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Planting, Seeding & Spraying Equipment
Drills, planters, seeders and sprayers put seed and product where they belong. These guides cover choosing, calibrating, maintaining and storing the equipment, with label and safety rules front and center.
50 guides in this section.
- Seed Drill Buying Guide
A seed drill is a long-term purchase, and the wrong match for your tractor, ground and seed types shows up every planting season. This guide walks... - No-Till Drill Basics
A no-till drill plants into ground that has not been plowed or disked, cutting through residue or sod to put seed where it can grow. Here is how they... - Grain Drill Calibration
Chart settings get you close, but only a calibration test tells you how much seed your drill actually puts out. This guide covers how to do it safely... - Seed Spacing and Depth Settings
Seed spacing and depth decide how evenly a crop emerges. This guide explains how to set them, check them and fix problems without guessing. - Planter vs. Drill
Both machines put seed in the ground, but they do it differently. Knowing the difference helps you pick the right tool for your crops and acres. - Row Crop Planter Components
A planter looks complicated until you follow the seed from hopper to soil. Once you know each part and its job, setup and troubleshooting get much... - Planter Metering Systems
The meter decides whether each seed lands where you want it. Knowing the types and what upsets them helps you plant better stands. - Seed Singulation Explained
Singulation is about one thing: dropping a single seed at a time. When a planter does it well, plants emerge evenly and compete less. Here is how to... - Closing Wheels and Seed Trenches
The trench the opener cuts is only half the job. The closing wheels decide whether the seed ends up in firm, covered soil or in a hollow that dries... - Planter Row Unit Maintenance
A row unit has many wear points, and each one affects seed placement. A steady maintenance routine saves time in the planting window and improves... - Seed Tube Sensors
A seed tube sensor watches seed pass by and reports to a monitor in the cab. It is a helpful set of eyes, but only if the sensors are clean and you... - Calibrating a Broadcast Seeder
A broadcast seeder throws seed across a swath, so rate depends on gate opening, speed and spread width all at once. Calibrating takes a little time... - Broadcast Seeding for Pasture
Broadcast seeding is a fast, low-cost way to add grass or legume seed to a pasture. It works best when timing, seed contact and grazing management... - Overseeding Pastures with Equipment
Overseeding adds new plants to an existing pasture without starting over. The equipment you choose depends on your sod, your acres and your goals. - Hydroseeding Equipment Basics
Hydroseeding sprays seed, water and other materials onto soil in one pass. It suits slopes and hard-to-reach ground, and the equipment has its own... - Plug Seeder Use
A plug seeder helps you fill transplant trays with seed quickly and evenly. It is a small tool, but it can speed up spring work on a market farm. - Transplanters for Small Farms
A transplanter sets seedlings into the ground at set spacing and firms soil around each plant. For a small farm, the right machine can save many... - Vegetable Seeders for Tractors
Vegetable seeds are small and varied, so a good seeder has to place them gently and evenly. Here is how tractor-mounted vegetable seeders work and... - Precision Planting Technology
Precision planting adds sensors, controllers and guidance to a planter to improve placement and records. The market changes fast, so it helps to know... - Variable Rate Seeding
Variable rate seeding changes the seeding rate across a field based on a plan, such as soil zones. It takes good data and the right equipment, and... - Sprayer Buying Guide for Small Farms
A sprayer touches every part of a small farm, from pasture weeds to orchard rows. Picking the right one starts with what you will spray, where and... - Boom Sprayer Calibration
Calibration tells you how much liquid your sprayer actually applies per acre. The label tells you how much is allowed. Calibration is how you make... - Nozzle Selection for Sprayers
Nozzles decide where spray goes, how fine it is and how much comes out. Picking the right ones is mostly about reading the label and matching it to... - Sprayer Pump Maintenance
The pump is the heart of any sprayer. A few habits after each job keep it pumping steady for years, and a few warning signs tell you when to stop. - Sprayer Tank Cleaning
