FurrowForce row closing system

Properly adjusting the closing system is difficult. FurrowForce is a two-stage closing system that adapts to planting conditions to eliminate air pockets and firm soil, preserving moisture to ensure the crop germinates in the best possible way..

What is the perfect depth at which seeds should be placed when the planter has done its job? There should be no trace that the planter created a furrow, placed the seed, and closed the furrow. There should be no air pockets; the soil needs to be soft enough for seeds to germinate, yet firm enough to prevent moisture loss. This is a delicate balance that must be achieved, and there's significant yield potential if done correctly. This means accounting for and correcting field variability, and ensuring every seed germinates simultaneously. When seeds don't germinate at the same time, yield loss follows.

Since the right environment is crucial for the profitability of your farming operation, what prevents us from improving it? Most of the time, it comes down to knowledge. During planting, do you know the weight of the gauge wheels and if they maintain ground contact without compacting the soil? Do you know if the closing system ensures optimal soil placement around each seed? The answer is, very often, we don't. Especially with closing systems, there are so many wheel options and spring pressure settings – which is best? And the biggest question is: How do we know? Digging up a few seeds from your field provides some clarity, but that's only a tiny fraction of the total seeds planted. There's no way to truly know if the closing system is doing its job well. But now, you don't just have to hope while planting.

Since the right environment is crucial for the profitability of your farming operation, what prevents us from improving it? Most of the time, it comes down to knowledge. During planting, do you know the weight of the gauge wheels and if they maintain ground contact without compacting the soil? Do you know if the closing system ensures optimal soil placement around each seed? The answer is, very often, we don't. Especially with closing systems, there are so many wheel options and spring pressure settings – which is best? And the biggest question is: How do we know? Digging up a few seeds from your field provides some clarity, but that's only a tiny fraction of the total seeds planted. There's no way to truly know if the closing system is doing its job well. But now, you don't just have to hope while planting.

Many growers think about properly closing the furrow with the seeds. But placing soil over the seeds is only part of the equation. Managing soil density to maintain moisture is a key component in creating the best seed environment. Growers are satisfied when they don't see open furrows behind the planter during conventional tillage. However, in this soil environment, tillage occurs ahead of the planter, allowing air into the soil and drying it out. If the soil density above the seed is loose, it continues to dry, and the moisture needed for rapid germination is quickly lost. FurrowForce solves this problem by maintaining a specific amount of weight on the spiked wheels to firm the soil over the seed, remove air from the soil, and retain moisture for a longer period, allowing each seed to germinate consistently.

FurrowForce is controlled by the Precision Planting 20|20 monitor. The 20|20 display gives the operator a complete picture of planting performance, now including closing. The weight carried on the second-stage spiked wheels is adjusted by the 20|20. There are also closing performance metrics shown on the 20|20, such as field performance, good percentage, and closing uniformity. If you are working in very dry conditions, you can increase the weight on the second-stage spiked wheels simply by pressing a few buttons from the cab. Never before have you had the confidence that your closing system is performing across the entire field.