Deep-furrow drill design meeting

Deep-furrow drill design meeting

Washington Ag Today November 2, 2009 Wheat growers, equipment fabricators and scientists will meet in Ritzville November 17th to discuss design options for a new deep-furrow drill.

Bill Schillinger, Washington State University agronomist and meeting organizer, says the deep-furrow drills currently used by wheat growers in the summer fallow region are nearly 50 years old, are almost worn out, and have serious drawbacks for conservation farming.

Schillinger: “Basically they have an inability to pass through heavy residue without plugging, which limits conservation tillage in the wheat fallow area. And of course growers are reluctant to leave high quantities of residue on the soil surface when they know it will cause them problems at planting time.”

So the Ritzville meeting will focus on what’s next in deep-furrow drill design beyond the old John Deere HZ and International 150 models.

Schillinger: “We have two well-known regional farm implement fabricators, Dave Barnes from and Waterville and Lloyd Stoess from Washtucna. They will be at the meeting and they will be opening things up with their thoughts on where we might be headed with a new prototype. Then the meeting will be opened up for general discussion.”

The Columbia Plateau PM10 Project has already pledged $20,000 as seed money for the fabrication of a new deep-furrow drill prototype.

The Meeting November 17th is at the Wheat Foundation Building in Ritzville from nine to 11:30 a.m. It’s free and open to the public.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network.

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