The Furrow - The Seed’s Lifeline
Digging seeds is a time consuming yet important task at planting time. Getting your eyes on the furrow,
where the seeds are placed, will allow you to understand if those seeds are in an environment to thrive. Does
the seed have adequate temperature and moisture? Has it been surrounded by clean soil, free of residue?
What is the power of the soil around each seed to feed the growing plant? Until now, you didn’t know these
things for every seed, you were simply guessing. With SmartFirmer you can now have eyes in the furrow
Smarter Every Season
Soil warmth and moisture are the two most critical factors to consider
at planting time for rapid, uniform germination to happen. SmartFirmer
measures soil temperature in real time and displays it on the 20|20 allowing
you to decide if the soil is warm enough for germination to happen quickly.
Moisture can vary from heavy low ground to a sandy knob in the fi eld, and
SmartFirmer will show this change to you, allowing you choose to plant a
little deeper to maintain adequate moisture. Mechanical problems on the
row unit, such as a loose gauge wheel can cause dry soil to shower into the
furrow. SmartFirmer would alert you to this, allowing you to look for the issue
on the row unit and fi x it.
Residue Visibility
Old crop residue in the furrow hurts a seed’s ability to germinate quickly, but it can also carry disease into the new crop. SmartFirmer senses residue in the furrow and displays a clean furrow metric on the 20|20. SmartFirmer residue sensing compliments a fl oating row cleaner control system like CleanSweep® by allowing farmers to have confi dence that the furrow is cleared and that row cleaner settings are correct.
