By Jerry Hartsock | Cutting Edge Consulting and Research Services

• Consistent depth control and planting deep enough are much more important than spacing in the row.
• Using floating row cleaners to move residue left and right is paramount to planting success by keeping residue out of the seed trench.
• Residue next to seed leads to uneven germination and emergence.
• Compaction issues especially in the Eastern Corn Belt will need to be rectified by tillage (frost and cover crops will not fix the problem).
• Late harvest will interfere with tillage to fracture the profile.
• Late harvest will minimalize the amount of anhydrous ammonia required and create more work in the spring.
• Have we become gadget/option crazy in an attempt to plant at higher speeds? I see a couple newer planters retro-fitted with better after-market seed meters running at 3.8–4.2 mph that can’t be touched on their stand quality.