| | Although certain principles of the practice had been around for several decades beforehand, most would agree that the modern era of direct seeding began with the advent of the air seeder in the 1970s. In many ways it was a humble beginning, with the early machines presenting challenges such as inconsistent seed placement, inaccurate metering and distribution, plugged openers and distribution hoses, and significantly rougher fields.
In the process, many producers’ first impressions of the practice were mixed at best. "Many test strips were seeded and they usually occurred next to the road so that all the neighbours could see the mistakes," says Rick Atkins, manager of ARD’s Technology and Innovation Branch, Environmental Stewardship Division.
At the same time, these challenges became the driver for improved technologies, with each new innovation driving greater producer interest. Seed placement was one of the first challenges around which the industry rallied, culminating eventually in the double-shoot systems for seed and fertilizer used by many producers today. Another important development was the floating hitch and flexible frames to improve seed placement accuracy in a larger range of soil and land conditions.
There were unintended consequences as the evolution wore on, says Atkins. Metering and distribution were quickly exposed as limitations, which in turn led to larger air systems which strained the hydraulic limits of tractors of the day. "The industry responded by equipping air carts with their own engines or installing hydraulic cooling systems. In time the tractor manufacturers responded," he says.
"In the meantime, metering systems improved to the point where they could handle different products and rates of application. Distribution systems, over a long process of trial and error, were refined to the point where they are now comparable to conventional drills."
As these systems improved, producers began to recognize reductions in production costs as a key benefit of direct seeding. Part of these savings included the number of hours they were spending on the tractor. "Many producers quickly discovered that they were putting in 25 to 40 percent fewer hours per year on their primary tractor," says Atkins.
Broad benefits
Another clear benefit has been soil quality. "Direct seeding leaves a greater amount of organic matter in the soil. The result is a reduction in soil strength and typically better soil moisture, structure and nutrient value. Because of this, producers generally do not have to seed as deep, which means they really don’t need hoe openers anymore. It also means they can pull larger implements with smaller tractors due to less draft, which again has the potential to increase efficiencies."
The development of direct seeding has also driven secondary industries to support a more effective system, says Atkins. Examples include straw and chaff spreaders, heavy harrows, guidance systems and header stripper harvesting systems.
Perhaps one of the most dramatic effects of direct seeding, says Atkins, is that it has opened up new options for crops that were previously unfeasible in Western Canada under conventional systems. One example on the horizon is Camelina, which can be seeded in the fall and winter directly into snow covered fields.
So what kind of equipment challenges do new developments such as this present? "The reality is that one system does not fit all," says Atkins. "Each farm has its own unique conditions in terms of soils, rotation, climatic conditions, seasonal variations and other factors. It"s very much a site-specific management challenge for producers to find the systems that work for them and to maintain the ability to adapt going forward. The drivers will change as time goes on." |
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