a couple more pics

These last two are guys from the Monsanto research farm in Monmouth putting in a plot. This is the second year they have put this plot in while I was planting nearby. I wanted to get up and gets some pics of their planter up close but I didnt get done that night till about midnight so I missed my chance. When I was going down the road with the planter the next morning they had it on a semi and were heading out (I didnt take any pics while I was driving down the state hiway, saftey first!). It has seats and maybe three or four guys ride on it. Seems like it has a wire or string they reel out and boy do they go slow. I will have to get a look at that thing next year and get some pics of it up close. bill

The guys riding have packets of seed pre counted to a certain number (20 or so, each packet is the same) of kernals. They keep opening the packets in order and dump them in a tube that feeds the seed units. The plot is all plotted out ahead of time to get the hybreds where they want them.

This part of the reason for our high seed costs.

Research.

Gary

I think you are dead on gary. It is funny looking when it comes up. There will be hundreds of tiny plots in this field. Little patches of corn for a few feet and then bare ground. I didnt see last fall but I suppose they brought over a little plot combine to harvest it. When they were planting there was 4 or 5 vehicles and maybe ten people around. Looked pretty interesting. It was a cold and windy day when they were planting and they were all in carharts and coveralls trying to stay warm. bill

It is split in the middle and keeps both halves seperate to record the yields.

2 rows go up each side of a 4 row head.

Takes 2 people to operate it in the cab.

Gary