Ag Leader Technology, Inc., has added the patent-pending SureVac electric row shutoff to its lineup of planter section shutoff devices. The company says SureVac provides today’s precision farming operation with an easily installed, zero-maintenance solution to reduce seed costs and increase yield potential.

SureVac is designed for John Deere Pro-Series XP row units, but is also compatible with any John Deere vacuum seed meter manufactured in the last 20 years. In addition to John Deere corn and soybean seed disks, SureVac supports the eSet vacuum disk from Precision Planting.

“We're excited to offer our customers another option for row-by-row planter control. SureVac allows for expanded seed meter compatibility, providing growers more flexibility in their operations,” says Roger Zielke, new business development manager. “About this time in 2009, we introduced the SureStop electric row clutch for chain-drive planters. Due to its popularity and customer requests, we developed the SureVac option for the non-chain-drive Pro-Series row units.”

Using GPS, Ag Leader’s SeedCommand or a compatible planter control system communicates with SureVac to turn planter sections on or off based on field maps and already-planted areas.

The shutoff stops seed flow by cutting off the vacuum at the top of the seed disk. Planting is stopped and seeds fall back into the seed meter’s seed pool. When the shutoff device is pulled away from the seed disk, vacuum is restored and planting continues as normal.

“SureVac will provide growers with a tangible return on investment with reduced seed costs and increased yield potential in areas that are typically double-planted. However, growers will also appreciate the quick, easy installation,” Zielke adds. “To install, you simply remove the manufacturer vacuum cover and replace it with SureVac. Its quick, clean and takes less than 5 minutes per row.”

SureVac availability will be limited through select dealers for the 2010 growing season. Full production is expected to begin in the second half of 2010.