Why Implement guidance in vegetables?

Why Implement guidance in vegetables?

Precision. Accuracy. Consistency. These are important aspects in any farming operation, but I don’t know of a place where they’re any more critical than in commercial vegetables. So why are we interested in Implement guidance in vegetables?

Part of this is sheer economics. Compared to row-crop or small grain operations, vegetables are higher-value plants grown on considerably fewer acres, so every seed, every start or transplant is important. In addition, vegetable production requires more implements and more passes. Multiple tractors, tillage tools, bed shapers, transplanters, cultivators and sprayers – they all make their way down the row during the production cycle, and each pass puts valuable crop at risk from wheel damage.

LAFORGE Group, your agricultural equipment manufacturer, has THE answer to your problems! DynaTrac is a great tool to master these challenges with implement guidance in vegetables.

Why Implement guidance in vegetables?
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How does DynaTrac implement guidance in vegetables protects the plants?

Is Tractor guidance enough?

First, GPS is a standard feature on nearly every vegetable tractor. It ensures that rows are created straight and parallel for easier cultivation and harvest. However, even with an arrow-straight A/B line, most vegetable growers aren’t getting the precision and consistency they need to guarantee the safety of their plants.

The reason for this is because implements behind the tractor can drift, even while the tractor maintains a straight line. The speed of the tractor and length and width of the implement have a direct effect on implement drift. Varying soil conditions and use of ground-engaging attachments will also alter the tool’s path. Is this a big deal? It can be. Studies show that an implement can drift up to 10 times as much as the tractor. In a high-value vegetable crop, that’s not acceptable. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution to counter implement drift: Implement Guidance for vegetables.

Note that the DynaTrac is also suitable for Implement guidance in corn !

mplement guidance in vegetables

What are DynaTrac implement guidance benefits for crops planted in beds?

At first, using Implement Guidance with tractor GPS means you no longer have to worry about your emerged crop. Indeed, both the tractor and implement are operating on the same A/B line. This is important for any crop, but especially for those planted on beds.

You obviously want to ensure that the seed or start is placed consistently in the middle of the bed. But it’s equally important to protect the bed in subsequent passes. This is a key reason why DynaTrac Implement Guidance in potatoes is so popular; the pass-to-pass accuracy it provides ensures that beds are protected, maintaining a sufficient soil cover above the potato start and allowing the new tubers to expand underground without greening.

Customer testimonial

For example, Eastern Washington grower Benjamin Gross saw the need for improved precision when he transitioned his onion crop into strip till.

“Strip till was a whole different way of farming,” he said. “With vegetable crops, you can’t be out of the strip more than a quarter inch or you’ll have crop that matures too early, too late, or just won’t pan out at all. Even though we have RTK, the operator had to constantly shift the planter to keep it centered. It was nerve-wracking for the operators. We thought that was stupid, there had to be a better option.”

After looking at several different manufacturers, Gross landed on two Laforge guided hitches, a DynaTrac Ultima and DynaTrac Premium to use implement guidance in vegetable. He said the benefits were clear from the first time they used it to plant, and even more evident with subsequent passes.

“The hitch is just putting the planter to an RTK line that it’s getting from the receiver up front, so everything is running in the same line,” he said. “Getting the seed placed where it should be definitely gives us a bump in yield. And before, when the planter had to shift off the A/B line a few inches, the next guy had no way of knowing that, so he was constantly staring down at the front tires trying not to run over crop. Having this (Implement Guidance) is literally a night and day difference.”

DTP + 3P PLANTER - Guidage outil legumes - 3

How does implement guidance in vegetables preserves the infrastructure?

To start with, drip tubing positioned close to the plant and buried in the soil saves water, decreases weed pressure, and allows precise fertilizer application. However, a single shank on a cultivator can undue a lot of those benefits in a hurry. What’s more, it’s the same with plastic wrap. You want to lay it close enough to the row or bed to reduce weed pressure and to help funnel excess moisture away from the roots during heavy rains. But the closer you get to the plant, the more risk you run of accidental damage. This is especially true with new or inexperienced tractor operators.

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How does DynaTrac implement guidance pays for itself?

What are DynaTrac implement guidance benefits in vegetables?

First, as it maintains perfect spacing between passes, Implement Guidance improves your profitability in several ways. Seed and nutrients can be placed more precisely, improving yield; damage to drip tape grids and plastic rolls is reduced, if not eliminated. In addition, seedbeds are maintained to help protect the plants, reducing the chance of your crop being docked after harvest.

On top of that, there are potential savings in labor, as well. Knowing that your rows are super-straight and consistent gives you the confidence to spray or side-dress faster. It allows you to spray more acres in less time. Add it all up and Implement Guidance literally pays for itself. In fact, many customers tell us that increases in yield and productivity allowed them to cover the cost of an DynaTrac Implement Guidance in vegetables in a single season or two.

How can Laforge DynaTrac range of guided hitches help achieve this?

Laforge offers a suite of options that fit any tractor and any implement, including 2-point and 3-point DynaTrac guided hitches for PTO-driven or drawn implements up to 16,500 pounds. Where some manufacturers require that you purchase Implement Guidance for vegetables individually for each implement, you only need to buy a Laforge DynaTrac hitch for your tractor and it works with all your implements. It’s a solution that’s both simple and cost-effective; simple because you only need to set up and learn a single system, and cost-effective because it works with all your tools.

“It’s just basically plug and play,” Gross said. “You can hook it up in a half hour and start running. We move the hitches all over the farm, to different planters. These hitches are heavy duty, big enough to hook up a 24-row bean planter. Some of the other ones out there, you’d rip them apart if you tried that. “

If you have any questions on the advantages of Implement Guidance – or if you’re ready to improve consistency, accuracy, and to start putting some money back into your pocket – let’s have a conversation. 

You can also consult our other articles ( how to choose a front hitch and front PTO, What is DynaTrac, implement guidance and higher profits, …)

  • 7 September 2021

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