Many things in life are best not left up to chance, and planting meters are one of them. By taking the time in the off-season to make sure your meters are calibrated correctly, you save time and money by not having to deal with the lackluster crop results caused by poor meters. That’s why it is essential to take your meters in and get them calibrated by professionals – such as E4 Crop Intelligence. The benefits greatly outweigh the risks associated with not maintaining the equipment. We’ve highlighted a few key benefits of why you should get your meters calibrated.
Decreased Planting Season Downtime
A planter has many components that need to be maintained on an annual basis to ensure that everything functions as planned when you are out in the field. Meters themselves contain many critical parts that need to be kept up too. By having your meters calibrated, you can ensure that seal integrity, baffle settings, brush quality, and – for vacuum meters – disc contact with the housing is all in good working order.
Better Seed-Drop Accuracy
Meters contribute significantly to the planting and spacing of seeds in a uniform manner. With better accuracy, you are able to make the most out of your seed investment. This improves overall germination rates and better seed-to-soil contact. With a non-calibrated meter, there is a higher chance for poor seed placement within the row.
Improvement In Plant-To-Plant Spacing
Plant spacing is another area where it is paramount to ensure that your meters are calibrated if you want to have more favorable results in the field. Yield losses can be directly tied to the non-uniformity of planting spacing. Along with poorly calibrated meters, spacing problems will often be amplified by high planting speeds and rough seedbeds.
Improved Yield Potential
As mentioned before, yield potential is greatly affected by the condition of the planter’s meters. Even brand-new meters can have unforeseen quirks in the components that may result in lesser yields. It is a good idea to get both used and new planter meters calibrated to maximize overall yield.
To get you started on the right path prior to planting season, E4 Crop Intelligence offers expert services for the cleaning and calibration of planter meters. The E4 team provides this service at a competitive rate starting at $45 per meter. The end result helps the grower focus on getting the job done right during the planting season.
For more information about E4 Crop Intelligence and their services, please visit www.e4cropintelligence.com.