May 9, 2017 | Kris Cherewyk

Seed Hawk: More Than A Canola Machine

Hello everyone.  Over the years Seed Hawk has become known for producing quality seeding equipment that provides precise, accurate fertilizer placement alongside the planted seed.  In crops such as canola, where utilization of nutrients early in growth is crucial to vigor and yield, Seed Hawk has gained a reputation of being a drill especially suited to planting this particular crop.  Today we are going to discuss the benefits of using a Seed Hawk drill for other crops grown across the prairies.

Even Maturity

The importance of an evenly maturing crop has taken on greater importance with the spread of various diseases in different crops.  One particular example is Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) in wheat where the ideal stage in which to spray is a very narrow time-frame.  If crop over the span of a field is at different stages during application only a small area will utilize the fungicide effectively. At an investment of approximately $15/acre or more it is not desirable to allow it to be ineffective .  The same goes for all other crops in which a regular fungicide application is important to quality and yield such as barley, soybeans, pulses, corn and of course canola.  Seed Hawk’s precision fertilizer placement places all seeds at the same distance from the fertilizer so each plant has access to it at the same time and thus will grow at the same rate.

Quick emergence

With crops such as soybeans and flax that are less competitive against weeds, it is very important to get the seeds off to an early start.  Because Seed Hawk’s openers allow the seed to be safely placed close to the fertilizer, the plant is able to utilize the nutrients to grow and establish stand quickly.  Weed seedlings away from the seed row will not have access to the nutrients before the crop and by the time they do the crop already has the compeititve advantage.  In addition, an earlier maturing crop will finish its growth cycle sooner which helps to mitigate the risk of an early frost.

Moisture Conservation

A recent article in the Western Producer discussed the strong possibility of drought across the prairie region this summer.  Therefore, it will be very important to conserve as much moisture as possible for the crops at planting time.  Seed Hawk’s opener and packer system closes the soil furrow with minimal soil disturbance.  The more that the soil is disturbed in the seed bed the more exposure it has to the elements which allows moisture evaporation.  Water is still the most limiting factor in crop yield and high rates of fertilizer can never be utilized if the moisture is not available.  This especially applies to drought-susceptible crops such as corn, soybeans and canola.

Link to Western Producer article: http://www.producer.com/2017/05/drought-predicted-for-alberta-this-summer/