Wet fall, wet spring, wet fall, wet spring. It seems no-tillers need to get used to making things work in a more aquatic-type system, our recent survey of No-Till Farmer readers found. In fact, how our readers’ no-till planter setups worked in wet conditions was a common thread in the replies we received.

One thing that doesn’t get any simpler with moisture is planting through residue. The following are some tips and setups on managing residue and creating the perfect seedbed no matter the conditions.

Try, Try Again

After some trial and error, no-tiller Joe Schmitt of Spring Valley, Wis., is pleased with his current planter’s ability to move through residue.

The 12-year no-tiller plants corn and soybeans with a Case IH 900 12-row, 30-inch vertical-fold, semi-mount no-till planter.

“The vertical-fold version has no carry or drive wheels between the row units to plug with residue or get in the way of the high volume of residue that is windrowed by the trash whippers,” Schmitt explains.

He also likes the double-disc opener for cutting through residue.

“One disc leads the other and cuts through the trash,” he says. “It penetrates far better with a narrower seed slot than the Deere or Kinze style.”

Schmitt also has found success with Sunco brand trash whippers.

He spent 3 “frustrating” years trying out three other popular brands before settling on Sunco. “Sunco units are a concave saber-tooth design with one wheel leading the other by 2 to 3 inches,” he says. “The mounting…