“Our dealer is very knowledgeable about seeding equipment. He got us interested in the Bourgault Mid Row Bander® concept. After he explained how it worked , it seemed to be exactly what we were looking for in a seeding system. We traded in our Bourgault 5700 Air Hoe Drill for a Model 5710 AHD with MRBs® and ¾ inch knives. The first field we tried had flax stubble. We seeded directly into it and didn’t have a problem. That alone convinced that we had bought the right system. The residue clearance was outstanding.
"We had put some NH3 down last fall. In the spring we seeded the other land in one pass, saving time, fuel and wear and tear on our tractor. When you pre-work the land you also dry it out. With the MRB system you haven’t dried the soil and the moisture is right there. In a dry year you really see a difference in emergence. With today’s input costs, no one can afford the penalties of lower yield and quality, and the extra spraying costs that usually accompany poor emergence.
Another bonus was the reduction in rock picking. Because we did low disturbance seeding in only one pass we didn’t bring up as many rocks. The banders were trouble free and worked well in rocks, heavy residue. Also, Mid Row Banders® didn’t ice up (with NH3) like other systems we’ve used or seen used.

There was also a reduction in weeds. Our worry was that the banders would fertilize the weeds however because of the low soil disturbance there weren’t many weeds at all. Other systems that put the NH3 in the same row, but just off to the side, just end up throwing too much dirt and giving the weeds a good chance to grow.”