If seed isn't planted correctly, no-tillers can expect to lose yield before the crop even emerges from the ground. Achieving high-yielding crops begins with a planter that is properly equipped, maintained and adjusted for field conditions.

Along the shores of Lake Ontario, Eric Kaiser and his son Max no-till approximately 1,000 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat on soils that have 58% clay content.

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.

Given the importance of uniform emergence and a good plant stand, fine-tuning your no-till planter should be a must before spring arrives. Dave Moeller, an experienced no-tiller and ag consultant who operates Moeller Ag service in Keota, Iowa, offers the following guidelines for getting your planter ready.