Wheat Watch: Season 3 Episode 1 - Wheat Drill Edition

We are almost done planting all of our wheat.  We thought we were going to be planting into dust like we did last year but we actually got a decent amount of RAIN.  The fields were too wet for us to plant for a little over a week after the rain.  I've never experienced this type of delay before.  I can't say that I was very upset about it though. 

The implements we use to plant wheat and other grains are called drills. 

Depending on where you are from you might have an image like below in your head when you hear the word drill.  The drills we use to plant wheat are actually 30 to 40 feet wide and hold anywhere from 50 to 100 bushels of wheat for planting.  There are two different types of drills that we use to plant our wheat; the disc drill and the hoe drill.

The below disc drill uses two discs to open the soil so the seeds and fertilizer can be dropped in.  After the seed is dropped in a press wheel covers the seed up with soil and packs it into the ground.  This type of drill is best used in a field that has little to no tillage because plant residue from the previous season will not get hung up in the planting process.

The below hoe drill uses a shank with a point on the end that splits open the soil.  The seed, fertilizer and press wheel all work in the same fashion as the disc drill.  In order to plant effectively with a hoe drill the field must be tilled and have little to no plant life or residue.  If there is too much residue it will get caught in front of the shank causing the drill to not plant correctly. 

I planted wheat with both types of drills and they both have their advantages and disadvantages.  The condition of the field, the farming practices used over the previous seasons, and moisture in the soil all help us to determine which type of drill we use. 

Below is one of the first fields we planted and the wheat is looking great.

The other day I heard a farmer say "Getting that rain sure makes me look like a better farmer..."  It's amazing to me how true that is.

-Drill Instructor Ryan