Beck's Partners With Three Companies to Build Concept Planter

Beck's has announced it is partnering with Harvest International, Precision Planting, and Schlipf Precision Ag to build a multirow width, multihybrid concept planter for its Practical Farm Research (PFR) program. This concept planter will help the ag industry better understand optimal row spacing, seeding rate, and hybrid combination per acre.

"Over the years, our PFR team has conducted several studies about row spacing and seeding rates, but we have yet to determine the right row spacing, seeding rate, and hybrid combination," says Jason Gahimer, PFR operations manager. "The multirow width, multihybrid concept planter will allow us to plant in 10-inch, 20-inch, and 30-inch rows, as well as multihybrid, variable-rate populations, and apply variable-rate fertility throughout the field to identify the zones, spacing, and seeding rates that will maximize yields."

The concept planter will feature myriad forms of technology, including:

• A custom planter bar and row units by Harvest International
• Precision Planting's vSet Select multihybrid meters
• vApply HD liquid control system
• A FurrowJet in-furrow liquid attachment
• CleanSweep for pneumatic row cleaner control
• DeltaForce hydraulic downforce control system
• Yetter Manufacturing's closing wheels and row cleaners
• A Surefire Ag fertilizer pump system

"We're very excited to partner with Beck's to develop the multirow width, multihybrid concept planter," says Byron Friesen, president of Harvest International. "The planter bar and row units were manufactured in northwest Iowa and are built out of a high tensile-strength steel. Because we laser-cut everything, it ensures a high level of accuracy, which lends itself to more precise planting."

In the fall of 2017, Beck's PFR team will use the concept planter to conduct a 10-inch row width study in wheat. The team will conduct initial corn and soybean field trials in central Indiana in the spring of 2018. Before heading to the fields, the team will work with Beck's precision farming tool, FARMserver, to create management zones in the fields and to identify test blocks.

"In everything we do at Beck's, our goal is to help farmers succeed," says Gahimer. "Our PFR program not only delivers unbiased, agronomic data to farmers, but also adds profitability to their operations. We're excited to partner with companies that believe in innovation, learning, and farmer-focused research. With their support, we're going to help farmers unlock yield potential on every acre."

To learn more about the multirow width, multihybrid concept planter, click here. You can also learn more about Beck's PFR program by visiting beckshybrids.com/PFResearch.