After using a demo unit to seed canola into fall banded barley stubble Ray was convinced of the benefits of low disturbance seeding. Spring 2002 saw the first year of direct seeding on the Herauf farm as a 5710 Air Hoe Drill with Mid Row Banders® and a 5250 Air Seeder pulled into the field to seed wheat, barley, lentils, peas and canola on the 1500 acre farm. A one-pass system was required for 2002 because the fall of 2001 received very low precipitation and fall banding could not be done due to the dry conditions. “Yields for the year I consider to be quite good, above local averages.”
Several years of drought across parts of the Prairie Provinces has caused producers to focus on conserving soil moisture and reducing erosion. The benefits of direct seeding were demonstrated through these difficult times. As Ray noticed how the conventional tilled fields around his direct seeded fields were drifting he noted to his wife “This new unit has already paid dividends”. The high on-row packing forces combined with the unmatched trash flow makes the 5710 Air Hoe Drill an ideal direct seeding tool. Using the Mid Row Banders® allowed for one-pass seeding while maintaining a quality field finish. “The fields seeded with the Mid Row Banders® were a lot smoother than the field seeded with double shoot knives”. With the minimal soil fracturing the soil moisture stays sealed in the soil where it can be used by the crop.