By: Andy Campbell
Planter availability may not draw the beads of sweat that tractors have created over the past couple of years for farmers, but the supply is certainly tight enough to make a farmer’s skin glisten. As a result, more farmers are having to look far beyond state lines to find a recent-generation no-till planter that best fits their operation
Yet if a no-tiller is going to purchase equipment from a distance, how do they determine the quality of a planter and its value without viewing it first-hand? As an example, we’ll deal with Brad Horn, a fictitious central Michigan no-tiller described in more detail in the accompanying box.
A fictional grower, Brad Horn, is located in Michigan’s Lapeer County. No-tilling 900 acres of no-tilled corn, 850 acres of soybeans and 150 acres of wheat, Brad is taking on an additional 279 acres this year. As a result, he’s ready to move up from a 16-row to a 24-row no-till planter for more timely seeding.
Scouring the internet over the last few days, he’s found a 24-row no-till planter offered for sale by a grower in southeast Nebraska. Brad hopes to buy this planter without making a costly trip to personally look at the unit.
To make sure a “sight unseen” purchase makes sense, Brad is wondering what he needs to consider in order to avoid any unfortunate post-sale issues and concerns.
To help Brad evaluate this planter purchase and be comfortable with the results…
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