Deep furrow drill prototypes to be put to the test
Washington Ag Today June 29, 2011 Funding from a combination of sources is helping to continue research of deep furrow drill prototypes that can hopefully seed through heavy residue enabling eastern Washington farmers in low rainfall areas to adopt reduced tillage systems. Washington State University agronomist Bill Schillinger calls the funding innovative. Schillinger: “Washington Grain Commission, Benton-Franklin County Conservation District and Wheat Foundation combined for three sources of funding to fund the testing of these prototypes.” Schillinger says five acres near Ritzville were rented from a farmer and the residue will be a challenge to seed through this fall. Schillinger: “Residue height before undercutting was 14 to 20 inches tall. The grower cut it really tall. Average dry weight of that residue was 53-hundred pounds and that was measured in April this spring. Fifty-three hundred pounds of dry matter residue, that is a lot of residue. We undercut that and fertilized and that looks really woolly. It looks great. It is going to be a wonderful test site and tough seeding. It is going to be tough seeding to put these prototypes to the test.” In addition to the prototype developed by the Lind Experiment Station there will be two, possibly three other drills involved in the test. Schillinger says next year there will be even tougher seeding conditions as one plot will only have the heads cut off the wheat. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net.
