Sunflower® is expanding its tillage offering to include the new 6650-48 vertical tillage tool as part of the 6600 Series, along with two larger split-wing disc harrows from the 1436 Series. The 6650-48 provides farmers with a class-leading, true working width of 47ft, 11 inches. The new split-wing 1436SW models provide 600 pounds-per-foot of residue-cutting weight for tough residue management operations.

Sunflower® 6650-48 Vertical Tillage Tool

“Sunflower® is excited to offer the 6650-48 vertical tillage tool to today’s conservation-minded farmers,” says Larry Kuster, AGCO senior marketing specialist for tillage. “It provides a significant boost in productivity by harnessing the potential of high-horsepower tractors with the ability to cover more than 38 acres an hour.”

Features:

• Sunflower Saber Blades™, combined with proven staggered offset gang design in a large-width, five-section 6×6-inch frame, provide superior performance in the field, all while folding to transport dimensions of 18 feet, 2 inches wide and 13 feet, 11 inches high.
• The blade design and 18-degree offset gang angle of Sunflower vertical tillage tools provide optimum performance in cutting and sizing crop residue. The residue left behind by these tools creates a surface that is resistant to wind and water erosion.
• The frame features thicker-wall 6×6-inch tubing (3/8-inch thick in high-stress areas) for a stronger, heavier frame, and is cross-braced and gusseted for added strength and maintenance-free service.
• The 6650-48 rides on a patented walking triple design, which uses two walking-beam pivot points to create a series of walking tandem wheels.

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Manufacturers are switching their focus from moisture conservation implements to full-tilt tillage tools as waterlogged fields become the muddy new norm rather than the exception.

In response to farmer demand, Sunflower introduced two new implements in September: the 6650-48 vertical tillage tool and two split-wing 1436 disc harrows.

Dennis Lewallen, chief engineer on both cultivator projects, said there are valid reasons why farmers are adding tillage implements to their equipment lineups.

The bottom line is that zero tillage has inadvertently created four distinct problems for farmers that only tillage can fix:

“We’re seeing a lot more herbicide problems,” Lewallen said.

“More weeds are becoming resistant to chemicals, so some form of tillage is necessary.”

Weed specialists in the northern Great Plains states and across the prairie provinces are nearly unanimous in their belief that glyphosate was too easy to use and farmers came to rely on it too much. Herbicide resistance is the ugly result.

Many regions have had almost a decade of above-average rainfall, but some farmers are still adjusting to the idea that they should do everything possible to conserve soil moisture. Those waterlogged fields need tillage to dry the soil.

Tire ruts have become another big factor because of the mud, and tire ruts don’t take care of themselves.

However, it’s not only muddy conditions that call for surface tillage. Depending on soil type, long-term zero till fields can develop a rough surface that’s hard on sprayers and combines.

Many zero-till producers are beginning to realize that the frost they once figured would break up soil compaction isn’t doing the bang-up job they assumed it would.

Read the full article on The Western Producer. 

Just like having the right-sized tractor to pull these exceptionally effective and efficient implements, replacement parts are critical.

Today’s farmers have to overcome numerous hurdles in preparing optimum seedbeds: hard-packed soil, heavy residue left over from genetically modified crops, erosion concerns, and continued demands for speed and efficiency. To meet the challenge, Sunflower offers more than 100 models and configurations of seeding and tillage tools, each designed to help enhance seed-to-soil contact for rapid and uniform emergence. That means greater efficiency, better yields, higher profits.

Indeed, with almost 70 years of excellence, farmers have come to trust Sunflower. It’s a name synonymous with quality and dependability. Now, that same excellence can be found in new Sunflower Genuine Tillage Parts, such as blades, sweeps, chisels and points.

Just like having the right-sized tractor to pull these exceptionally effective and efficient implements, replacement parts are critical to the best-in-class operation of Sunflower Seed and Tillage tools. Ensure you maintain that high level of performance in your fields with Sunflower Genuine Tillage Parts.

When it comes replacement parts, get the ones that Sunflower says are the best, the highest quality, the best performing, and the longest lasting.

Watch the videos and visit with Sunflower Seed and Tillage’s Larry Kuster at http://www.myfarmlife.com/advantage/sunflower-seed-and-tillage-built-around-the-parts/.

At AGCO, we’re pleased to announce that the RoGator RG700 self-propelled sprayer has been nominated for another industry award!

The RG700 is among top products nominated by readers of No-Till Farmer magazine for Product of the Year. Voting is open for growers only through Saturday, November 8, in 13 different categories, including Category 9-Spraying Equipment. Multiple products can be cast within each product category.

Visit http://www.no-tillfarmer.com/pages/Vote-Now-Open-For-No-Till-Product-Of-The-Year.php to learn more and cast your vote for your favorite products. You could be one of 20 lucky voters who will receive a No-Till Farmer shirt just by voting!

The winners will be announced in the Winter 2015 issue of No-Till Farmer’s Conservation Tillage Guide and will be recognized at an awards ceremony on Friday, Jan. 16, at the 23rd annual National No-Tillage Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Engineered for smaller fields, the nimble RG700 sprayer was recognized in 2013 as CropLife Iron Product of the Year and AgriMarketing magazine’s New Product of the Year, and as a 2014 recipient of an AE50 design award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).

How do you protect your soils from yield-sapping hardpan?

“Soil compaction is one of the most common problems farmers face today – it severely limits yields and impacts margins,” says Cameron McKenzie, Seeding & Tillage Product Marketing Manager for the farm equipment brand, Challenger. “However,  key steps can be taken to deal with it through the use of proper soil management.”

“As the name implies, compaction occurs when soil particles are compacted together, restricting the amount of space for the air and water needed for optimum plant growth. Compaction can occur naturally or be caused by farming practices. Most often, compaction is created by today’s modern heavy equipment traffic. The key to controlling it is to understand your farm’s soils, ascertain the root cause of compaction and learn how to reduce its costly effects.”

“Compaction tends to build up over time and gets worse every time you work your fields –  most particularly in wet conditions,” he says. “If you haven’t deep-ripped your fields for example, compaction from a wet spring three years ago can dramatically lower yields further down the line.”

Certain soils compact more easily than others. Soils made up of particles of about the same size compact less than soils with particles of varied sizes. Wet soils compact more easily than dry, while soils high in organic matter have a better structure and are more likely to resist compaction.

Some important things to remember:

• Most compaction is caused by equipment traffic
• Up to 80% of compaction in the field occurs on the first pass  of the season
• Surface compaction is caused by high ground pressure created by reduced contact area
• Deep compaction is caused by high axle loads
• Slip compaction is caused by low surface contact areas and smearing of the topsoil
• Pinch-row compaction is caused by dual or triple wheels as ground pressure from the tyres shifts from the centre of the tyre to the outside

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