A poorly cleaned tank can hurt your next crop or contaminate water. Cleaning is routine work that deserves a plan, a place to do it and the label in... - Avoiding Spray Drift
Spray drift is product that leaves the target and lands somewhere you never intended. Most drift problems come from a handful of habits you can... - Weather Conditions for Spraying
A well-calibrated sprayer can still do a poor job if the weather is wrong. A quick, consistent weather check protects your crop, your neighbors and... - Herbicide Application Equipment
Picking herbicide equipment comes down to acreage, terrain, the product label and how often you spray. Buy for the job you actually do, not the one... - Fungicide Spraying Basics
Fungicide works best when it is on the plant before disease takes hold, and when coverage reaches the part of the plant that needs protection.... - Insecticide Spraying Safety
Insecticides are made to kill, which is why careful handling matters for you, your family, your animals and the pollinators around your farm. Safe... - Spot Spraying Equipment
Spot spraying treats only the weeds that need it, which can save product and spare the grass around them. The right rig keeps the job quick and the... - ATV vs. Tractor Sprayers
ATV sprayers and tractor-mounted sprayers solve different problems. The better choice depends on your acreage, terrain, how often you spray and what... - Orchard Sprayers
Tree fruit needs spray that reaches through leaves, fruit and branches, often at heights a field boom cannot match. Orchard sprayers are built for... - Air-Blast Sprayer Basics
An air-blast sprayer uses a large fan to carry droplets into the canopy. Getting the air, the nozzles and your speed to work together is what makes... - Sprayer Filtration Maintenance
Most sprayer headaches that look like pump or nozzle trouble start with a dirty filter. A routine of checking and cleaning screens saves time,... - Pressure Gauge and Regulator Troubleshooting
When sprayer pressure acts up, the gauge, the regulator, a filter or the pump could be at fault. Working through them in order saves guessing and... - Foam Markers for Sprayers
A foam marker leaves a temporary line on the ground so you can see where the last pass ended. It is a low-cost way to cut skips and overlaps without... - Section Control for Sprayers
Section control shuts parts of the boom off where you have already sprayed or where you should not spray. It cuts overlap, saves product and helps... - Sprayer Storage and Winterization
A sprayer that sits through winter with water and chemical residue in it will cost you in spring. A careful cleanout and drain protects the pump,... - Fertilizer Application Equipment
Fertilizer equipment ranges from a hand-crank broadcaster to a large pneumatic spreader. What matters is even spread, accurate rate and equipment... - Liquid Fertilizer Systems
Liquid fertilizer lets you meter nutrients precisely and apply them with a sprayer, toolbar or irrigation line. The system has to be built from parts... - Anhydrous Ammonia Safety
Anhydrous ammonia is a pressurized fertilizer that can cause severe injury in seconds. This article covers general safety concepts only and is no... - Lime Spreaders
Lime raises soil pH, and the spreader you use decides how evenly it goes on. Choose equipment that fits your acreage, your tractor and the way lime... - Manure Application Equipment
Manure is a valuable nutrient source, but it needs equipment that spreads evenly and a plan that protects water. Solid and liquid manure call for... - Compost Spreaders
Finished compost is bulky, uneven and sometimes damp, which makes it harder to spread than commercial fertilizer. The right spreader keeps the job... - Seeder Maintenance Schedule
A seeder that skips, clogs or drops the wrong amount wastes seed and leaves thin stands you live with all year. A simple schedule catches problems... - Planter Storage Tips
A planter stored dirty or damp pays you back in spring with rust, seized parts and rodent damage. An hour of work in fall saves days of trouble at... - Sprayer Record Keeping
Good spray records protect you if a question comes up and teach you what works on your ground. They take a few minutes per job if you keep the form... - Calibration Tools Every Farm Needs
You do not need much to calibrate farm equipment well. A small kit of simple tools lets you check sprayers, spreaders and seeders before they waste... - Planting and Spraying Safety Checklist
Planting and spraying seasons are busy, tired and rushed, which is when injuries happen. A short checklist used every time keeps the basics from...