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Triple Opener Places Seed And Fertilizer Simultaneously
“There are several triple shoot openers on the market, but many of them have seed and fertilizer placement shortcomings, so I designed one that places seed and fertilizer in precise locations simultaneously,” says Alberta developer Vic Wickstrom. “A farmer has to get seed and fertilizer in the exact location every time, and that’s what our new VW30PR shank opener does.”
  The VW30PR is a modified version of the company’s VW11FC, which has been on the market for several years. The new design lengthens the back of the older version to have a paired row of seed placement with fertilizer placed below and between the seed.
  “We’ve dug into the seed trench behind this new shank and the wheat kernels are lined up like little bottle caps all in a row,” Wickstrom says. There aren’t any bunches of seeds or any empty gaps. Singulating the wheat seed is just as important as it is for corn, because each plant is on its own with plenty of room to grow.”
  The VW30PR is designed so that a small ramp in the middle of the boot floor splits the seeds equally, one group to the left and one group to the right. Wickstrom says the ramp sends the seeds out to the walls of the chamber and they remain tight against the walls until they exit into the ground. “The seeds don’t get blasted down the tube with a shot of air, they move steadily and precisely. The two rows are about 2 1/2 in. apart, with fertilizer placed between and 3/8 in. below.”   
  Starter fertilizer can be placed adjacent to each of the seed rows using tubes that are mounted on the outside of the shank. Wickstrom is also looking into running high-pressure anhydrous down the rear fertilizer tube.
  Saskatchewan farmers Gavin and Colin Greenwald say the new VW30PR placed seed and fertilizer exactly where they wanted it in 2012. “We were able to seed early, putting liquid phosphorus directly in the seed row. The paired row helps take away weed competition making weed growth difficult.” The Greenwald’s seeded about 4,000 acres using the VW30 Paired Row Triple Shoot Opener on their C shank Flexicoil 5000 air drill.
  Wickstrom says the new opener is made of industry-standard 28 percent chrome steel. Hard-surfaced plates are carbide, including a carbide plate at each rear corner so the body of the opener wears evenly. The product fits all paralink, C-shank and Edge-On drills on the market because VW Manufacturing makes different boots for each model.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Loren Hawks, U.S. Distributor, 2434 Whitlash Rd., Chester, Mont. 59522 (ph 406 460-3810; www.vwmfg.com). In Canada, Vic Wickstrom, VW Manufacturing (ph 403 528-3350).


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2013 - Volume #37, Issue #2