A PLANTER DRY RUN LIMITS DOWNTIME AT CORN PLANTING

Key points

• Ensuring your planter is operating appropriately lays the foundation for a strong crop.
• A dry run helps address equipment or planting issues before heading into the field.
• With planting quickly approaching, the chance to do a dry run is fleeting, so act soon.

The importance of the corn planter pass can’t be overstated. “This is THE most important pass. If your planter pass isn’t good, it’s downhill from there,” says AgriGold Agronomist Scott Bugg.

Over the winter and early spring, farmers are accustomed to spending time in the shop doing equipment maintenance, but there’s another exercise they can do to ensure they’re ready for planting — a dry run with their planter.

WHAT IS A PLANTER DRY RUN

A dry run is a farmer’s final check to make sure everything on the planter is working as it should. “Your planter should be field ready when you do this,” Bugg says. That means all mechanical fixes, upgrades, and wear and tear maintenance should already be completed.

A dry run involves pulling the planter out to the driveway or a gravel lot and setting it down. “Don’t do this in the field, as bare soil makes it difficult to do these checks,” Bugg says.

Next, give the planter a practice run and conduct a series of checks regarding seed and any starter fertilizer system. “You only have to drag the planter 10 or 15 feet to see everything you need to see,” Bugg says.

FRONT OF PLANTER CHECKS

When you drag the planter through the gravel, it will likely leave marks if anything is running low.

You can also make sure everything is working with your fertilizer kit. Bugg recommends having liquid in your starter system as part of the planter checks, making sure all its rows are operating and watching for plugs. 

Farmers should also check their metering units. “Check the seed drop from the double disc openers out of the metering system to ensure successful planting,” Bugg says. “Make sure it’s dropping seed at the right spacing.”

Bugg also recommends measuring the distance between the seed openers and the starter coulter. “Starter fertilizer is a high salt concentrate. If the starter system is too close to the seed trench, you’ll likely get salt burn, which can impact yield,” he explains.

CLOSE IN ON THE PLANTER'S CLOSING WHEEL

Farmers should check the closing wheels on the backside of the planter. “People tend to disregard whether those are set right,” Bugg says. “But if the planter’s closing wheels are off-center, they may not tuck that seed into the trench well, and you won’t get that good seed-to-soil contact.”

If you’re running on top of the seed trench or compacting it due to off-center closing wheels, the cost could be uneven emergence and ultimately lost profit.

Before hitting the fields, Bugg also encourages farmers to check that their tires are inflated to the appropriate pressure.

IN-FIELD PLANTER EQUIPMENT CHECKS

On that first day of planting, additional checks can help ensure you’re laying the best foundation for your corn crop.

“Planting depth is a critical component for corn,” Bugg says. After going across the field, Bugg encourages farmers to stop, pick up the planter and check the planting depth. The ideal depth is typically 1.5 inches to 2.0 inches. 

“When you stop and pick that planter up right behind your double disc openers, the seed trench won’t be filled in,” Bugg says. “Check the seed depth on each row — ideally, they’ll be the same — and make any needed adjustments. If you make adjustments, drop the planter back down, go a bit farther, then take another look.” 

It’s also important to double-check planting populations and corn seed spacing. Bugg recommends digging down to make sure the closing wheels are creating good seed-to-soil contact.

The planter also needs to be level from front to back. “If your planter is running nose down, it can put a lot of pressure on the fertilizer openers, double disc openers, but less pressure on your closing wheels,” Bugg explains. “On the other hand, if its nose is up, you’ll likely put too much pressure on the back of that planter and the closing wheels can cause more compaction, which can lead to restricted roots.”                                                                         

His final tip is to have someone follow the planter and visually inspect it as it makes its way across the field.

MAKE SURE YOU'RE READY TO GO

“It seems like our planting windows are getting shorter and shorter,” Bugg observes. “When it dries up quick and you can go, you want to be able to go. You don’t want to be spending extra time out in the field getting your planter ready or fixing problems a dry run could have brought to light.”

Bugg expects his Ohio farmers to be planting toward the end of April, so there’s no time to waste with these driveway dry runs and laying the foundation for a strong corn crop. 

Want additional support getting the most out of your seed heading into the 2025 planting season? Reach out to your local AgriGold agronomist.