August 31, 2017 | Kris Cherewyk

Seed Hawk: Superior Performance in Dry Conditions

Over the course of the last number of months we have discussed how using Seed Hawk technology during seeding can assist other areas of a farming operation. The common theme among these topics is that the results would be most recognizable during harvest time, in terms of crop yield and quality.

This year, a large area over the Canadian Prairies and the United States has been hit by severe drought. The Regina area in Saskatchewan had a total of 3 mm of rain for the entire month of July, which was a record for low rainfall. Some of these impacted regions with heavier soil had to rely on built-up moisture reserves to get by, while other sandier areas weren’t quite so lucky.

The lack of moisture has had a direct impact on the ability of plants to utilize nutrients in the soil; this is especially true in several fields comparing side-band technology to inter-row banded fertilizer. Without the adequate rainfall to stimulate root development, the plants have not been able to access the fertilizer placed in the inter-row, and as a result have displayed stunted root growth. By contrast, a crop which was planted using side band technology (for which Seed Hawk has become well-known for) has been able to reach the nutrients due to its close proximity to the seed.

The effects of drought are still present; however, the resulting yield loss in side-band seeded fields has been minimum. Farmers are always looking to invest in technology that helps reduce risk, and this is an excellent example of how Seed Hawk can help do just that.

Advantages of the Seed Hawk dual knife furrow effect.

Any seeding system can perform decent when moisture is sufficient, but not any seeding system will deliver a great crop in dry conditions – like we have seen in 2017. It is important to select a drill that will show consistent performance in all conditions, and Seed Hawk has been a leader in this area for a quarter century.