Cost Savings with Section Control

What do you get when you combine the sky-high price of agronomic inputs and slim grain prices?  A need to be more efficient than ever while planting and applying on your farm!  
Of all Precision Ag technology, the product that shows us the fastest return on investment is Section Control. Section Control gives planters, sprayers, and fertilizer applicators the ability
 to turn select portions of the machine off when entering an area that has already been covered.  By eliminating these areas of double application, you can save on product cost AND boost yield!  

Let’s look at an example that can show you the benefits of Section Control on your farm! Let’s use a 100 acre corn field as an example. If you are currently planting through your point rows and curved edges, you may have up to 5% overlap.  You could eliminate that 5% overlap by installing individual row clutches on your planter.  If seed costs $100 per acre, utilizing section control can save you $500 in seed alone. When corn is over planted, the yield potential is knocked down by 10% due to overpopulation and plant competition.  If you meet your average yield goal of 150 bushels/acre, the 5 acres you over planted could take a 15 bushel/acre hit at harvest!  At $3.50/bushel, over planting cost you $262.50.  After totaling these losses, you are throwing away $7.62/acre. 

Now we know what you could be giving up without section control, but how do we use this technology on some late model equipment?  Section Control can be utilized on late model or competitive planters with a variety of pneumatic or electric clutch options. Utilize a rate controller and current Greenstar hardware to add cost saving technology to sprayers and liquid fertilizer applicators. Have section control capable equipment but your display isn’t unlocked?  Ask an R&S equipment consultant about special pricing on GS3 Section Control activations. Start this year off right by adding Section Control, the return on investment is worth it!

Want more information? Contact our R&S Precision Farming team today!