretty good machine to get it down that precise.”
Not only does the upgrade give Heartland more control of the seed going through the machine, "it allows us to be more precise with our calibrations and lets us apply several different chemicals at one time. It helps us supply what our customers want," McKown says.
With the industry in a state of rapid evolution caused by rising commodity prices, the inputs farmers need for crop protection have seen remarkable changes over the past five to eight years, as well, McKown says. Seed-applied crop protection technology has improved significantly over the past few years.
"We’re going to see a lot more to come in what will be offered in seed treatment in the future," McKown notes. "And if we’re going to be able to fully meet our customers’ demands, we have to have the right seed treatment equipment."
