Space Wheel Checks Seed Placement In Field

Space Wheel Checks Seed Placement In Field CROPS New Techniques 19-3-23 A new tool that checks the spacing between corn plants promises to help boost yields by making it easy to monitor planter performance. The "Space Cadet" plant spacing calculator is a cross between an acre-measuring wheel and a computerized monitor. It has only two moving parts - a 12-in. dia. rubber wheel connected electronically to a distance calculator, and a wire "stem counter." As the unit is rolled alongside a row of corn, the wire counter clicks off each corn plant that it goes by. Distance, and the number and location of the "clicks", are recorded in a computer-driven monitor mounted on the handle. "It helps you evaluate stands from a number of perspectives, including the accuracy of individual row units on the planter as well as accuracy of the entire planter," says Dan Easton, a crop consultant from Bagley, Iowa. By consulting a table you can determine the percent yield loss that you can expect because of the variability. Information can be stored on up to 99 samples in the field. You can scroll through the samples and write the information down on paper or download it into a computer. You can also download into a pocket data logger on-the-go. "You can use the monitor several times throughout the growing season to pinpoint the reasons for stand variability. For ex-ample, it can be used when corn is just emerging, then after a cutworm or wire-worm infestation, and again after cultivation. "It lets me check many more fields per day than if I had to count them by hand. And by comparing stand data from all my clients I can check for consistencies by hybrids, planter type, planter attachments, etc. Sells for $695 (plus $25 S&H). Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Easton Goers, Inc., 2699 Hwy. 141, Bagley, Iowa 50026 (ph 515 427-5268).

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