Planting Equipment
Randy Dowdy explains the importance of germination depth — how it can set up your corn crop to deliver more bushels without adding any costs in the process.
Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie explains how to optimize hydraulic downpressure and closing systems to achieve uniform emergence, picket-fence stands and maximum yield across every soil type and condition.
He says a simple ratchet strap and an open-furrow diagnostic strategy help him achieve the best planting depth and seed germination.
Strategic purchasing and smart financing can help farmers navigate today’s equipment landscape while protecting their long-term cash flow, says one industry expert.
The 8R/8RX series delivers up to 540 HP for added power and maneuverability. New planter enhancements improve seed placement and emergence; combine and front-end updates drive greater efficiency through harvest.
From rethinking plant populations and fertility to SCO/ECO coverage, the two high-yield farmers share their plans for managing ongoing volatility.
How sharpening the point is allowing farmers to do more and use less
Unverferth 60-Series Seed Runner is designed to deliver more operational efficiency for growers pressed for time and labor.
Ken Ferrie explains how to prioritize planter attachments, why digging cross-sections is essential for ground-truthing planter performance, and the hidden risks of excessive closing wheel downforce.
Hardware and technology changes can help farmers overcome the “residue hurdle,” achieve more uniform stands and accomplish robust early-season growth in 15" soybeans.
To keep expenses in check, high-yield growers are rethinking everything from fertilizer use and planter prep to pest programs and how they manage field borders.
If your farm machinery auto steer or GPS guidance system is tied into a local RTK or Real Time Network corrections signal, there are critical updates to make before spring planting. Find out what experts say you should do soon.
Farm equipment news and product introductions for early-fall 2025.
In a statement issued to Farm Journal, John Deere says fewer machinery orders from farmers are coming in, so more layoffs are slated to hit factory workers in Des Moines and Waterloo.
One of the online auction market’s pioneering trailblazers shares some pointers for both buyers and sellers.
AGCO’s Fendt brand has added four models of row crop tractors ranging from 426 hp to 550 hp and the first-ever stack fold planter. And both new offerings are jam-packed with PTx precision technologies.
Farmer buying behavior on new versus used machinery is often influenced by two factors: interest rates and the supply of viable, reasonably-priced upgrade options.
An up-and-down early growing season in the Upper Midwest left many soybean farmers with small, stressed soybean plants. Find out what the carbon penalty is and learn strategies to beat it and save the crop.
This year’s program features all new agronomic content to help farmers grow and harvest high-yielding crops. Two of the key sessions: selecting a corn planter that’s right for your farm, and developing a systems approach to success with early-season soybeans. We look forward to seeing you there!
A false report surfaced online, eliciting a direct response from the manufacturer that could not be more clear: “We’re not shutting down U.S. manufacturing. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.”
Casey Seymour and Machinery Pete dig in and unpack the impact of online farm equipment auctions, supply and demand forces at play in the market right now and growing farmer interest in used sprayers and combines.
Great Plains introduces two narrow-transport box drills, Honda is bringing back its FourTrax lineup of ATVs, and Bobcat and Kioti have released new utility tractors with enclosed cabs and versatile implements.
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers reports that April tractor and combine sales were both down significantly from 2024, yet it’s possible farmers start buying new machines again this fall.
Misery loves company: commiserate with two frustrated row crop farmers who are fed up with equipment and technology outages, and learn about a simple fix that just might keep your planter up and running this spring.
Make adjustments as you plant because when those final steps are done poorly, corn germinates unevenly and there’s no way to go back and undo the damage.
One farmer who was chased out of fields by rain this past weekend told Farm Journal, “This is the wettest drought I have ever seen.” There are some silver linings, though: soil-applied herbicides are being activated, the U.S. corn crop won’t all pollinate the same week and you have time to make stand counts where the crop has emerged.
David Cogen partnered with John Deere during the 2024 growing season to till, plant, spray and harvest a small field at Deere’s Boundurant, Iowa, test farm. In the process, he says he learned a lot about farming and how difficult it truly is.