Comparing Planter Performance: 15-Inch vs. 30-Inch Rows in Soybean Plots
20 Jun 24

Temple Rhodes evaluates the early differences between 15-inch soybeans planted with his standard planter and 30-inch rows planted with a Fendt Momentum Planter he is trialing this season. Both planters are equipped with precision meters, and use the same fertility mix across the board.

Fendt is a paid sponsor of XtremeAg.farm. The views & opinions expressed in this video are those of XtremeAg.farm and are based solely on the experiences of the XtremeAg team.

00:00 So we just got done planting some plots with, with a fent planter versus one of my other planters. And I wanted to bring TJ over here 00:06 and show him where we, we put it into beans. Both of our planters are running precision, um, equipment on it. 00:11 We're actually running the exact same meter on our planter as what you are. Uh, obviously I don't have a fent planter, 00:16 but I wanted to show you the difference in the thirties versus fifteens. I plant fifteens. I've always planted fifteens. 00:22 I've told you in years past, I've been in these yield contests for soybeans, but with 30 inch beans, I could never kind 00:29 of crest over the number that I really wanted to get to. Now, what we're looking at today, 00:33 you would think not, right? I'm coming for you, I'm just telling you, I'm coming for you. So behind me on this side, these are my 15 inch rows, 00:40 and on this side are the 30 inch rows. Now he has a different closing system on your planer, and maybe that's part of the reason, 00:48 but these things are like gross stages ahead of these, these are just emerging. I'd be calling these V two, 00:55 getting ready to go into V three. That's how much further ahead. I mean, they jumped outta the ground like that. 01:00 Part of the reason that you get that somewhat is you get the help of your neighbor, you know, they help push it up. 01:06 This is a, we only planted at a hundred thousand, well, a hundred thousand in a single row like that. They help push each other up. They are struggling here. 01:14 I mean, you can see they're coming and, and they're all there exact same fertility. We put a tube or two on this and we put starter 01:21 or in furrow blend on it. The exact same mixture was used on both ends. This is in a high production irrigation field. 01:28 This don't look real high production right here. I mean, it just doesn't, but I think that we're seeing some things with defense, 01:34 like really quick emergence. Sure. And I think that that's important that, that we, we look at those things. 01:40 Yeah, I mean if you're looking at this, I would say since it was planted the same day, same field, to me, it comes down to planter performance. I, 01:46 I'm not gonna sit here and say that this is gonna out yield this or this is gonna, but I don't mean, I'm gonna say this is probably not gonna 01:53 get out that just looking at it now, but I'm just thoroughly impressed with the stand that we got as quick as we got. 01:59 My dad is convinced after seeing this in multiple different fields, he was like, from now on, I wanna see just 30 inches. 02:06 When we plant our really early stuff, this was some of the earlier stuff that we planted. Cold, wet soil, it needs a 02:12 little help getting outta the ground. Sure. You know, the neighbors helping push it outta the ground, maybe they're gonna yield a little bit better. 02:17 I don't know. I've had some issues in the past with lodging a little bit. So I cut the population back. 02:23 I've actually got trials where it's thirties versus fifteens plant same day. We've done this in past with different planters, 02:30 but there's never been a yield drag with a 30 inch planter. And I mean, how much savings do we have in a 30 inch row? 02:37 You know, as far as mechanically versus a 15. I mean, we're talking about a big number, right? You know, I, I guess it all depends on, you know, 02:44 if you're doing double crop, I don't, I don't think that I'd do double crops in 30 inch rows, but you know, from what we're seeing here, 02:51 I'm really impressed with the way that these look and, I mean, it's gonna be hard for the normal farmer or whoever that's looking at this video to sit here 02:59 and say, this was playing it the same day as this. Right? But we got all the data that shows that it's pretty mind boggling. 03:05 So we're gonna let you guys know how this works out. This is actually, there is a, there's gonna be a yield trial in this field on both sides 03:13 here, basically right here across this bottom. This is where I've done really well in the past. I've got a couple trials out here. 03:18 We hope it goes really well. We actually did one in this axle area last year for Gro and for Nature's. 03:25 And it's where, uh, my son, one of my sons actually won the soybean yield contest right there. 03:31 Okay. Last year. So we're gonna try it one more year. So we'll let you guys know real soon how this turns out.

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