Of all the agronomic variables in the life of a plant, the initial contact of the seed with the soil and moisture is the most crucial to germination’s spark of life and a viable stand emergence.

Major equipment manufacturers have provided excellent machines designed to provide the crucial seed-to-soil contact, but the quest for improved productivity continues to drive innovation and a thriving aftermarket in add-on equipment to boost efficiency, lower costs and increase yields.

This year’s crop of new products, aimed at enhancing the no-till planting and seeding process, includes bolt-on equipment designed to improve seed and fertility placement; allow more efficient no-till planting in heavy residue, and make variable-rate seeding available in a low-maintenance, farmer-installed package.

What follows is a summary of new no-till seeding and planting attachments and their potential benefits to growers.

Ag Focus FastTrac Closing System

The FastTrac closing system from AgFocus offers growers with John Deere, White and Kinze planters a newly-patented wide press-wheel closing system that minimizes compaction while ensuring excellent seed to soil contact.

“Our prototype field tests showed the FastTrac was responsible for 2-4 days faster emergence in corn, and an overall 6% more even and timely emergence when compared with other systems,” says Bruce Freed, vice president of AgFocus.

“With our testing last year, depending upon the soil conditions, we saw 6-15 bushel-per-acre yield increases over other systems. That amounts to a 20-acre ROI with $3.50 corn.”

Freed says the system, which uses two small closing discs to firm the…