\u201cWe chase profit traits,\u201d the Richmond, Mo., producer explains. \u201cWe focus on things that allow us to be the most profitable while still being good stewards of the land.\u201d<\/p>\n
Striving to optimize productivity and economy in tillage led Wright to the Kelly Diamond Chain Harrow, a tool that gets the job done quickly and economically. The Kelly Chain Harrow\u2019s offset flexible disc gangs are drawn across the ground at an angle, maximizing the surface tillage effect while leaving residue n top of the ground. Ruts are leveled, weeds are uprooted and what\u2019s left behind is the kind of seedbed that gets crops off to a vigorous start.<\/p>\n
Wright raises corn and soybeans but about 75 percent of the ground is in corn each year and that means he has a lot of heavy residue to manage.<\/p>\n
\u201cA disc ripper is a must on corn ground but it\u2019s the Kelly that enables the ripper to do a superior job,\u201d he explains. \u201cWe\u2019ll run a Kelly behind the combine to flatten the stalks and then follow with the ripper \u2014 that works really, really well.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the spring following an anhydrous application, one pass with the Kelly delivers the kind of seedbed Wright is after. \u201cThe Kelly does an extra good job of leveling the ground,\u201d he says. \u201cIt moves a lot more dirt than people give it credit for and in the blacker, heavier soils it
\nworks without creating clods.\u201d<\/p>\n
On soybean residue, a single pass with the Kelly may be the only tillage required to prepare a field for planting.<\/p>\n
The leveling effect and the absence of clods and slabs are important, explains Wright who bought his first Kelly in 2008<\/strong>, because the value of a good seedbed goes well beyond just looking nice.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the terrain isn\u2019t smooth, you\u2019re going to get planter bounce,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s going to create nonuniform placement and that will have a negative effect on yields. It\u2019s the same with clods. A good seedbed translates into good yields. It enables us to get the most from our seed genetics and all the other inputs required to raise a crop.\u201d<\/p>\n The two-inch tillage depth is ideal, Wright adds, and even dispersal of residue also contributes to more consistent seed placement as well as protecting soil.<\/p>\n The Wright cropping operation runs two 45-ft. Kelly Diamond Harrows with significantly better fuel economy and speed than a field cultivator. That productivity is especially important to Wright since, in addition to crop farming, he also operates Letzig Seed and Wright Charolais which produces elite Charolais seedstock for commercial and purebred customers.<\/p>\n Low maintenance is another Kelly advantage. \u201cWith the Kelly, we\u2019re not buying field cultivator sweeps and harrow teeth every year,\u201d he explains. \u201cThere\u2019s just not much maintenance to it.\u201d<\/p>\n Wright\u2019s Missouri River bottom soils range from sandy to heavy black soil. The Kelly Diamond Chain Harrow, he says, works well in all environments. Most importantly, it saves him both time and fuel in addition to producing what he calls an \u201cideal\u201d seedbed for corn and soybeans.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Kelly has become a very important part of our effort to profitably grow corn and soybeans,\u201d Wright concludes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whether he\u2019s evaluating seed, equipment or management practice, Derry Wright applies a simple test. \u201cWe chase profit traits,\u201d the Richmond, Mo., producer explains. \u201cWe focus on things that allow us to be the most profitable while still being good stewards of the land.\u201d Striving to optimize productivity and economy in tillage led Wright to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":18076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n