Precision technology pays dividend on 9,000-acre Canadian tillage farm

Dustin Hawkins tries to hit the ground running and he emphasises that an early sowing date is key. He aims to begin seeding in mid-April each year. Dustin runs a 74ft Seedmaster drill (7412) with two John Deere 1910 carts, one of which is pulled ahead of the drill and the other pulled behind the drill.

These carts have three compartments in each and they contain both seed and fertiliser. Each of the three compartments can be monitored from screens inside the tractor.

These are 430 bushel carts (almost 12t each when full) and are priced at $350,000 each.

The operator can monitor how much product is in each compartment and the technology on this drill will notify the operator on the monitor if any of the towers are blocked. These are 430 bushel carts (almost 12t each when full) and are priced at $350,000 each.

This is Dustin’s first year pulling two carts alongside his drill. This method is very unusual. It has a combined length of over 150ft, which is very long, especially for turning at headlands and transportation on roadways. However, the carts surprisingly follow the tractor extremely well. Dustin is one of the first people to try this double-cart system and he remarked that he is very happy with the new venture.

Dustin runs a 74ft Seedmaster drill (7412), with two John Deere 1910 carts, one of which is pulled ahead of the drill and the other pulled behind the drill.

Compaction

Compaction is a prominent issue in Canada, so dual wheels are placed on as much of the machinery and tractors as possible.

This outfit is pulled by a 9570RX four-track John Deere tractor. Dustin noted that he has compared both the 9570R John Deere tractors on wheels (eight 800/70/R38 tyres) and tracks and the four-track (RX model) is far superior when it comes to traction and flotation on poorer soils and wetter land. However, the RX model comes with a price tag of almost $80,000 more than the wheeled tractor.

In recent years, tractors on tracks have begun to lead the way in tractor sales across Canada. Dustin informed us that he feels all bigger tractors will go towards tracks in the coming years. This 9570RX weighs a massive 26,761kg.

When full of seed and fertiliser, the drill has the capacity to sow over 45 acres per hour, depending on the seed being sown. The dual-shoot seed boot system, which Seedmaster offers, delivers two air streams, allowing the placement of seed and starter fertiliser in the seed row. This system has 12in spacing between each seed row.

The drill applies fertiliser 1.5in away and 0.75in deeper than the seed. Canola is sown at a depth of 0.75in, durum is sown at a depth of 1.25 in and chickpeas, lentils and field peas are sown at a depth of 1.5in below the surface. The drill is double-shifted and it is working 24 hours per day to warrant maximum productivity. The model is a TXB wide M-fold and it has a working width of 74ft, a transport width of 24ft and a transport height of 18ft. This drill has recently completed its third season. When new, the machine cost almost $500,000.

The accuracy of this system is incredible

Dustin is a big believer of John Deere’s Greenstar and Autotrac guidance systems while pulling the majority of implements, especially the drill. The Autotrac guidance system is linked to the 10in touchscreen command centre inside the cab.

The accuracy of this system is incredible. University research shows that automated guidance pays for itself within two years, with an average of a 10% reduction in inputs – a huge cost-saving over 9,000 acres.

All tractors on the farm are kitted out with the best LED lighting package available. This boosts visibility by a whopping 40% at night compared with standard lighting packages. Following the drill are three articulated Kenworth trucks, which are constantly drawing nitrogen, phosphorous and seed to keep the drill going.

After seeding

A new John Deere 6130R and a Degleman stone picker work ahead of the roller to ensure all rocks are picked. This stone picker is run off the tractor’s hydraulics and works very well.

This particular model has a working width of 5ft and a transport width of 9ft 4in. It has a capacity of two cubic yards and requires 70hp to 150hp to drive it. The stone picker was purchased new this year at a cost of $22,000.

The roller is a 51ft Degleman and it is pulled by a new 6215R John Deere. There is no water in the roller, for two reasons. Firstly, to avoid unwanted compaction and, secondly, it is just a matter of covering over the seed and fertiliser, which is sown relatively shallow at a depth of 2in to 3in. The roller is operated off the John Deere green star guidance and auto-steer system, which provides for simple and straightforward driver operation. This particular roller has completed a number of seasons on Dustin’s farm. When it was purchased new, it cost almost $40,000.

Spraying

Dustin runs a John Deere 4940 self-propelled sprayer, the largest sprayer Deere offers. This machine has a stainless steel tank with a storage capacity of 4,542 litres (1,200 gallons).

The sprayer is now in its third season and it cost over $600,000 when it was new. Since then, Dustin has put up over 1,000 hours on its clock. The sprayer has a boom working width of 120ft (36.5m). This machine is powered by John Deere’s own 9-litre PowerTech PSX engine. This is a six-cylinder engine which has a maximum output of 340hp.

The sprayer has a boom working width of 120ft (36.5m).

The 4940 has a variable-speed hydrostatic ground drive and operates full-time with four-wheel-drive. The hydrostatic handle allows for speed change in the field or on the road simply by pressing the plus or minus button.

Field speeds are changed in increments of 1.6km/h (1mph), while, in transport mode, the transmission adjusts in 8km/h (5mph) increments. This machine has a maximum road speed of 56km/h (35mph).

Dustin sprays at a speed of 14mph to 20mph, depending on wind and dust. Once you pass 20mph, a safety feature on the John Deere Autotrac will knock off the auto-steer system.

Dustin can cover up to 245 acres per hour while spraying at a rate of five gallons per acre. This sprayer has racked up a total acre count of over 100,100 on its monitor. A Kenworth truck with a 6,500-gallon water tanker constantly follows the sprayer when it is working to ensure as little downtime as possible.

The sprayer weighs 16,225kg (35,770lb) and it is on 710/70/R36 tyres. Dustin uses these big tyres for spraying land in the spring before seeding takes place, which allows the sprayer to travel almost anywhere.

Dustin explained to us that he will be buying a new sprayer for the 2018 season and he intends to order it on 800/70/R38 tyres for increased flotation and less compaction. Once seed emergence takes place, narrower crop tyres are put on to the sprayer.

Dustin’s sprayer is kitted out with John Deere’s Section Control Pro and BoomTrac Pro. These are both additional extras. Sectional control is integrated into the sprayer’s guidance system and it has the ability to automatically turn on and off each nozzle on the boom. This ensures that no area will be sprayed twice.

Dustin is a huge fan of this system: “Sectional control provides the driver with assurance that he did not over-spray any crops.”

BoomTrac Pro is John Deere’s auto boom height-sensing system. Its objective is to increase application accuracy and efficiency by keeping a more consistent boom height above the crop. This in turn reduces the probability of any drift occurring.

Drift has always been a problem because, often, neighbouring fields have no physical boundary. If the boom is set too high while applying herbicide, there is a good chance the spray will follow any wind currents and cause harm to neighbouring crops.

BoomTrac Pro will also protect the boom from coming into contact with the ground.

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