Dual Tool Injects Manure And Seeds Cover Crops

Dual Tool Injects Manure And Seeds Cover Crops MANURE HANDLING Equipment Chesapeake Bay area farmer Virgil Gutshall Sr takes care of his crop and the environment in a single pass While his 4 250-gal liquid manure injection system sidedresses standing corn the toolbar mounted Gandy Orbit-Air seeder broadcasts cover crop seed The dual-tool system ensures that any nutrients not used by the crop will be taken up by the cover crop for release the following year “Everything is controlled with the monitor on the tractor ” explains Gutshall a retired ag instructor who farms with his son Virgil Jr The Gutshalls got the idea from Ohio State University research that showed a 20-bu yield increase with sidedressed liquid hog manure They especially like the Krohne flow meter for its control and as-applied data recording “We can switch from 7 000 gal of manure in one field to 6 000 in another ” says Gutshall What the Ohio State setup didn’t address was cover crops The Gutshalls practice zone tillage and wanted to interseed cover crops They mounted the Gandy unit to the Houle tank spreader toolbar Seed is delivered via air stream to hoses with PVC nozzles The seed strikes the ground to the rear of the liquid manure injectors In 2015 the Gutshalls used drag chains to cover the seed This year they are mounting 15-in wide Binkley & Hurst rolling baskets in place of the chains “The spring-tensioned rolling baskets will improve seed incorporation and germination ” says Gutshall “We are also replacing the PVC nozzles with 12-in wide shop vacuum nozzles for a wider seed pattern ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Virgil E Gutshall Sr 122 Elsie Circle Blain Penn 17006 ph 717 536-3444; vegsr@pa net

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