Chris Perkins, who lives about 40 miles east of Ray McCormick, calls his John Deere 1775 ExactEmerge planter a cheat code. It’s helped him break the 300-bushel barrier multiple times. The 2024 Strip-Till Innovator Award recipient’s planter has hydraulic downforce, AutoPath and a 2-by-2-by-2 setup that allows for precise fertilizer placement. And he also has chains on his planter, which he says have some pros and cons but ultimately deliver ROI in more ways than one.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, precision specialist Chad Baker, co-owner of Baker Precision Planter Works in Orangeville, Ill., helps a first-generation no-tiller with planter setup, and later encounters a couple problems with a strip-tiller’s new 24-row planter. Plus, veteran agronomist Brad Forkner checks in with a couple tips for farmers to keep in mind before they take the field.