OAHU (DTN) Because ᴍᴀɴy modern farms are expanding, farmers must use greater equipment to cover more acres in a shorter length of time. Growers purchase 16-, 24-, or 32-row units to plant all those acres, which is typically accomplished with a single planter.
Gary Schnitkey, an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois, conducted a study that showed what size planter was most economical for a particular farm size.
Timeliness and power costs were two cost considerations. Yield ʟᴏsses from planting away from the best dates are accounted for by timeliness costs. Depreciation, interest, repairs, housing, insurance, fuel, lubrication, and labor are all included in the cost of power.
Costs of running the planter and the tractor that pulled it were calculated.
According to Schnitkey, depending on planter size and the total number of acres cultivated, the lowest cost per acre was $1.50.
Six-row planter, 400 to 600 acres of corn and soybean rotation, 7 to 8 acres per hour, $13.73 per acre for 600 acres;
Eight-row planter, 10 to 11 acres per hour, 600 to 800 acres of corn and 800 acres of soybeans, $9.22 per acre;
12-row planter: 15 acres per hour, corn and soybean rotation on 800 to 1,200 acres, $8.25 per acre;
16-row planter: 20 acres per hour, 1,600 to 2,000 acres of rotational corn and soybeans, $8.29 per acre;
30-acres-per-hour 24-row planter, 2,000–2,400 acres of corn and soybean rotation, $8.84 for 2,400 acres;
32-row planter: 40 acres per hour, corn and soybean rotation on 2,600–3,200 acres, $8.54 for 3,200 acres;
36-row planter, 3,200 to 4,000 acres of corn and soybean rotation, 46 acres per hour, $8.32 per acre for 3,600 acres.
Costs are calculated based on planting for 12 hours per day, which also includes time to pack seed and maintain the planter. A producer may use a smaller planter and incur lesser expenditures if he or she could plant for longer than 12 hours each day.
A 16 row planter had the lowest expenses for 3,200 acres at $5.57 per acre, for example, if yield timing was not an issue. But the price would rise to $17.59 per acre if there was a yield ʟᴏss as a result of the delayed planting.
According to efficiency and timeliness, a 12-row planter on a 1,200 acre farm cost $8.25 per acre.
Let’s see the amazing Planting Corn 36 Rows at a Time in Illinois in the ᴀᴡᴇsome video below.
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Video resource: Mike Less – Farmhand Mike
