How to Prepare for a Successful Planting Season in Illinois
For farmers here in Illinois, Spring means more than just warm days and blooming buds. Planting season requires careful planning in order to grow quality crops. But what exactly needs to be done? By having plans in place and ensuring your land is fully prepped, your crops have a better chance of reaching their full potential. Here are steps you can follow to better prepare for planting season here in Illinois.
Inspect Your Equipment
Preparing for the upcoming season doesn’t just mean prepping your land. Your equipment plays a huge part in ensuring the success of your crops. Surprise breakdowns and unexpected downtime can bring your entire operation to a halt, resulting in the loss of vital time and money. By getting your equipment inspected before each planting season, you can ensure that any and all minor issues are caught before they turn into costly malfunctions.
To get your equipment inspected, give our team at Prairie State Tractor a call or request a service appointment online. Our certified technicians specialize in both repairs and preventative maintenance so your planters, tractors, and attachments continue to run at their peak.
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Get to Know Your Soil
With the power to determine the success of your crop, it’s important to make sure your soil will be able to harbor a healthy environment for seeds to grow in. Learning what exactly is in your soil can help you make better-informed decisions when it comes to choices later on down the road. Soil samples can help determine the pH level, the nutrients, and the texture of your soil. With this information, you’ll know the right amount of fertilizer needed to keep nutrient runoff at a minimum.
Determine Your Strategies
When planning out your season, it’s important to decide on the seeds, fertilizer, and herbicides that best match the soil sample results and your yield goals. Some farmers choose to develop a crop protection plan to ensure their crops are being fully supported in the location they are planted. When you choose your fertilizer, make sure it has the right amount of micro and macronutrients to provide growth all throughout the season.
Prep the Land
Before you start planting, you’ll want to make sure your soil has been properly prepared. When you opt to till, you are able to break down organic matter and add air back into the soil. This process makes it much easier to plant seeds and gives farmers more control over weeds. At Prairie State Tractor, we offer reliable tilling equipment to ensure your crops get the best care. From disks and rippers to cultivators and moldboards, we carry equipment for all types of practices.
Find a Dealership You Can Rely On
Equipment is one of the most valuable investments a farmer can make. From prepping and planting to growing and harvesting, we offer equipment for every season here at Prairie State Tractor. Our sales team will find the best equipment for your operation while our parts and service departments will keep you running at full capacity. Give us a call or stop by for a visit in Illinois to learn more about what we can do for you.
Not familiar with Prairie State Tractor? If you are looking for Kelly Sauder Rupiper Equipment or Holland and Sons, you’re in the right place. After a recent merger between the two dealerships, we have been able to double our talent and reach, providing exceptional service and even more resources for our customers- both new and old.