“When we start planning corn, the first thing to check is planter levelness,” she says. “Check that the main toolbar runs level.”

To do so, place small magnetic level on the toolbar and look at the bubble. If it’s not in the middle, farmers will need to make adjustments to their hitch.

“If a planter is running downhill and the hitch is too low, it changes the angle and pitch of row unit. If running a no-till coulter, it’ll run too deep and takes pressure off closing wheels and change the angle of seed tube itself,” Bauer says. “If running uphill and the hitch too high, there’s too much pressure on the closing system, and there will be variation in planting depth and seed spacing.”

Watch Missy troubleshoot planter levelness in the field in Episode 1: