One of the main factors that influence the purchase of new precision agricultural equipment is the upfront cost, maintain Ohio State University ag engineers Reza Ehsani and Matt Sullivan.

While it depends on your own particular farming operation, automatic tractor steering systems that cost as much as $50,000 could pay off relatively quickly, says Randall Reeder, Extension agricultural engineer at Ohio State University.

To feed future generations, no-tillers will need to find new ways to increase productivity while conserving current and future resources, says Darian Landolt, a researcher in CNH Global’s Product Management Innovation Group at Maple Park, Ill. Most importantly, he maintains that these objectives must be sustainable.

Combining new technologies with the best features of planters and drills, the new 3N-3010P and 3N-3020P seeding rigs from Great Plains Manufacturing feature meters that singulate soybean, corn and cotton seed while volumetrically metering smaller grains like wheat and rice. The extra-large wheel on this 30-foot unit turns slowly, allowing the meter to operate efficiently at speeds as fast as 8 miles per hour.

When funding for conservation practices began to tighten in the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resource District (LENRD) in northeast Nebraska, a collaborative effort and new incentive program introduced more farmers to no-till and increased no-till acres.

Paul Schaffert has been no-tilling for 27 years. Over the years, the Indianola, Neb., farmer has overcome several serious no-till concerns with plenty of farm shop engineering know-how.